USC Beats Plum 6-2, Advances to WPIAL Quarterfinals

Win and advance. Lose and go home. With that setting in mind, the varsity baseball players collectively handled the big stage in a big way. 

Senior Matt Fraudin was excellent on the mound and his teammates were nearly flawless in the field as the 11th seeded Panthers beat the 6th seeded Mustangs 6-2 to advance to the WPIAL quarterfinals Monday night against Seneca Valley.

Seneca Valley defeated Central Catholic 7-1 on Friday night.

Earlier this week, coach Malarkey was unsure who he would put on the mound for the first do-or-die playoff game.

"I went with the senior, if we had lost this game and he never got a chance to pitch again it would have been a real shame," Malarkey said after the game.

Fraudin kept Plum hitters off balance most of the game giving up only 5 hits in 5.2 innings of work to reward his manager's  wise choice. Fraudin's poise throughout the game reflected his senior leadership.

"Just go out there and have fun, you're suppose to have fun in this game," Malarkey said, speaking on how his team handles the big stage.

"We just have a bunch of guys not planning on playing college ball and having fun. That's what it's all about. I think that's why they play well in these situations," Malarkey said.

There were plenty of those situations and USC handled them well. Plum not so much.

Scoreless in the second inning, USC caught a bit of a break with runners on first and second with one out. USC's Shane McMurtry hit a sinking liner to right. Jack Elliot was on first and raced for second on contact. Right fielder Cory Podvasnik was barely unable to catch the liner. It would have been a nice play but it was catchable, and Elliot would have easily been doubled off to end the inning.  Instead a run scored and USC had a 1-0 lead.

Plum got their first two runners on in their half of the second inning. With men on second and third and nobody out they tried a suicide squeeze to get across the tying run. Not something you normally see with nobody out. Panther catcher Alex Bell handled the play nicely and got the first out. Moments later, he caught pinch-runner Matthew McClure stealing third. Plum ran into two outs before a batter was retired. Fraudin easily got out of the inning after that then struck out the side in the third inning.

Plum starter Anthony Garofalo also pitched well. Through four innings he held down USC hitters keeping it a tight game 1-0.

The Panthers made their biggest statement in the fifth. USC's leading hitter Mike Wilcox started things off with a double. Garofalo hit the next batter, then walked another, forcing manager Carl Vollmer to go to the bullpen.

Cory Podvasnik came on in relief with the bases loaded, nobody out, and the game on the line.

"Big inning here!" shouted Mike Wilcox leading off third base moments after he told his manager (who doubles as the third base coach) he felt this was the inning.

Wilcox was right. Matt Garbin singled up the middle on the very next pitch. Two runs scored and it was 3-o USC. Alex Bell then doubled to right field driving in another. In all, eight batters reached the plate, and five crossed it for a 6-0 USC lead.

That lead may have seemed insurmountable but the final outs are always the toughest. With the score still 6-0 in the sixth inning, Mike Browne made a fantastic catch in center-field off the bat of Cory Myers. It was a great catch in a wet and hilly outfield. After the next batter singled Panther catcher Alex Bell threw out his third runner of the game tying a personal high.

Too many outs on the base-baths for Plum runners. Big innings were snuffed out due to questionable base-running but the Panthers took advantage by making the play when they needed.

Fraudin could not get out of the sixth inning leaving after 2 runs had scored and a runner standing on second base. It would have been a nightmare inning for USC had Browne not made the catch to start the inning, or Bell thrown out a runner trying to advance on a pitch in the dirt.

Steve Gannon came on and got Joseph Baily to ground out to third baseman Shane McMurtry and the Panthers escpaed the sixth inning with a 6-2 lead.

Gannon would strike out 2 of the 3 batters he faced in the seventh inning and Upper St. Clair had their opening round WPIAL playoff victory.

Fraudin was marvelous striking out 8 in his 5.2 innings of work. He gave up 5 hits, 4 walks and 2 hit batters but escaped trouble most of the time.  Alex Bell had two hits to go along with gunning down three base-runners. Zach Tobias was the only other Panther with 2 hits.

USC's next game will be Monday, weather permitting, against either third seeded Seneca Valley. The site and time are to be determined.