Jun 4, 2024 By Eleanor Bailey 3 min read

After a disappointing defeat in the WPIAL championship game, Bethel Park bounced back and blasted Mechanicsburg, 11-1, in the first round of the PIAA Class 5A playoffs.

BP manager Patrick Zehnder said that he was very pleased with the way his team responded after the 4-3 loss to Penn-Trafford in the district finals. It was BP’s third loss in four years in a WPIAL final and eighth consecutive. The Black Hawks have not won a district title since 1987.

“This is a very resilient group that loves playing with each other,” Zehender said. “They know they are playing not only to win a championship but also to earn more time together. They responded well with a good weekend of practice and played a great game against a great team.”

The Wildcats were the standout team in District 3. They entered the contest sporting a 19-3-1 record while the Black Hawks managed to improve to 16-7-1 after the victory.

Ryan Walsh silenced the Wildcat bats. The junior allowed only one hit during a five-inning stint. The Virginia Tech recruit struck out eight while walking three.

“Ryan was borderline unhittable,” Zehnder said. “He is really coming into his own. It is great to see him throwing at this level and it’s scary to think he can still be better.”

Dylan Schumacher matched Walsh’s effort on the mound. He pitched the final two frames, striking out two, walking one and permitting no hits.

“Dylan was great as usual. Pounding the zone and forcing hitters to swing at the pitches he wanted them to,” Zehnder said.

BP swung the bats well enough to produce 11 runs on 10 hits and four errors.

Evan Stanhoff carried the big stick. He drilled a three-run double in the fourth frame to expand BP’s lead to 5-0. The junior catcher also drove in two more runs with another base hit.

Ryan Petras and Ryan Tierney each tagged two hits.

Petras, who had a double, also walked in two additional plate appearances and drove in three runs. The junior shortstop, who is receiving numerous football offers although he is committed to play baseball at Northwestern, also swiped two bases. Petras has 20 stolen bases on the season, breaking the school record of 19 he set last season.

“An amazing accomplishment,” Zehnder noted.

Offensively, the Black Hawks also benefited from base hits by Nick Rillo, Noah LeJeune, Joey Levis and Jack Bruckner.

Bethel Park scored three runs in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings. They scored twice in the third frame.

“We continue to swing the bat well,” Zehender said. “We did a lot on the bases to up the pressure on a great pitcher. Our approach at the plate has gotten so much better as the season has gone on and it’s good to see it still going that way.”

With the win, Bethel Park kept its season going. The Black Hawks were scheduled to play Monsignor Bonner (18-8) on June 6. It was the same quarterfinal match-up as last year when the Friars scored a 3-1 win against Bethel Park.

The Friars were the District 12 champions. Monsignor Bonner beat Upper Dublin (14-8) in the PIAA opener, 5-3.

The PIAA Class 5A semifinals are set for June 10 with the championships scheduled for 4:30 p.m. June 14 at Medlar Field in Lubrano Park on the Penn State University campus.