Canon-McMillan softball powers past rival Mt. Lebanon

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, April 27, 2018 | 9:18 PM

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It was scheduled to be a softball game between two of the top three teams in Section 1-6A between Canon-McMillan and Mt. Lebanon. But the visiting Big Macs decided to turn the game into a home run derby as they cruised to a 12-3 victory Friday afternoon.

With the win, Canon-McMillan (8-2, 7-2) stays in the chase for a seventh consecutive section championship.

The Big Macs delivered five home runs to go along with four doubles as part of a 15-hit attack.

“These guys and Baldwin are built the same way,” Mt. Lebanon first-year coach Casey Phillips said afterward. “They have the ability to hit the ball a long way. Those two teams are the crème of the crop in this section.”

The homers started flying out of Jefferson Middle School field early when Erica Haught hit a solo shot in the first inning, the first of two long balls by the Big Macs' No. 2 hitter.

Doubles keyed a three-run second when Kenzie Hollie doubled home Lindsay Schmidt and Elika Mowery. Hollie then scored on a strikeout wild pitch by Mt. Lebanon pitcher Catie Rogan.

Katelyn Greaves hit a solo homer in the third, and Hollie led off the fourth with a home run that made it 6-0 Big Macs.

“We've talked about good balls and bad strikes to Catie,” Phillips said of his senior pitcher, who allowed seven home runs in the two games against Canon-McMillan. “It's not easy, but you have to find a way to keep them off balance.”

Mt. Lebanon (5-5, 5-4) plated two runs in the fourth. Paige Sneddon tripled home Rogan. Sneddon scored on an RBI groundout by senior Jaira Cowie.

But the extra-base hits kept coming for Canon-McMillan, which plated a run in the fifth on back-to-back doubles by Schmidt and Mowery and then blew it open with five runs in the sixth, highlighted by a two-run homer by Haught and a two-run shot by Mowery.

The Blue Devils scored in their half of the sixth when Danielle Malizio's single scored Sneddon, who had doubled to lead off.

The Big Macs pitching duo of freshman Lauren Duke and senior Abi Miccelucci did allow nine hits combined, with four walks and a hit batter, but got the big outs when they needed them as the Blue Devils left 11 on base.

While Canon-McMillan is in the chase for another section crown, Mt. Lebanon is in a battle for a second straight trip to the playoffs as it looks to hold off Peters Township, Bethel Park and Upper St. Clair.

“I told them we need to have a short memory,” Blue Devils captain Jaira Cowie said, when asked what she told her teammates after the game. “We have a quick turnaround before a big game against Peters Township (Saturday).”

Don Rebel is a TribLive High School Sports Network broadcaster and staff writer. Reach him at drebel@tribweb.com.

Tags: Canon-McMillan, Mt. lebanon