McGonigle, Bonner-Prendie baseball shut down Bethel Park in PIAA-5A quarterfinals
NEWVILLE >> As the reigning two-time state champion with a loaded senior class, Bethel Park has both an ultimate winning culture and an army.
But Bonner-Prendie has Kevin McGonigle.
In a clash between the two during the PIAA Class 5A quarterfinals, McGonigle — Pennsylvania’s Gatorade Player of the Year — set the tone early and carried it all game, plating two runs in a 3-1 win for the Friars over the Black Hawks at Big Spring High School on Thursday.
With the win, District 12 champion Bonner (17-7) advances to its third straight state semifinal and will face District 7 champion Shaler, a 4-1 winner over Penn Tafford, in the state semifinals on Monday at a time and site to be determined.
“It’s huge. The whole season, we were due as a team. We were due to come through and beat a really good team,” McGonigle said. “Today we did, it was a good team win. We’re excited for the next game on Monday.”
FINAL — Bonner-Prendie 3, Bethel Park 1
McGonigle’s Friars are state semi-bound for a third straight year after taking down two-time defending PIAA champion Bethel Park.
Harry Carr with six shutout innings on the mound. pic.twitter.com/RNG2hy17lD
— Evan Wheaton (@EvanWheaton) June 8, 2023
Batting third in the order with two outs in the top of the first inning, McGonigle gave the Friars a permanent lead. The All-Delco Player of the Year delivered a shot over the center fence, his home run lifting Bonner up 1-0.
Two innings later, CJ Nocella got on base with a single and McGonigle shelled out a double to right field, driving him in to extend their lead, 2-0.
The senior Auburn commit — projected as a first-round pick in the MLB draft this July — went 3-for-3 on the day, adding a single later in the game.
Top 1 | Hot damn!
After two groundouts, Pennsylvania’s Gatorade Player of the Year Kevin McGonigle hits a solo shot over the center fence.
Bonner 1, Bethel Park 0 pic.twitter.com/TUTd3nJZsx
— Evan Wheaton (@EvanWheaton) June 8, 2023
Leading up to Thursday, McGonigle has been batting .500 with six doubles, four triples, five home runs with 20 RBIs. He’s also held both a .983 SLG and 1.657 OPS on the season.
In the fifth inning, McGonigle was intentionally walked after a double from Nocella. But Irv Fisher loaded the bases with a single afterward, and a fielder’s choice off the bat of Austin Cannon forced in a run for the Friars, giving them a 3-0 advantage.
“CJ Nocella batting right in front of me, he got on base, did his job and Irv Fisher again. Last game, I got intentionally walked with the bases loaded and he came up with a single to score two,” McGonigle said, noting an intentional walk of him with the bases loaded in the previous round against West Chester Rustin.
“Same thing today, a nice single after I got intentionally walked again. (Fisher) came up big again and I love that. I love my teammates being behind me when I’m intentionally walked.”
McGonigle’s early production at the plate was coupled with herculean pitching from Kent State commit Harry Carr. Carr pitched six innings of shutout ball with five strikeouts and four hits allowed.
The Black Hawks (18-6) led off the first two innings with base hits and the third with a walk, but Carr remained unwavering on the mound.
“They’re a good team. Just have to throw strikes, it’s really what we’ve been working on all year,” Carr said. “Haven’t really done that as much my last few starts, but to go out and do that, it’s pretty awesome.”
The Friars played a tight field throughout, highlighted by a catch-turned double play by right fielder Justin Sheperd to erase a pair of base runners, preserving Bonner’s 3-0 edge in the fifth inning.
“We have great fielders behind me. If you walk someone, just throw another pitch,” Carr said. “Hopefully the outfield or infield makes a play.”
Evan Holewinski pitched a complete game for Bethel Park, striking out five with 10 hits and two walks.
The Black Hawks found their lone run in the bottom of the seventh inning. With Johnny Ortegae in to close out for the Friars, Jason Nuttridge led off the frame with a double. Gianni Magnotti forced him in on a fielder’s choice, chipping into Bonner’s armor before Ortegae struck out the final batter of the day.
“We said, ‘Don’t leave anything out there. Give all of yourself, whether you’re in the game or not those last couple innings, because we’ve come back from bigger deficits in our last three outs before,’” Bethel Park coach Patrick Zehnder said. “Any kind of situation you can think of, we’ve been able to be successful in, so that provides us confidence even in those scenarios.”
As the WPIAL runner-ups, the Black Hawks bested Mechanicsburg, 8-2 in 10 innings in the previous round of the state tournament.
Bethel Park graduates a loaded class of 16 seniors who built a standard of winning for the school district, playing deep into June being the norm for the Black Hawks in recent years with two state titles.
“With this senior class, they’ve set the standard, that’s for sure and not just with success,” Zehnder said. “When we say we’re proud of them, we’re not just proud of the wins that they had, we’re proud of how they handle themselves in the dugout, after wins and after losses.”
Bonner jumped to 5A this season, swapping classifications with fellow Philadelphia Catholic League school Archbishop Wood.
Having mounted a late rally over West Chester Rustin in the first round, and knocked out the two-time defending champion in Bethel Park, the Friars are in the same spot they’ve been at, just at the next level of the totem.
“It’s just motivation and having our confidence back. We have a really good coach and he just lost a loved one. We played for him today,” McGonigle said. “We love him. We’re excited to play for him again on Monday.”
Bonner 3, Bethel Park 1
Results
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonner-Prendergast | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 |
| Bethel Park | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
|
Bonner Bethel Park
|
|||||||||
| ab | r | h | bi | ab | r | h | bi | ||
| Kehoe | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Petras | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Nocella | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | Lybarger | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| McGonigle | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | Holewinski | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fisher | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | Altmeyer | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Cannon | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Chalus | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carr | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Goelz | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Henry | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Nuttridge | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Sheperd | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Bruckner | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Coleman | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Magnotti | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals | 29 | 3 | 10 | 2 | Totals | 24 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
2B — Nocella, McGonigle; HR — McGonigle.
| IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | |
| Bonner | ||||||
| Carr | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| Ortegae | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Bethel | ||||||
| Holewinski | 7 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
