Running on fumes: Weary Mikes fall to Bishop Canevin in semifinals, 7-1
WASHINGTON 鈥� Dickie Krause knew his baseball team would face an uphill battle on Tuesday afternoon.
Not only were his Mikes coming off an emotional 3-1 upset of top-seeded Union the day before but their opponent, fourth-seeded Bishop Canevin, had cruised to an easy six-inning, 10-0 win over Western Beaver in its quarterfinal game.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know how much energy we had left,鈥� Krause said.
It wasn鈥檛 enough to knock off the Crusaders who rode a three-hit, three-RBI day from Kole Oszlewski and a strong pitching performance from Tyler Maddis to a 7-1 victory in their WPIAL Class A semifinal game at Ross Memorial Park.
Bishop Canevin (14-4) advanced to the championship game against Section 3 rival and second-seeded Eden Christian at 1 p.m. on May 28 at Wild Things Park. The Warriors (16-4), who defeated Avella, 11-2, in the other semifinal game, rolled past the Crusaders twice during the regular season, 9-1 and 11-1.
Carmichaels鈥� season isn鈥檛 over. The Mikes (13-5) will play Section 1 rival Avella in the third-place consolation game at 4 p.m. on May 29 at Ross Memorial Park with the winner moving on to the PIAA tournament. The Mikes swept their two regular-season games with the Eagles, 14-3 and 6-2.
Maddix pitched a four-hitter, allowing one unearned run and four walks with eight strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings in Monday蘑菇视频 win. Olszewski, who hit two of the Crusaders鈥� five doubles, came on to get the final out.
Bishop Canevin took a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Dom Varley tripled and Olszewski doubled to start the game. The Mikes evaded further damage by turning an inning-ending double play started by third baseman Colin Andrews.
Carmichaels evened the score in the top of the third inning when Robbie Wilson-Jones singled, took second on a wild pitch, advanced to third when Liam Lohr reached on an outfield error and scored when Aydan Adamson hit into a force out.
Bishop Canevin surged back into the lead for good in the bottom of the inning.
Varley reached on an error, Olszewski singled to left and one out later Quentin White hit a run-scoring single to right to make it 2-1. Kellen Andruscik delivered the biggest hit of the game with a two-out, two-run double to put BC up 4-1.
鈥淭hat蘑菇视频 what good teams do,鈥� Krause said. 鈥淲hen they get challenged, like when we tied it up 1-1 in the top of the third, they answered right back.鈥�
Krause could sense his team蘑菇视频 motor was starting to wind down at that point.
鈥淲e had some good cuts early but then Maddix got into a rhythm and I think we started to fade a little bit,鈥� said Krause, whose team played Union in a Monday night game at Burkett Park in McKees Rocks.
鈥淲e did everything we could last night. We had take-out food and got them home a little after 10. Playing a one seed and being all fired up and just everything that was going on 鈥� we invested so much into that game.
鈥淭his was the thing I worried the most about going into today: What would we have left in the tank. You could just see it. The kids were working. They tried. Maddix from the third inning on was pretty tough. He threw the ball well.鈥�
The Crusaders put up three more runs and knocked starting pitcher Adamson from the mound in the fourth inning on a single by Lucas Golembiewski and doubles by Varley, Olszewski and Tyler Maddix.
Andrews took over for Adamson with two outs in the fourth and pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and one walk.
Maddix limited the Mikes to four singles, one each by Wilson-Jones, Andrews, Nathan Beringo and Mason Lapana.
Krause noted the championship game will be played between a pair of private schools.
鈥淏ishop Canevin is very good, and they should be,鈥� Krause said. 鈥淚t is what it is. It蘑菇视频 tough for teams like us and Avella because you get to this point and then you鈥檙e playing these schools that are so deep and physically mature.
鈥淚鈥檓 just really proud of my kids. We played two really good baseball games to get here and even today we didn鈥檛 play bad under the circumstances. The two biggest hits against us were just fly balls in the right spots. But that蘑菇视频 what good hitters do, they find gaps.鈥�
Krause pointed out his team still has plenty of incentive.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got a big game coming up with Avella,鈥� Krause said. 鈥淭he winner of that is going to have something quite enjoyable and fun to do, and that蘑菇视频 play in the state playoffs.鈥�