South Park sophomore pitcher Sydney Sekely entered Friday’s WPIAL Class 3A championship game in the midst of one of the most dominant stretches by any WPIAL pitcher in recent memory.
Mohawk was well aware of the challenge lying ahead, but the Warriors also knew Sekely had never seen a lineup like theirs before. And in the words of Mohawk coach Hank Pezzuolo, “Something had to give.”
Sekely entered the game with an ERA of 0.31 and streak of six consecutive shutouts — including a perfect game in a WPIAL semifinal win against Ligonier Valley in her most recent outing — with only one run allowed in her last 14 starts combined. But by the time the dust had settled on Mohawk’s 9-2 triumph at PennWest California’s Lilley Field, the Warriors had tagged her for seven runs on nine hits before chasing her out of the game in the fifth inning, handing Sekely only her second loss of the season in shockingly lopsided fashion.
The win secured the first WPIAL title in program history for No. 4 Mohawk (18-5), which knocked off top seed and two-time defending champion Avonworth in the semifinal round — and silenced all the doubters who never believed the Warriors would even make it to the big game in the first place.
“I never felt that we got the credit we deserved,” Pezzuolo said. “This is making school history. It’s awesome for our program. I’m so excited for the kids. They work so hard, and I couldn’t be happier.”
All nine starters recorded at least one hit for Mohawk in an ultra-impressive offensive performance that featured nine runs scored on 13 hits overall. Sophomore Addy Moskal went 3 for 4 with a triple, an RBI and three runs scored, and Reagan Magno went 2 for 3 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored while allowing only one earned run on six hits in a complete-game victory for the Warriors.
“I think that we should have gotten a little more credit than we did, but we proved it,” Magno said. “My fielders behind me always do a great job making plays and getting outs.”
Moskal, Magno and several other Mohawk standouts had games to remember, but the unquestioned star of the game was junior center fielder Alivia Hare. Hare delivered a pair of unforgettable highlights, showcasing her blazing speed on a two-run inside-the-park home run before helping seal the win by hauling in a jaw-dropping diving catch in center field that not even she could believe.
“I think there was a section in one of the newspapers that said that if there was going to be a team to [defeat Sekely], it was going to be Mohawk,” said Hare, referencing the PUP’s WPIAL championship preview. “I think that we just showed what we could do today, and we just really rallied as a team.”
For No. 3 South Park (19-2), the loss was a deflating letdown after such a stellar season, but the Eagles aren’t done yet. And with a pitcher like Sekely, they’ll have a chance to beat any team they encounter in the state playoffs — provided she can rediscover her magic that seemed to be lost on Friday.
“I’m disappointed, but we’ve had a great season,” said South Park coach R.J. Matetic. “I told our girls all along, ‘They’re going to put the ball in play.’ … [Sekeley] might have been a little off today, but that happens. But somebody’s got to pick her up as well.
“We just need to get that mindset to where if we’re down, we can come back.”
The Warriors’ deep, balanced lineup set the tone right from the beginning, spraying several hard-hit balls to the outfield in the top of the first inning. After a leadoff single by Moskal, Mohawk jumped out to a 1-0 lead on an RBI triple by Maya McGreal to bring an abrupt end to Sekely’s six-game shutout streak.
That was only the beginning for the Warriors, who then tacked on another run in the top of the second on an RBI single by Moskal. The Eagles kept hanging around, though, as Sekely appeared to be finding her rhythm — until the fifth inning, that is.
After a one-out triple by Moskal in the top of the fifth, Aricka Young brought her home with an RBI single to make it a 3-0 lead for Mohawk. Hare then followed with her inside-the-park homer on a line drive to the gap in right-center that rolled all the way to the wall. Just like that, the Warriors had taken complete control of the game — and they weren’t done yet.
“We’ve been having two-out rallies all year long,” Pezzuolo said. “We don’t have a weak spot in our lineup, and that showed today.”
Three batters later, Gianna Pezzuolo laced a two-out RBI double to make it 6-0, chasing Sekely out of the game after 4⅔ innings. The pitching change did nothing to slow Mohawk down, though, as the Warriors added three more runs on an RBI single by Magno, an RBI double by Gionnee Cowher and an RBI single by Mylie Pistorius.
All of a sudden, Mohawk found itself holding a virtually insurmountable 9-0 lead after erupting for a seven-run inning — and the Warriors essentially coasted the rest of the way to their first WPIAL crown.
“I was a little nervous, just because I’ve never played in a WPIAL championship before, but once I saw the first pitch, I was fine,” Moskal said. “[Beating Avonworth in the semifinals] gave us a lot of confidence. … Everybody thought they were going to win. Beating them gave us the extra boost that we needed.
“We’re all just one big team who loves each other.”
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
