A season ago, Mohawk took on a higher-seeded South Park team in the WPIAL Class 3A championship and used a strong offensive attack to win its first title.
The Warriors must have enjoyed the experience so much that they repeated it Thursday, only this time it came against a South Park team that entered the game unbeaten.
No. 2 Mohawk pounded out 15 hits and got a strong outing from pitcher Reagan Magno to become back-to-back WPIAL champion following a 6-1 win against No. 1 South Park at PennWest California’s Lilley Field.
“It feels especially good because we know they were a good team and we got the job done,” Mohawk junior Lydia Cole said.
Cole and Addy Moskal led the Mohawk hit parade with three apiece while Aliva Hare, Mylie Pistorius, Magno and Kaitlyn Hare all had two. Kaitlyn Hare collected three RBIs for the Warriors (16-5), who scored 20 total runs in their first two playoff games. The Warriors had pounded out 13 hits in last season’s 9-2 win against South Park in the title game.
It was a stinging loss for South Park (20-1), which coming into the game had outscored opponents, 200-19. The Eagles, who have played only a single one-run game this spring, were looking to win their first title since 2003 and second overall.
“We were ready for the moment,” Mohawk coach Hank Pezzuolo said. “We knew we were going to hit the ball. Regan was special today.”
Magno was excellent in slowing down a South Park offense that was averaging 10 runs per game. A junior, Magno scattered five hits, didn’t give up a walk and struck out seven. Magno was also the winning pitcher in last year’s championship triumph.
“She’s a blue-collar kid who just goes about her business,” Pezzuolo said. “She doesn’t get the recognition she deserves, but hopefully after this she does.”
Thursday’s rematch produced little offense through the first three innings before Mohawk struck for the game’s first three runs in the top of the fourth. After Cole and Pistorius began the inning with singles, Magno added one of her own to drive in Cole. Two outs later, Kaitlyn Hare’s two-run single increased the lead to 3-0.
Mohawk added another run in the fifth and two more in the sixth. Pistorius delivered a run-scoring single in the fifth before Kaitlyn Hare added an RBI single and Moskal an RBI double an inning later.
Despite being a freshman, Hare, the left fielder and No. 8 hitter, certainly didn’t look like one as she played in the biggest game of her career.
“It was pretty nerve-wracking, but it was fun,” said Hare, who, by the way, is no relation to Riverside star pitcher Zach Hare, who threw a perfect game in Wednesday’s WPIAL Class 3A baseball championship.
After falling into a 6-0 hole, South Park finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth when Sydney Sekely’s groundout scored Kylie Mettrick. But it was a case of too little, too late for South Park, which got little else going against Magno. Katilyn Polk had three of South Park’s five hits.
Mohawk’s win was part of what was a big championship Thursday for Lawrence County teams at Lilley Field as Class 2A Neshannock and Class 1A Union also claimed titles.
“Lawrence County right now is representing,” Pezzuolo said.
This Mohawk team will continue to represent its school, community and county in the PIAA playoffs, which begin Monday. After capturing the WPIAL title a season ago, the Warriors slipped up in the first round of the state tournament.
“We’re going to scout [the opponent] and then we’re going to work,” said Pezzuolo. “We’re going to try to take our bats and ride them all the way to the final.”
Brad is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at beverett@unionprogress.com.