Mt. Lebanon swings into the playoffs
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Gabbie Boone winds up and unleashes a pitch to the plate during Mt. Lebanon’s 15-0 win against Upper St. Clair. Boone struck out three and allowed no base runners in picking up the victory.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Deidre Flaherty, a two-year starter behind the plate for Mt. Lebanon, was named the position Player of the Year during balloting for the all-state teams. She also earned first-team honors at the Class 6A level.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Deidre Flaherty
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Irsi Barone catches a pop up to shortstop during Mt. Lebanon’s 15-0 victory against Upper St. Clair.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Lizzy Kubancek makes contact for a single during Mt. Lebanon’s 15-0 win against Upper St. Clair.
The girls on the Mt. Lebanon softball team are in the swing of things. In 16 games this season, they have scored 164 runs.
“We can score,” admitted Blue Devils skipper Casey Phillips. “Our goal in games is to keep teams under touchdowns.”
That will continue to be Lebo’s philosophy heading into the WPIAL playoffs, which start May 16.
“We’re known for offense,” Phillips said. “If we can keep the ball down in the zone and play good defense, not give up four to six outs an inning, our offense will get the job down.”
For two seasons, Deirdre Flaherty has gotten the job done at the plate.
As a sophomore last year, she led the WPIAL with 12 home runs while batting .650 with 37 RBI. As a junior this year, has socked 11 round trippers, 10 in the past two weeks.
Before socking a three-run homer and a double in a 16-0 win against rival Upper St. Clair on May 11, she was batting .568 with slugging and on-base percentages of 1.634 and .667.
Flaherty leads the team with 31 RBI and walks with 15. She has scored 13 runs. She has struck out once this spring and only once last year.
“Deirdre is a pretty dynamic hitter,” Phillips said. “She’s been pretty unbelievable.
“She is one of the best power hitter I have ever seen,” Phillips continued. “She has an easy demeanor, very humble and doesn’t put a lot of pressure on herself.”
A catcher, Flaherty knows her teammates have her back.
“Dee’s stats are gaudy and she’s a well-round person and a great softball player,” Phillips said. “She’s the focal point but we have a lot of unsung heroes on this team who do their job day in and day out. It’s been a collective effort.”
Four seniors provide the leadership for a relatively young club.
Sammy Phillips is a three-year starter. She tagged three hits, including a two-run double and a two-run home run, against USC.
An Allegheny College recruit, Phillips has driven in 18 runs and owns a .408 batting average. She excels as Lebo’s designated player and shares third-base duties with Lizzy Kubancek.
A Seton Hill recruit, Kubancek has scored 18 runs and driven in 14. She ranks second on the team with nine walks.
Iris Barone, who drilled two doubles and scored twice against USC, starts at shortstop. A Swarthmore College recruit, Barone leads the team in runs scored (24) and triples (3) while maintaining a .429 slugging percentage.
Olivia Hamel, who will enroll at Florida State in the fall, dominates the outfield.
“There is something to be said for experience and those four seniors have provided that. We knew we had a veteran team coming back and had a chance to compete but we also had a lot of underclassmen who received a baptism by fire last year and our seniors have pulled us together to the point that we are battle-tested.”
Three additional juniors dot the starting line-up. Brooke Boehmer plays first base while Olivia Buckiso controls second base. Kate Borza is the right fielder.
Before smacking a two-run homer against USC, Buckiso was batting .436. She has 20 RBI and 18 runs scored. Boehmer was batting .511 with 23 runs and 20 RBI. Borza is the lead-off hitter with a .478 on-base percentage and 20 runs scored.
Junior Clara Hartnett and sophomore Gabbie Boone shares the pitching duties. They have staked the Blue Devils to a 12-4 overall record heading into the playoffs.
“Neither one are speed-ballers. They rely on location,” said Phillips. “They keep the ball in the zone and manufacture ground-ball outs. They hit their spots and have gotten better and better as the season as gone on.”
Freshmen Mary Langston and Hannah Boomhow have also been “major” contributors for the Blue Devils, who captured the section crown with a 7-1 slate.
Lebo has also relied upon Baylee Welling, Ava Pesacreta, Ella Donahue and Emily Morgan to advance to the postseason.
“It’s been kind of crazy but we have had a couple different heroes step up with big hits or plays in the field all season,” Phillips said. “That’s a great feeling when all can contribute.”
A team effort will be required as the Blue Devils chase after their first WPIAL title since 2010.
Before Bethel Park won its first district championship in 2021, Hempfield had won the past five titles in the highest classification. The Spartans won the Section 2 title with a 9-1 slate ahead of Pine-Richland and Seneca Valley, whom the Blue Devils lost to, 19-9, on May 9.
“The playoffs are going to be very exciting and I think we are playing with confidence,” Phillips said. “We have been down in the course of a game and have come back so they believe they can win. This is a resilient bunch that doesn’t have a whole lot of doubt in themselves.”
Phillips isn’t guaranteeing victories. Rather he is predicting drama the kind the Blue Devils experienced during regular season wins against Canon-McMillan, 18-14, Bethel Park, 10-9, and Peters Township, 11-8.
“You can’t leave early at any of our games,” Phillips said. “They are all nail biters. We find ways to win in different ways. Once the playoffs start, anything can happen.”