May 15, 2018 4 min read

HARMONY – One didn’t need a JUGS radar gun to know Will Bednar was throwing hard.

It was enough to just listen to the pop of the catcher’s mitt every time the junior right-handed pitcher from Mars High School unleashed one of his fastballs to the plate.

Whoosh. Pop.

Whoosh. Pop.

The two pro scouts standing behind home plate with the radar guns clocked his fastball as high as 95 mph and consistently in the low 90s throughout the first round of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs against Trinity at Seneca Valley High School on a perfect Tuesday afternoon.

While Bednar’s statistics were impressive – 16 strikeouts and no walks in a 7-inning complete game – Trinity never backed down. Up until the final out – a strikeout – the Hillers were one key hit from turning the game their way.

Bednar secured the 2-1 victory for Mars by slithering out of a two-on, two-out situation with that 16th strikeout.

The loss ended the season for the Hillers with a 5-10 record. But that’s misleading. Trinity came into the game winning the final three games in Section 2 to finish tied for fourth place with Montour. Trinity allowed only four runs in those three section victories. The Hillers did not play like a 5-10 team against Mars.

Bednar is a shining star for Mars, already orally committing to Ohio State when he graduates after next season. He has 92 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings after the win over Trinity, and has walked only eight.

“We haven’t seen (anyone) in our section … near that velocity,” said Trinity head coach Shawn Allen. “That’s the real (deal) there.”

All the runs in this game were scored with two outs. Trinity starter Kyle Steele gave up a two-out single to Jack Anderson in the first inning that scored Jon Wetherholt, who walked and stole second.

Mars made it 2-0 in the third when Frank Craska hit a two-out single that scored Rowen Fletcher, who singled and stole second.

“We focused on cutting down on our swings (Monday) and putting the ball in play. Unfortunately, coming out of the gate, we started back to that swing as hard as you could,” said Allen. “We talked to them around the third inning … and we started to put the ball in play a little. We were just trying to get back into it at that point.”

Trinity cut the deficit in half when Tanner Hudak redirected a Bednar fastball to the deepest part of the field, left-center, for a triple. Steele followed with a 2-out single.

“This kid was legit,” Hudak said. “He threw hard, had a good split change. We fought hard to get on base but he was good. I give credit to him.”

Steele doesn’t have a 90 mph fastball but he worked the edges of the plate to perfection until leaving after five innings. He allowed five hits, walked two and struck out three.

Mars put men on first and third in the sixth with two outs against reliever Camden Zaken and attempt a double steal, hoping to rattle Zaken into an errant throw. But the throw home nailed the runner by five feet and ended the inning.

Bednar struck out the first two batters in the top of the seventh but Logan DeFillippo singled to left and was pinch-run for. Jax Banco singled to right putting runners on first and third and ignited a meeting on the mound to settle Bednar.

It worked as he got the final out. Mars (13-5) advances to play either Fox Chapel or Laurel Highlands.

“I expected a scrappy team in Trinity,” said Mars head coach Andy Bednar, Will’s father. “They battled and battled and battled. They got a couple big hits and stayed in the game. … Steele threw really well. He kept our guys off balance.”