May 11, 2023 3 min read

With back-to-back wins against Trinity, Bethel Park clinched its 35th section title in school history. The Black Hawks finished 9-1 in Section 2, two games ahead of runner-up South Fayette (7-3).

In an 8-2 victory at W&J’s Ross Memorial Park, Evan Holewinski pitched four scoreless frame, scattering one hit and striking out two. Jack Edner and Nick Gasper pitched well in relief.

At the plate, Holewinski drove in three runs, Ryan Petras had an RBI single and John Chalus was 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI.

Holewinski’s grand slam highlighted an 11-1 triumph against the Hillers at Purkey Field. In addition, Chalus socked a two-run shot and Coby Goelz tagged a single roundtripper.

Lucas Lybarger had two hits, including a double, and two RBI. Jason Nuttridge, Nick Calano and Kevin Sharp contributed base hits while Petras reached base twice on walks.

Evan LeJeune, Santino Diulus and Sebastian Schein combined for the win on the mound.

Ryan Walsh returned to the line-up on May 8 and combined with Diulus and Dylan Schumacher for a 5-2 win over Ringgold. A Penn State recruit, Walsh had been on the disabled list since having knee surgery after a wrestling injury this winter. The sophomore provided a strong arm in relieve during BP’s playoff run last season.

Against the Rams, Petras led the offensive attack with four hits and four stolen bases. He clubbed double and drove in two runs.

Chalus tripled and singled. Ray Altmeyer had successful plate appearances with a double, walk and hit batsman to drive in two runs. Goelz had a sacrifice fly RBI.

The Black Hawks also picked up a 3-2 win against Chartiers Valley, one of the top Class 4A clubs.

Edner, Dylan Paul, Mike Bruckner and Schein combined for the win on the mound. Schein particularly was effective. He came in with the bases loaded and no outs in the seventh inning and sealed the win with three infield ground ball outs, including a game-ending double-play to Petras at shortstop.

Offensively against the Colts, who had beaten Mt. Lebanon, 5-2, the previous day, Holewinski smacked two hits, including a triple, walked and drove in a run. Bruckner doubled while Altmeyer and Ethan Stanhoff drove in the other runs.

The Black Hawks closed out the regular season blanking Montour, which is the defending Class 4A state champions, 5-0. Prior to the game, Bethel Park recognized its seniors, many of whom have played in back-to-back state championship clubs.

Among the seniors are: Nuttridge, Lejeune, Lybarger, Altmeyer, Schein, Sharp, Gasper, Calano, Holewinski, Josh Clunan, Goelz, Gianni Magnotti, Chalus and Nathan Vargo.

In addition to Bethel Park and South Fayette, Peters Township and Upper St. Clair were among the local teams that gained a playoff spot out of Section 2. The WPIAL baseball committee met on May 12 and announced playoff pairings. Visit www.wpial.org to view the brackets.