Bethel Park wins section baseball title
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Bethel Park players celebrate after beating Canon-McMillan, 9-4, and capturing the section championship.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Adam Malecki gets a hero’s welcome from Justin Meis, Sean McGowan and Magdiel Cotto after he scored his third run in Bethel Park’s 9-4 victory against Canon-McMillan. Malecki tagged four singles and drove in three runs in the win that clinched the section title for the Hawks.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Eric Chalus rears back to unleash a pitch during his 9-4 victory against Canon-McMillan. The Bethel Park freshman struck out four and scattered seven hits before yielding to Corey Fischer, who preserved the win by pitching the seventh inning.
Justin Meis celebrates with Corey Fischer after he gets the final out in a victory against Canon-McMillan on May 4, 2018. The win assured Bethel Park of a section championship.
Science coupled with fundamentals have proved the winning formula for the Bethel Park baseball team this spring.
With a 9-4 win against Canon-McMillan on May 3, the Hawks clinched the Section 3 title with an 11-1 record. They are 15-3 overall with one regular season game remaining at Chartiers Valley May 9 before the WPIAL Class 6-A playoffs commence on May 14.
“Hitting, pitching and defense has all come together for us. When that happens, you are going to get wins,” BP manager Tony Fisher said. “While this team has elevated their play in all three of those areas, the chemistry among these players is like nothing I have seen. It has been unbelievable. The seniors mentor the young guys and the younger guys have taken to their roles.”
Nothing better demonstrated that statement than when Justin Meis took Eric Chalus under his wing during a pivotal third inning against the Big Macs.
Chalus found himself in a bind. The freshman had surrendered an RBI base hit to Ian Hess and a two-run single to Cameron Weston. There were no outs and BP clung to a 5-3 lead.
A senior shortstop bound for Eastern Michigan, Meis strolled to the mound and settled the rookie. Meis then turned a double play and Chalus got Zach Rohaley to fly to left for the final out.
“Eric was making good pitches, particularly in that third inning, but when they are hitting them like that a player can lose his confidence, especially a freshman,” Fisher explained. “Justin came in and talked to him and Eric stayed composed.
“Eric tries to emulate Justin. He’s a big brother to him,” Fisher continued. “That goes back to the senior mentoring.”
Adam Malecki actively mentors. By using his bat, he shows how to win games. The senior smashed four singles against the Big Macs. He scored three and drove in three runs.
Malecki takes his role as a leader on the club seriously. Having won two section titles in three seasons, he understands what is required.
“It’s hard to win the section, and to be a part of two is fantastic,” Malecki said. “We are a young team this year. You have to show them the ropes and try to teach them to play the game right. But honestly, it’s their energy that helps us out. We’re not a bunch of special guys going to big colleges. We are just out here playing and loving the game.”
Fisher points to the first win against Canon-McMillan as pivotal to BP’s recent success. In that 6-3 triumph back on April 16, the Hawks faced Rohaley, who is bound for Wheeling Jesuit. The Hawks have won nine games in row, many of them one-run affairs.
“We swung well against one of the best pitchers in the WPIAL and I think that built confidence,” Fisher said. “Since then we have been really confident in our ability to hit the ball. The entire second half of the season we have really been swinging the bats well.”
In addition to Malecki, Sean McGowan has carried a big stick. He and Malecki hit back-to-back doubles to produce the decisive run in 1-0 victory against Mt. Lebanon last week.
“Winning games at this level you have got to make the plays,” said Fisher.
The Hawks spread the plays around.
While McGowan leads the team in hits, sophomore Kevin Kogler maintains the top batting average. Malecki leads in long balls but senior Korey Patterson has the most extra-base hits. He smacked a two-run double against the Big Macs. Junior Antonio Fontana ranks first in RBIs.
While Chalus dominated the Big Macs to improve to 4-1 overall, Meis was magnificent in thwarting Mt. Lebanon. He tossed a three-hitter in the shutout. He is 4-1 this season with a 1.73 ERA.
Corey Fischer pitched well in relief of Chalus against the Big Macs. The senior adds depth and talent to the pitching staff as does Magdiel Cotto, who is also a position player when not on the mound. Fischer is 3-1 overall. Cotto has one victory and Evan Bromley, a sophomore, has the team’s other three wins.
Anthony Strangis in right field and Ben Barnot in left along with Brandon Cole behind the plate excel defensively as well as at the plate. Against C-M, Strangis scored twice. He had two hits and walked once. Cole scored three times after walking twice and singling once.
“It’s a well-balanced team where everybody seems to be contributing. Our pitching has led to some big wins and offense seems to be kicking into another gear.”
That doesn’t mean the Hawks are talking title. They are not even whispering winning the WPIAL.
For Fisher that’s a no-no. He did not even mention section banner until the Hawks reached the end of the bottom of the sixth inning against the Big Macs.
“We never look beyond the game that we are playing,” he said. “We don’t look past our next opponent.”