Take the pressure off and watch Hempfield go.
At least that is the school of thought from senior catcher Ian Kovalcik, who hoped the Spartans mellowed out in their series opener against top-ranked Canon-McMillan.
“It’s about confidence,” Kovalcik said. “We have been playing tight lately. We need to be relaxed and loose. I just go up there and pray; I try not to think too much. Just play baseball.”
Hempfield collectively lightened the mood and pulled an upset on a cold Monday afternoon, shading the visiting Big Macs, 6-3, in Section 2-6A.
“We know what we can do if we just relax,” said Kovalcik, a Mercyhurst commit who went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a walk.
Hempfield (6-8, 3-4) had dropped 3 of its last 4, so it welcomed a victory. That it came against the Big Macs (12-3, 7-3), the highest-scoring team in 6A, was a bonus.
Hempfield used some small ball and took advantage of several miscues from the Big Macs.
“Our bats have been good from the start of the year,” Hempfield coach Tim Buzzard said. “We have been so close. We’re starting to get some results.”
Another impressive aspect to underline from this game is Hempfield beating Division I pitcher Sebastian Shulsky, a Cincinnati commit who left with two outs in the fifth, trailing 6-3.
Shulsky gave up six hits and struck out six but had some command issues as he walked three. A sticky fourth inning saw him make an error, walk two batters and hit another with the bases loaded.
Another error on a throw-over to first in the fifth, and a wild pitch, gave Hempfield two more runs.
Canon-McMillan, which averages 7.9 runs, went ahead 1-0 in the first on a two-out, RBI double down the third-base line by senior Dom Patragas.
The Spartans tied it 1-1 in the second when senior Chase Damaska singled softly to right to knock in senior Chase Sikorski, who reached on an error.
Hempfield loaded the bases in the third on a Kovalcik single and two hit batsmen, and scored on a passed ball to go ahead 2-1. Pinch-runner Lucas Roebuck initially was called out at home, but the call was reversed after the ball came out of junior catcher Henry Orbin’s glove.
Senior outfielder Drew Jones made a sliding catch for Hempfield to douse the Big Macs’ chances in the fourth, and the Spartans added on in the bottom of the inning.
After junior Lucas Simmons reached on a bunt single, Shulsky plunked senior Lukas Murray with the bases jammed for one run.
Kovalcik added a sacrifice fly to make it 4-1.
“Shulsky is such a good pitcher,” Buzzard said. “You just want to hang around. We wanted to be aggressive.”
Damaska, the No. 7 hitter, also dropped a bunt and reached on an error in the inning.
“The bottom of our order has been very good,” Kovalcik said. “We have full trust in them.”
Canon-McMillan, which had lost 2 of 3 to Mt. Lebanon recently after an 11-game winning streak, cut it to 4-3 in the fifth.
After singles by senior MJ Maruschak and junior Troy Stimpson, a wild pitch let a run score before junior Brayden Radue singled in a run to close the gap to 4-3.
Simmons earned the win for Hempfield, scattering eight hits across four innings.
Senior Dane Willis pitched three innings, allowing one hit and two runs.
“Simmons gave us a good start,” Buzzard said. “Dane did a nice job working out of it.”
Hempfield tacked on two insurance runs in the fifth. Sikorski led off with a single and made it to third on an error on a pickoff attempt.
Senior Owen Shuglie knocked him in with a single for the fifth run.
With two outs, Shuglie raced home on a wild pitch to make it 6-3.
“We had nine hits, we just didn’t string them together,” Canon-McMillan coach Brendon Steele said. “Hempfield and coach Buzzard, they always give us a run for our money. They executed; they do whatever it takes to get a win.
“We have to play better defense.”
Maruschak, a Winthrop commit and the section MVP last year, went 3 for 4 to pace the Big Macs.
The second game of the series is Tuesday at Canon-McMillan. Game 3 is Thursday at Hempfield.