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Big 3rd inning sends C-M to semifinals

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Zach Rohaley pitches during WPIAL Class 6-A quarterfinal action. He was the winning pitcher as Canon-McMillan blanked Penn-Trafford, 10-0, to advance to the semifinals.

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Nick Serafino makes contact during Canon-McMillan’s 10-0 victory against Penn-Trafford. Serafino socked an RBI-single to give the Big Macs the only run they needed in a six-run, third inning.

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Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac

Seniors Zach Rohaley (10) and Nick Serafino will play a big part in Canon-McMillan’s chances to make it the WPIAL Class 6A Championship, an opportunity that has escaped the Big Macs over the past several seasons.

UPPER ST. CLAIR – Counterpunching through the first two innings, similar to a heavyweight title fight, Penn Trafford coach Dan Miller stressed to his players that the quarterfinal matchup against No. 2-seeded Canon-McMillan would be a close low-scoring contest.

The Warriors and Big Macs followed the script for two innings, as the game’s first 12 batters were retired in order.

In the third inning, Canon-McMillan shook off the rust of a 13-day layoff.

After receiving a first-round bye, Canon-McMillan erupted for six runs in the third inning and the Big Macs went on to knock out No. 10 seed Penn Trafford, 10-0, in a six-inning WPIAL Class 6-A quarterfinal game Monday at Boyce Mayview Park.

“We had a scouting report on all their guys and they followed it to a tee,” C-M coach Tim Bruzdewicz said. “Once we got a look at their starter, we were set the second time through (the order). That’s the way we’ve been doing it all year. We thrive and capitalize off of mistakes from a pitcher and our hitting is really coming around at the right time.”

Canon-McMillan (14-5) have might as well been hitting off a tee in the bottom of the third inning after Justin Galati was hit by a Penn Trafford pitch and led to the next seven Big Macs reaching base.

Greydon Piechnick followed with C-M’s first hit of the game. He and Galati scored on a two-run double by Cam Walker past the outstretched arm of a diving outfielder in the left-centerfield gap.

The Big Macs continued to add on as a Zach Rohaley single, Cam Weston double under the third baseman’s glove and down the left-field line and a sacrifice fly from Brandon Rea each drove in a run to put C-M ahead 6-0 after three innings.

“We expected an intense game,” Miller said. “We prepared all week. Our preparation and plan took us two-and-a-half innings, where it looked like a title fight. We took a few punches in the third inning and that hurt us. They were able to put the bat on the ball.”

It was all the run support Rohaley, one of the Big Macs’ two pitching aces along with Weston, needed. Allowing only two hits and facing the minimum amount of batters, Rohaley went 5 1/3 innings in only 69 pitches. He struck out five.

“They’re a real scrappy team,” Rohaley said about Penn Trafford (12-10).

“I needed to use all my pitches today and just went right at them. It wasn’t about striking them out but more about just getting outs whatever way I could. I wanted to throw as many strikes as possible and save my pitch count. That’s a very good team over there, but if we keep working hard we are just going to keep on rolling.”

The lone hits allowed by Rohaley came from Penn Trafford’s leadoff hitter Jordan Sabol, who was subsequently caught stealing after reaching in the first inning and doubled up on a line drive after he attempted to swipe another base.

Canon-McMillan didn’t allow a runner to reach second base.

“I was extremely worried about the layoff,” Bruzdewicz said about his lineup that struggled in two scrimmages last week. “We didn’t play well in either of those games. Today, we played good.”

The Big Macs’ lead was extended in the fifth inning when Jordan Castelli drove a ball to right field on a two-run single to put C-M ahead, 8-0.

The Penn Trafford coaches took exception in the handshake line to how the Big Macs won – they executed a double steal with runners on first and third to draw the Warriors into a rundown while the final run scampered home.

Canon-McMillan moves onto the semifinals to face North Allegheny (16-6) after it defeated Norwin, 9-1, in a quarterfinal game Monday.

“I think they know what happened,” Bruzdewicz said about C-M’s exit in the semifinal round last year to eventual WPIAL champion Norwin.

“They know what’s in front of them. We worked really hard to get to this point. It comes down to pitch counts. Normally, when you’re up 9-0 you don’t do that. I’m not apologizing. It was all about baseball. It was nothing about showing them up or anything like that. That was the thinking.”

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