Baseball

The Burrell Baseball Team started off their season by splitting wins with Valley, who eventually became the Section Champions.  Unfortunately, our Bucs lost 2 games to Shady Side, putting them in a difficult position for postseason contention.  However, with determination and grit, they swept Deer Lakes, Derry, and Freeport, keeping their playoff hopes alive.  They also split games with East Allegheny, the defending Section Champs, in a crucial series.  These key wins helped the Bucs secure a playoff spot for the first time in 3 years.  Our boys now face Mount Pleasant in the first round of WPIAL Playoffs, aiming to make a championship run.

The team is lead on the mound by Junior Pitcher Stevie Hasson and Sophomore Pitcher Brayden Mell, who have both been pitching their tails off and carrying the team on their backs.  On the hitting side of things, Senior Captain AJ McLafferty, Junior Isaac Lacinski, and Junior Ryan Bates have been key contributers and lead the team in hits and RBIs.  McLafferty confidently stated, "I feel like we are in a good spot in the bracket even though we are the 14th seed.  We feel like we can make a run and pull off some upsets."  Additionally, Senior Captain Dylan McKallip is one of the best defensive players in the section and has come in clutch all season.  As always, the Burrell Bucs' journey this season has been remarkable because of their resilence and teamwork.  As they enter the WPIAL Playoffs, their blend of strong pitching, consistent hitting, and all star defense make them a tough team.

Playoff Updates:

The Bucs 14 seed playoff run started with a win against Mt. Pleasant 6-2 in the first round. In the quarter-finals against Neshannok, the Bucs were able to pull a 1-0 win. Avonworth was a tragic loss in extra innings with a 2-1 final score in the next round. Their hopes were not dashed completely because of the consolation game for the 3 and 4 seed but lost to South Allegheny. The the first state finals game is against Fairview at Mercyhurst College. Let's wish them luck as they move their way through the state playoff games. Let's go Bucs!

Playoff Update #2

The Baseball Team finished up the regular season, splitting a three-way tie with Shadyside and East Allegheny. This led them to be the 14th seed in the WPIAL playoffs. In the first game in the WPIAL playoffs, they faced the number three seed Mount Pleasant. Although they were the underdogs, Junior pitcher, Stevie Hasson and Sophomore pitcher Brayden Mell shut down the Vikings. This led them to a 6-2 victory which advanced them to the quarterfinals. They played Neshannock in the quarterfinal game and squeezed out one victory with a huge RBI single by freshman Trey Coury.  Hasson threw a complete game and only allowed two hits throughout his seven innings. The Bucs now qualified for the PIAA state tournament and played their semi finals game against Avonworth. The Bucs were up one nothing going into the fifth inning where Avonworth tie the game up one to one. They went into extra innings, and Avonworth scored the base winning hit to give them a 2-1 victory. Junior Isaac Lacinski pitched a complete game giving up three hits and eight innings but still came up short. Although they lost this semi finals, their season is not over. They played South Allegheny for the third and fourth place game in the WPIAL finals. They came up short with a 8-2 loss which ended their season with the fourth place finish in the WPIAL. The Bucs will start their PIAA state championship game next week, and hope to end their season with the state metal around their neck.