May 9, 2016 5 min read

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The WPIAL baseball season began in late March and like every season, there have been a handful of teams in Quad-A that seemed destined for a playoff run.

It’s amazing how one 14-inning game can change everything. If you hadn’t heard, Canon-McMillan earned a spot in the playoffs with a dramatic win over Peters Township last Thursday in a game that lasted almost five hours and featured some spectacular pitching.

The Big Macs needed a three-run double from sophomore Zach Rohaley to take the lead and held on for the 6-4 win to return to the postseason. Heck, three weeks ago they didn’t look like a playoff team.

Canon-McMillan was struggling in every facet, particularly on defense, and sank to sixth in the Section 5-AAAA standings. Rohaley and some timely hitting changed everything.

Now, this is one of those teams that could definitely make a run through the postseason. If the Big Macs have to play two games in three days, they have the pitching depth to beat anyone. The more likely scenario is spring weather will allow Rohaley, who has been dominant over the last month, to pitch every game.

There’s no overstating the value of an ace pitcher in the WPIAL baseball playoffs. Look at what Blackhawk accomplished two years ago with Brendan McKay. No, Rohaley isn’t on that level as a sophomore, but if he pitches the way he’s been, good luck to opposing hitters.

It also helps having arguably the top defensive catcher in the WPIAL who seems to be finding a groove at the plate at the right time. If Tanner Piechnick, an Ohio University recruit, becomes a guy teams have to pitch around, look out.

The Big Macs have a batting order that can hurt you one through nine. They are the story to watch when the playoff pairings are released Friday. A favorable seeding could go a long way. That’s something they didn’t receive last year, when they drew Shaler in the first round.

That being said, let’s take a quick look at the playoff picture for baseball and softball sections featuring local teams.

Baseball

Section 5-AAAA

Bethel Park is your section champion with Peters Township and Canon-McMillan tied for second. Mt. Lebanon is also tied with the Indians and Big Macs but was swept by the latter.

Section 3-AAA

Montour won the section with only two losses with Chartiers Valley and West Allegheny tied for second. South Fayette, which defeated the Colts last week, can make it a three-way tie and earn a playoff spot with a win over McGuffey today (if the weather allows them to finally play that one). Though the Highlanders were extremely competitive this season, they have been eliminated from playoff contention and the same goes for Trinity.

Section 4-AAA

Laurel Highlands is the section champ and potentially a top seed in the playoffs. Belle Vernon finished second with four losses, but has won four consecutive games. South Park has also clinched and Uniontown can get in with by defeating Laurel Highlands and Thomas Jefferson this week.

Section 1-AA

Avonworth and Quaker Valley are sharing the section title with New Brighton as the third-place team. Fort Cherry and Burgettstown have been eliminated from playoff contention.

Section 2-AA

Brownsville is the section champ with an undefeated record. Chartiers-Houston will finish second and Charleroi third. Whoever guessed that order in March gets a gold star.

Section 1-A

California is once again the section champion. Bentworth is second and Carmichaels third. I’ll go into more detail about these three on the blog later this week. Spoiler: I think all three can make noise in the postseason and California is my pick to win the title.

Section 5-A

Avella didn’t make the playoffs despite handing OLSH – the section champion – its only loss in section play. Bishop Canevin is second and Brentwood is third.

Softball

Section 4-AAAA

Canon-McMillan and Baldwin are tied for first place. The Big Macs can earn an outright section title with a win over Peters Township and a Baldwin loss to Bethel Park. They will share the title if both get a win and Baldwin wins it outright with a win and a C-M loss.

Peters Township and Bethel Park are currently tied for third place. If both lose, they’re both in the playoffs. The same goes if they both win. If one wins and the other loses, the victor is in. You get it, right?

Section 2-AAA

West Allegheny is the section champion with South Fayette finishing second and Montour third.

Section 3-AAA

Thomas Jefferson is the section champion and likely the favorite to win the WPIAL title. Belle Vernon and Elizabeth Forward will play Tuesday for second place.

Section 1-AA

Burgettstown and Avonworth are tied for first place. The Blue Devils earn at least a share if they defeat South Side Beaver Tuesday on the road. Avonworth finishes with Freedom, which it defeated 10-0 earlier this season. South Side Beaver is the third playoff team.

Section 2-AA

McGuffey clinches at least a share section title by winning one of its final three section game. Bentworth is in second and has one section game against Charleroi remaining. Waynesburg clinched a playoff spot and Carmichaels can also get in with wins over Brownsville and the Raiders.

Section 1-A

West Greene is the your section champion. Chartiers-Houston will finish second and Jefferson-Morgan third.

Section 2-A

Frazier is the section champion, Monessen is second with only two losses with Greensburg Central Catholic and Jeannette battling for the third spot.