High school notebook: Several baseball and softball teams off to strong starts
High school notebook
The spring sports season is already three weeks old and several local baseball and softball teams are still undefeated.
Canon-McMillan and Fort Cherry baseball and Bentworth, Canon-McMillan and Chartiers-Houston softball were all unblemished through Wednesday.
The Big Macs’ baseball team is 8-0 and secured a three-game sweep of Woodland Hills to begin Class 6A Section 2 play.
Starting pitchers M.J. Maruschak and Sebastian Shulsky lead the way for Canon-McMillan, but the team can hit too. They’ve scored nine or more runs in seven of eight games.
Fort Cherry was 5-0 and had a game against McGuffey Thursday night. Slugging first baseman Cole Temple has led an offense that plated 71 runs through five games.
LSU recruit Sydney Gonglik is back and stronger than ever for Bentworth softball after not being able to pitch most of last season because of injury.
Gonglik has yielded only three runs in six games in the circle and recently hit three home runs in a 17-0 win against Frazier.
Coming off a state semifinal appearance, Chartiers-Houston had to replace its battery of pitcher Meadow Ferri and catcher Ella Richey, but hasn’t missed a beat so far. The Bucs are 8-0 and have won every game by mercy rule except Thursday’s 10-3 win against Burgettstown. They’ve outscored their opponents 124-4. Tayrne Drilak has filled in well in the circle, moving over from third base last year.
Canon-McMillan finds itself atop the Class 6A standings with a 4-0 record and a 5-0 record overall. The Big Macs have put up double-digit run totals in their last three games in wins against Mt. Lebanon, Butler and Pine-Richland. Kadence Merigo has hit a home run in each of those three games. Harley Tourney homered in the last two games.
Several other teams have only one loss: In baseball Avella (6-1) and California (2-1) and in softball Trinity (8-1) Wash High (5-1) and Jefferson-Morgan (5-1).
Morgan’s Message
The Canon-McMillan and Peters Township girls lacrosse teams are coming together for a good cause.
The two teams are hosting a fundraiser benefiting Morgan’s Message during their game on April 13 at Confluence Financial Partners Stadium at Peters Township Middle School.
Morgan’s Message is a non-profit organization that works to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health in athletics and encourages open conversations, education, and support for student-athletes facing mental health challenges.
It is named after Morgan Rodgers, a former Duke lacrosse player who died by suicide following a mental struggle with a long-term knee injury.
All proceeds from the event will benefit Morgan’s Message. There will be raffle baskets with various prizes.
Tracey nets 100th
In only her junior season of playing girls lacrosse, Kennedy Tracey has reached a major milestone.
Tracey scored her 100th career goal while playing for Canon-McMillan last week. She is in her first season playing for the Big Macs. She played for Trinity the previous two seasons.
Knox with Team USA
Peters Township sophomore Alex Knox has been invited to try out for the Team USA U19 girls volleyball team this summer.
Knox, who helped Peters Township win its first WPIAL title this fall, was one of 20 players invited to compete to make the team. She’ll travel to Colorado Springs in July to vie for one of 14 roster spots.
Those that make the team will represent Team USA at the U19 Continental Championship in Costa Rica.
Six volleyball classes
Starting this fall the PIAA will be going from four to six classes in girls volleyball.
The move comes 10 years after the PIAA moved baseball, softball, basketball and football to six classifications.
Canon-McMillan will be the lone local Class 6A team and one of nine in the WPIAL.
South Fayette, Peters Township and Trinity are in Class 5A and all three are in Section 4. There are 30 teams in Class 5A, which is the biggest classification.
Ringgold and Belle Vernon are among 16 teams in Class 4A.
Charleroi, Chartiers-Houston, McGuffey and Waynesburg are in Class 3A, which has 26 teams.
Class 2A houses 27 teams and has the most local teams with Avella, Bentworth, Burgettstown, Fort Cherry, Washington, Beth Center, California, Carmichaels, Jefferson-Morgan, Mapletown and West Greene.
No local team is playing in Class A.
Soccer is the lone sport remaining that is four classes in the PIAA. Several other sports have two or three classes.