Bethel Park slips past Seneca Valley in 10th
Shoemaker keeps his comeback going
Cooper Shoemaker’s comeback story began at the start of the season. After not playing baseball as a freshman and sophomore, the Bethel Park junior decided to come back out for the team this spring.
Fast forward to Tuesday afternoon in a WPIAL playoff game against Seneca Valley. It was the 10th inning. Bases loaded. Tie game. A spot in the WPIAL final four at stake.
Then Comeback Cooper added another chapter to the story.
Shoemaker had been hitless in four at-bats, but came back and delivered a single to left field that scored Eric Chalus and gave Bethel Park a 3-2 victory in a Class 6A quarterfinal at BoyceMayiew Park in Upper St. Clair.
“He played baseball through
eighth grade, but wanted to focus on football and basketball,” said Tony Fisher, Bethel Park’s baseball coach. “I’m glad he came back. He’s been an awesome part of the team.”
Shoemaker, a first baseman, came into the game with a .326 average and left with one great memory. He was mobbed by teammates after his winning hit. The win put No. 3 seed Bethel Park (15-3) in the semifinals for the first time since 2011 and ended a four-game playoff losing streak at Boyce-Mayview.
In the 10th, Bethel Park used singles by Chalus and Kevin Kogler, and a walk to Anthony Strangis, to load the bases against Seneca Valley sophomore reliever Ethan Edkins. Bethel Park’s Brandon Cole, who already had four hits, including a home run, had the chance to bring in the winning run, but Edkins got Cole on a pop foul down the first-base line.
“I just had to pick up my teammate [Cole],” Shoemaker said. “I felt like I was hitting the ball pretty well, but they just weren’t dropping.”
Then, one dropped. “I think Brandon Cole drew it up that way. He’s a big team guy and I think he wanted to let Cooper be the hero,” Fisher said, tongue firmly in cheek. “But I really thought Cooper had some good at-bats already. His approach was good. It was only a matter of time before one found the hole.”
Seneca Valley starter Cory Greiner pitched the first seven innings. Seneca Valley (13-7) got its two runs in the second and third innings on sacrifice flies by Jon McCullough and Josh McLean. Bethel Park tied it in the sixth on Cole’s RBI single.
Seneca Valley had the bases loaded in the sixth with one out when Kogler was brought in to relieve starter Evan Bromley, who came in with a 7-0 record. On the first pitch, Kogler got Mark Trotta to hit into a 5-2-3 double play.
Kogler pitched until the ninth when he was relieved by Chalus, a lefthander with a 5-0 record. Chalus threw 23 pitches in two innings and will pitch again in the semifinals Wednesday. If Chalus had reached 25 pitches, he would not have been eligible to pitch Wednesday.
“It turned into survive and advance,” Fisher said. “If we had to, we would’ve gone with Chalus for 13 or 14 innings and just go with whoever [in the semifinals]. Now we don’t have to worry about that.”