PIAA Class 5A Baseball: Strath Haven bats stay hot to nab program’s first states win
ASTON — Strath Haven pitcher Alex Pak watched coach Brian Fili walk out to the mound with one out in the top of the sixth inning Monday afternoon at Neumann University’s Bruder Field. The senior ace was cruising along and had thrown around 80 pitches.
With the Panthers ahead by seven runs, Fili wanted to give his prized left hander the choice of continuing or saving some bullets for Thursday’s quarterfinal. Pak didn’t need much time to think about it, nor did he need much more to finish what he started.
Pak allowed five hits and struck out four in a complete-game performance as Strath Haven routed Lower Dauphin in six innings, 10-0, in the first round of the PIAA Class 5A tournament. It was the first PIAA playoff win in Strath Haven baseball history.
Strath Haven (20-4) will play District 4 champion Selinsgrove (18-5) in the quarterfinals Thursday at a neutral location to be determined. Selinsgrove advanced with a 6-1 victory over District 3’s Warwick.
Pak was poised to have a bounce-back game after he surrendered nine hits and four runs (three earned) over five innings in the Panthers’ win over Upper Dublin in the District 1 championship game last week. Those three earned runs were the first he had allowed all season.
“Last game I definitely felt like I didn’t have my stuff, and today I just felt like my defense backed me up,” Pak said. “I just know that wherever there is a play, they’re going to make it. Even if I’m not playing my best, they’re going to be there to back me up.”
Fortunately for Pak, he didn’t have to overexert himself on the mound because Haven continued its torrid run at the plate. The Panthers have scored 33 runs in four playoff games.
“These guys just keep amazing me,” Fili said. “That was by far the best offensive game we have played all year. They’re playing with a ton of confidence right now. There’s been times where I have taken teams to states and we would get a lead and it was like they were playing to lose and not playing to win. We got up last year 3-0 against (Archbishop) Wood and we couldn’t win it. But this team is different and they are believing in themselves and they realize that, you know, maybe we are the better team on the field.”
Three-hole hitter Jake McDonough was critical to the offense’s success against Lower Dauphin pitching. McDonough smashed a two-run triple in Haven’s four-run third inning off Lower Dauphin starter Trey Harper, who was removed after throwing 44 pitches in 2 1/3 innings. The left fielder ripped a one-out double in the sixth, the first of five hits in the frame.
“I’m just looking to attack fastballs and trust our preparation,” McDonough said. “Confidence and preparation is all we need. We are playing great and just going out there and having good at bats.”
Ben Milligan continues to thrive out of the nine spot. The sophomore second baseman was a sparkplug, leading off the third with a single and working an eight-pitch walk with one out in the fourth. He came around to score both times and also had a lengthy at bat that resulted in another free pass in the fifth inning.
“I come up a lot of times either first or second and I know I have to get the inning started,” Milligan said. “I’m never going to be the guy out there who is hitting triples or home runs, but I just try to get on base, do my job and I think today it led to a big inning.”
Sam Milligan singled in McDonough in the third inning and hit a sacrifice fly in the fourth to give Haven a 6-0 lead. Nick Corritore (3-for-4) followed with an RBI single. Matt Kane had a hustle double earlier in the inning to drive in the younger Milligan. Luke D’Ancona triggered the 10-run rule when he singled home Zane Malarkey.
The Panthers pounded out 12 hits. Every player in the starting lineup reached base at least once.
“The way we swung the bats today was just tremendous,” Fili said. “We had only one strikeout, we put the ball in play and made things happen. We had some clutch hits. My score guy said we hit around .500 with runners in scoring position today. It was super impressive.”
“Guys have gotten so much better from the start of the year,” Pak said. “We are all locked in right now.”
