Jun 8, 2013 4 min read

FOX CHAPEL – By the time Brian Fisher toed the rubber for the bottom of the first inning of Friday’s PIAA Class A quarterfinal against Our Lady of Sacred Heart, the California baseball team had smacked five hits, sent nine batters to the plate and scored three runs.

The early lead, while in stark contrast to the lack of run support in Fisher’s last outing against the Chargers, carried the Trojans to a 6-3 win at Fox Chapel High School and a semifinal matchup with Johnsonburg at Homer-Center on Monday.

“It was really great that we could get out in front, get a lead and get some momentum going for the rest of the game,” said Fisher, who lined a single back at pitcher Tim Mulvey during the inning. “That really helped us out a lot.”

California finished with 12 hits, four of them by center fielder Aaron Previsky, who roped a triple to deep center in the second inning that scored catcher Jake Columbus.

Every Trojans starter reached base and seven of the nine had a hit, but what should not be overlooked is Fisher’s sparkling start, which helped him improve to 10-2 this season.

The senior left-hander allowed three runs on eight hits with four walks – one intentional – in seven innings. He struck out four, each of them to end an inning, and needed just 97 pitches.

That, though, is the boxscore.

Here’s what won’t show up: In the fifth, OLSH shortstop Santino Platt lined a shot off Fisher’s right wrist. Not only did Fisher try to get the out before shortstop Josh Luko took care of that, but he stayed in the game and recorded the next four outs.

Earlier, Fisher nabbed a comebacker from Platt and threw to third for the out before catching a line drive – more like preventing serious injury – from the next batter, second baseman Dan Bechek.

“He’s the man,” California coach Don Hartman said. “If you ever want a guy in your foxhole, he’s the guy you want with you. He’s a bulldog out there. He took two or three balls off his body, and he just kept coming back.

“You literally have to shoot him to knock him down.”

Second baseman Michael Luketich, first baseman Ronnie Baron and third baseman Louden Conte drove in runs with singles in the first.

OLSH (20-4) got three back in the fourth on right fielder Nick Kocent’s single to shallow right field and a two-run double to left from Bill Mulcahey.

California (20-5) added to its lead in the fifth when Fisher chopped a single to the right of Bechek, and Preston Falascino, who relieved Mulvey, walked in a run in the seventh.

Hartman took a chance in the seventh by intentionally walking Falascino, a Slippery Rock recruit who had two hits, to load the bases, but Fisher struck out catcher Jason Lanoy looking at a fastball to end it.

“The way that kid swings the bat, there’s no way I was letting him swing the bat there,” Hartman said of walking Falascino. “I actually apologized to him after the game. I said, ‘I’m sorry. You’re a great player. I love you. But I can’t let you hit right there.’ “

California did hit. Quite a bit more, too, than the one run it produced in a WPIAL Class A semifinal loss to OLSH.

And the biggest of those runs came early.

“They hit the ball,” OLSH coach Phil McCarren said. “You have to give them credit. They came out and put runs on the board right away.”

Fisher has pitched six or more innings in each of California’s past four playoff games, winning three of those decisions. … Falascino prevented a run in the seventh by shoveling a suicide squeeze attempt from Luketich for a putout at home plate. … After relieving Mulvey, Falascino, the team’s ace and the presumed starter for a semifinal matchup, wound up throwing 5 1/3 innings and allowing a pair of runs.