Bethel Park’s baseball quest ends in PIAA quarterfinals
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Ryan Petras walks away from the plate while Bonner-Prendergast begin their celebration after dethroning Bethel Park as PIAA champions. The Friars posted a 3-1 win ending the Black Hawks’ quest for a third straight state title.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Ryan Petras slips back to first base during PIAA Class 5A baseball playoff action. Petras singled but was out on a double play in the first inning. He reached base in the third frame and swiped two bases but Bethel Park was unable to score until the seventh inning. By then, Bonner-Prendergast{span class=”Apple-converted-space”} was well on its way to victory, 3-1, over the Black Hawks.{/span}
Coby Goelz snags the throw to first base for the putout of CJ Nocella during PIAA Class 5A baseball playoff action.
Ryan Petras prepares to apply the tag while Gianni Magnotti backs up the play on Irv Fisher. Fisher tagged two singles and was hit by a pitch during Bonner-Prendergast’s 3-1 win against Bethel Park.{span class=”Apple-converted-space”}
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Bethel Park’s quest for a third straight state baseball championship ended when the Black Hawks dropped a 3-1 decision to Bonner-Prendergast (17-7), in the quarterfinal round of the PIAA Class 5A baseball playoffs.
“I wish we could have won,” BP manager Patrick Zehnder said with a sigh, “but we are so proud of these players, particularly this senior class, and all that they have accomplished and how they have done it.
“Once the sting of this finality goes away and they look back on the season and all the adversity they have been through, I do hope they will look back with pride on all that they have accomplished. While this is a feeling no one wants to get used to, we are proud of them not just for the wins but because of how they have handled themselves after wins and losses. The culture they have established and the character they have shown. They have set the standard for the program and created a culture that is going to help us be even more successful.”
The Black Hawks won back-to-back PIAA titles in 2021 and 2022. This spring, Bethel Park captured a section banner and finished runner-up in the WPIAL. They reached the PIAA quarterfinals before ending an 18-6 campaign against the Friars on June 8 at Big Spring High School in Newville.
Bonner-Prendergast, a Philadelphia Catholic League team, boasted Kevin McGonigle. The senior shortstop is expected to be a first-round pick in July’s MLB draft. An Auburn recruit, he was selected as the Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year thanks to a .500 batting average with 15 extra base hits and 20 RBIs.
Against the Black Hawks, McGonigle smacked a solo homer in the first frame, doubled home a second run in the third, was intentionally walked in the fifth and singled in the seventh. Defensively, he combined on a double play as well as initiated a pick-off play.
“(McGonigle) is excellent. He is extremely talented,” Zehnder said. “He’s plays very well defensively and he’s very fast on the bases. He’s the real deal. He has every tool in his toolbox.”
The Friars had more implements than McGonigle. On the mound, Harry Carr threw six scoreless innings and stuck out six batters.
The Friars also robbed the Black Hawks of several hits with strong defensive plays, particularly by right fielder Justin Shepherd and center fielder Irv Fisher. Shepherd shared in one of two double plays that thwarted BP scoring opportunities.
“They were an awesome team. More than just one player, that is for sure,” Zehnder said. “They had impacts throughout their line-up and made some great defensive plays and capitalized on some base-running mistakes by us.
“I thought we hit the ball really well. Sometimes that’s baseball. It doesn’t always fall in for you.”
Ryan Petras and Ray Altmeyer led off the first and second stanzas with base hits but the rallies were ended by a double play and line drive out to right. Gianni Magnotti and Altmeyer singled and Mike Bruckner and John Chalus had walks in the fifth and sixth but no runs were forthcoming for the Blackhawks until the seventh.
Jason Nuttridge doubled, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on Magnotti’s ground ball to second.
“We didn’t leave anything out there. We gave all of ourselves but even in that situations, we couldn’t get the hits across that we needed. We had base runners every inning and threats but sometimes the game of baseball doesn’t always work out.
“Credit their pitchers though,” Zehnder said. “They pounded the zone and made us swing at their pitches when the moments were the biggest.”