May 23, 2021 2 min read

WEST MIFFLIN – The best baseball season in McGuffey High School history just keeps getting better.

McGuffey scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning Saturday and that was all pitcher Austin Beattie needed as the Highlanders defeated Derry 2-0 in the WPIAL Class 3A quarterfinals on the turf at West Mifflin High School.

The win advances McGuffey (14-4) to the semifinals Tuesday (4:30 p.m.), also at West Mifflin, against top-seeded Hopewell (15-5). The Vikings advanced with a 5-2 win over Deer Lakes.

McGuffey won the first playoff game in program history in the first round against South Allegheny and turned back every threat by Derry (12-5) to advance to the semifinals for the initial time.

Winning pitcher Austin Beattie fired a five-hit complete game. He struck out eight and walked only one.

The Highlanders gave Beattie the only runs he would need by scoring a pair with one out in the fifth.

Brock Wallace started the surge with a one-out single and Beattie helped his cause with a triple to right field that scored Wallace with the game’s first run. Jake Orr then followed with a double to center field, scoring Beattie and making it 2-0.

Beattie had to pitch out of a jam in the top of the sixth, when Derry’s Ryan Hood singled with two outs and Sam Jones followed with a double to put two Trojans in scoring position. Beattie, however, got Elijah Penich to bounce back to the mound to end the inning.

McGuffey outhit Derry, 7-5. Beattie was 2-for-2 and Wallace 2-for-4.

The Highlanders are guaranteed of playing at least two more games. The top three teams from the WPIAL advance to the state tournament. A consolation game between the semifinal losers will be played to determine third place. The WPIAL finals will be held June 1 and 2 at Wild Things Park.