Canon-McMillan topples Penn-Trafford
Zach Rohaley congratulates Nick Serafino afer he scored a run during Canon-McMillan’s six-run, third inning. The big frame vaulted the Big Macs to victory, 10-0, versus Penn-Trafford in a WPIAL 6-A quarterfinal baseball game played at Boyce-Mayview Park.
Zach Rohaley prepares to release the ball toward the plate during WPIAL quarterfinal action. He earned the victory on the mound as Canon-McMillan blanked Penn-Trafford, 10-0, to advance to the semifinals.
Nick Serafino makes contact during Canon-McMillan’s 10-0 victory against Penn-Trafford. Serafino socked an RBI-single to give the Big Macs the only run they needed in a six-run, third inning.
Counterpunching through the first two innings, similar to a heavyweight title fight, Penn Trafford coach Dan Miller stressed to his players that the quarterfinal matchup against No. 2-seeded Canon-McMillan would be a close low-scoring contest.
The Warriors and Big Macs followed the script for two innings, as the game’s first 12 batters were retired in order.
In the third inning, however, C-M shook off the rust of a 13-day layoff. They had received a first-round bye.
The Big Macs erupted for six runs and went on to knock out No. 10 seed Penn Trafford, 10-0, in a six-inning WPIAL Class 6-A quarterfinal contest played at Boyce-Mayview Park in Upper St. Clair.
“We had a scouting report on all their guys and they followed it to a tee,” C-M coach Tim Bruzdewicz said. “Once we got a look at their starter, we were set the second time through (the order). That’s the way we’ve been doing it all year. We thrive and capitalize off of mistakes from a pitcher and our hitting is really coming around at the right time.”
The Big Macs (14-5) might as well had been hitting off a tee in the bottom of the third frame. After Justin Galati was hit by a pitch, the next seven Big Macs reaching base.
Greydon Piechnick followed with C-M’s first hit of the game. He and Galati scored on Cam Walker’s two-run double into the left-centerfield gap. After Zach Rohaley singled, Cam Weston doubled under the third baseman’s glove and down the left-field line. A sacrifice fly from Brandon Rea each drove in a run to put C-M ahead 6-0.
“We expected an intense game,” Miller said. “We prepared all week. Our preparation and plan took us two-and-a-half innings, where it looked like a title fight. We took a few punches in the third inning and that hurt us. They were able to put the bat on the ball.”
It was all the run support Rohaley, one of the Big Macs’ two pitching aces along with Weston, needed. Allowing only two hits and facing the minimum amount of batters, Rohaley went 5 1/3 innings in only 69 pitches. He struck out five.
“They’re a real scrappy team,” Rohaley said about Penn Trafford (12-10).
“I needed to use all my pitches today and just went right at them. It wasn’t about striking them out but more about just getting outs whatever way I could. I wanted to throw as many strikes as possible and save my pitch count. That’s a very good team over there, but if we keep working hard we are just going to keep on rolling.”
The Warriors lead-off hitter Jordan Sabol tagged the only hits off Rohaley. After reaching base in the first inning, he was caught stealing. Sabol also was doubled up on a line drive after he attempted to swipe another base. As a result, no P-T runner reached second base.
“I was extremely worried about the layoff,” Bruzdewicz said about his lineup that struggled in two scrimmages last week. “We didn’t play well in either of those games. Today, we played good.”
The Big Macs’ extended their lead in the fifth inning when Jordan Castelli drove a ball to right field for a two-run single putting C-M ahead, 8-0.
The Penn Trafford coaches took exception in the handshake line to how the Big Macs won-they executed a double steal with runners on first and third to draw the Warriors into a rundown while the final run scampered home.
Canon-McMillan moves onto the semifinals to face North Allegheny (16-6). The Tigers defeated Norwin, 9-1, in their quarterfinal game.
“I think they know what happened,” Bruzdewicz said about C-M’s exit in the semifinal round last year to eventual WPIAL champion Norwin.
“They know what’s in front of them. We worked really hard to get to this point. It comes down to pitch counts. Normally, when you’re up 9-0 you don’t do that. I’m not apologizing. It was all about baseball. It was nothing about showing them up or anything like that. That was the thinking.”