Big Macs get stellar performances, beat PT
Canon-McMillan’s Cameron Weston (55) takes a bow as he crosses home plate and is greeted by his teammates following his first inning two-run home run that put the Big Macs up 3-0 in their game against Peters Township at Wild Things Park Friday night.
Mark Marietta/Observer-Reporter Cameron Walker salutes after being driven in on a single by Brandon Rea to score Canon McMillanþÄôs fourth run in the game against Peters Township at Wild Things Field on April 21. Canon Mac won the contest 4-1.
There has been a buzz this spring about Canon-McMillan baseball player Cam Weston. It has mostly been about Weston’s pitching. The hard-throwing sophomore has a fastball that lights up radar guns and can reach home plate at 90 mph.
The Michigan recruit can hit a little, too, as he showed Friday night in the Big Macs’ pivotal Class 6-A Section 3 showdown against Peters Township.
Weston capped Canon-McMillan’s big first inning with a two-run homer and the Big Macs went on to a 4-1 victory at Wild Things Park. The win keeps Canon-McMillan (7-4 overall) unbeaten in the section at 6-0. The Big Macs have won six in a row.
Peters Township dropped 4-2 in the league and 10-2 overall.
“Cam hit for us last year, but he was hurt a little,” Canon-McMillan coach Tim Bruzdewicz said. “He’s still a young man, but he can hit for power.”
Weston showed as much in the first inning, after Peters Township had some defensive breakdowns. Weston hit a fly ball to left field off Indians starting pitcher T.J. Dailey. The ball kept carrying and eventually PT’s Luke Mary ran out of room and could only look up and watch it drop over the fence for a two-run homer that capped Canon-McMillan’s three-run inning.
While Weston’s blast gave C-M an early three-run cushion lead, by game’s end the Big Macs were buzzing about the play of many of their players, especially pitchers Zach Rohaley and Brandon Kline and left fielder Greydon Piechnick.
Rohaley, the starter, and Kline combined on a five-hitter, while Piechnick, the Big Macs’ left fielder, made the defensive play of the game, if not the season, for Canon-McMillan. Piechnick sprinted into the gap and made a spectacular diving catch on a ball hit by Dax Plosinka to end the fifth inning. The play came with two runners on base and the Big Macs holding a 4-1 lead.
“That play was huge,” Bruzdewicz said. “That ball was hit like a bullet. If he doesn’t catch that ball … Greyson is a football kid and he goes full out on every play.”
Peters Township had another chance in the seventh. Mary and Xander Cavanaugh hit consecutive out-singles up the middle to chase Rohaley, who had reached the new 100-pitch limit put in place this year by the PIAA.
The Big Macs brought in Kline, a junior, to pitch in a tight spot with Costal Carolina recruit Tor Sehnert and Blake Smith to bat. Smith already had a big game with a double, triple, walk and the Indians’ only run. Kline, however, struck out both batters to end the game, which lasted only 90 minutes.
“We have been bringing Kline along for situations like this,” Bruzdewicz explained. “Last year, we made sure all of his bullpen sessions were thrown from the stretch. Down south, we put him in a couple of late-innings situations. The fact is, we’re going to have a lot of games like this one. Our starting pitchers, Rohaley and Weston, are strikeout pitchers who will run up the pitch counts because of that.”
Canon-McMillan took the 3-0 lead in part because of two two errors by Peters Township in the first inning. They led to three unearned runs and had the Indians playing catch-up all night.
“You can’t spot Canon-McMillan three runs,” veteran PT coach Joe Maize said.
With Nick Serafino on first base to start the bottom of the first, Cam Walker’s sacrifice bunt was thrown wide at first base, which set up Ian Hess’ sacrifice fly that gave C-M a 1-0 lead.
“When we got the call (Thursday) about playing the game here, we were on the turf practicing defending the bunt,” Maize pointed out. “It turned out that we didn’t execute defending the bunt. You will win or lose one or two games a year by executing the bunt and defending the bunt. We didn’t defend it tonight.”
The Indians did execute a perfect suicide squeeze bunt in the fourth inning. Smith was on third base after his fly ball to right field eluded Kline, who attempted to make a diving catch while going toward the foul line. The ball went for a triple. One out later, Ethan Young dropped down a perfect bunt with Smith scoring to pull PT to within 4-1.
That however, was all the Indians could get off Rohaley, who allowed five hits and two walks over 6 1/3 innings. He struck out eight and received stellar defense from his fielders.
“We hit some rockets,” Mazie said. “The difference is they made the defensive plays on balls that were well hit.”
Canon-McMillan has a two-game lead over both PT and Mt. Lebanon heading into the second half of section play. The Big Macs and Indians will meet again in the section finale May 8 at Peterswood Park.
“I feel good about our starting pitchers, Weston and Rohaley,” Bruzdewicz said. “We’ve been getting good pitching all year. What we’re trying to get other guys to buy into is they’re only one pitch away from having to contribute. We got contributions from everybody in this one.”
Walker scored C-M’s fourth run when he singled in the third, advanced on an error and scored on a single by Brandon Rea.