May 24, 2016 4 min read

WEXFORD – There is no tangible reason why, but the Canon-McMillan baseball team in recent years has been a pesky group.

Even before former head coach Steve Bucci led the Big Macs to a PIAA title in 2008, the program has produced thrilling come-from-behind wins despite the odds being stacked against them.

It looked like the latest comeback would propel seventh-seeded Canon-McMillan to the WPIAL Class AAAA championship game, but No. 14 Norwin scored three runs in the seventh inning and held on for an 8-5 win in a semifinal game at North Allegheny High School.

The Big Macs (14-8), who overcame an early four-run deficit, will face Hempfield, which lost to top-seeded Plum in the other semifinal game, next Tuesday or Wednesday in a consolation game to determine the WPIAL’s final spot in the state playoffs. Norwin will face Plum for the WPIAL title.

Canon-McMillan trailed 5-1 entering the bottom of the second inning, but tied the score in the bottom of the fifth on a RBI double by Matt Mish to left-center field. Mish was stranded at third after Chad Coles, who earned the win, got back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat.

But Norwin used three hits, including a two-run single by Ramon Milke, and two walks to grab three runs in the seventh and secure the win.

“We had our chances,” first-year Canon-McMillan head coach Tim Bruzdewicz said. “We’re in a 5-5 game and we have the winning run on third base in the bottom of the fifth. We’re right there, so like I told the kids, we’re as good as anyone else. But you have to tip your cap. Sometimes you’re going to just lose games.”

A bad start didn’t help.

Norwin (15-7), which lost in the WPIAL championship game last May, got timely hits off sophomore left-handed pitcher Ian Hess. Ray Belchick got a one-out single in the first inning and advanced to second on a passed ball before Nick Amendola lined a single to right for the 1-0 lead.

Ethan Sikora, who was intentionally walked twice, added an RBI double to increase the lead to two runs. The Big Macs answered in the bottom half of the inning when senior catcher Tanner Piechnick delivered an RBI single. Jordan Castelli drew a one-out walk to load the bases, but they were stranded.

The Knights added three runs in the second, two on a single by Daniel Kiester, knocking Hess from the game to take a 5-1 lead, but freshman pitcher Cameron Weston escaped the jam and held them scoreless until leaving the game in the top of the fifth.

“If you told me we were going to get five runs, I would have said that would be enough to win here, but it wasn’t today,” Norwin head coach Mike Liebdzinski said. “We’ve never seen them personally, but the scouting report said they were a solid lineup. No one necessarily stood out, but they’re all good hitters. They battle through counts, adjusted to the game as it was going. We expected them to be tough at the plate.”

Norwin starting pitcher Ryan Weaver can attest to that. The Big Macs answered with two runs on four hits in the bottom of the second against Weaver, who relied on changeups and curveballs. Josh Palma and Nick Serafino, who went 3-for-3, hit back-to-back singles and Palma scored on an RBI single by Cameron Walker.

Hess added a single to right-center to score Serafino to make it 5-3, but Walker was thrown out trying to score from second. Canon-McMillan stranded eight runners on base.

“On our side, this is the way we’ve been losing games all year,” Bruzdewicz said. “We’ve lost games because we made a base-running error, we got picked off or our pitcher couldn’t throw strikes in a situation. Of course, those first two innings hurt us. They just got bigger hits and that’s the way it is.”

The Big Macs cut the deficit to one run in the fourth when they executed a double steal with two outs. Walker dashed for second base and when Norwin catcher Jon LoChiatto threw to second, Serafino sprinted home, sliding under the high throw.

After Canon-McMillan sophomore pitcher Zach Rohaley escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth, ish doubled in Piechnick, who had walked to start the inning.

Accustomed to Weaver’s breaking pitchers, Coles’ fastball high and inside stumped the Big Macs as he retired seven of the 10 batters he faced. Serafino doubled to lead off the sixth, but was stranded there. Canon-McMillan had runners on second and third with one out in the seventh, but couldn’t capitalize.