Another week into April means another two-day section series for the Black Hawks baseball team. With a strong lead in first place in the conference and a No. 2 rank in the WPIAL, the Hawks were riding high coming into the series. The warm weather halted for the Monday and Tuesday late afternoon contests down from the high 80s of last week, but the momentum of the Hawks never cooled.

With strong hitting and pitching, the Hawks swept both games, further solidifying themselves as the No. 1 team in Section 2 (Class 5-A).

The first game took place on the road for the Hawks making the journey to Connellsville Monday afternoon for a 4 p.m. start.

Senior pitcher Evan LeJeune took the start for the Hawks in the first game of the two-day series. LeJuene gave one of his best performances of the year throwing three scoreless innings and recording five strikeouts before being relieved in the fourth.

Junior Jack Edner was then brought in as relief in a different role as Edner is usually the one who closes out games. Besides the new rule, Edner never struggled allowing four hits in 2 ⅓ innings while recording three strikeouts.

Edner was then relieved one out into the fifth by sophomore Dylan Schumacher who closed out the game with three strikeouts and one hit.

The pitchers were not the only ones on fire though in Monday’s contest as the Hawks put up 10 runs.

Petras recorded three hits while seniors Holewinski and Lybarger recorded two hits.

The Hawks won the game 10-4 and moved to 6-1 in the section after Monday’s win.

The second game in the series was a lot more thrilling than Monday’s contest. Holewinski took the mound for the Hawks in the second game at the nest.

The game was more of a pitcher’s dual than the Monday contest as Holewinski pitched four innings giving up one earned and striking out seven.

Petras, Goelz, and Altmeyer all had RBIs leading into the seventh in a 3-3 tie.

Senior Sebastian Schein was put in to close the seventh and allowed no hits going into the home side of the inning.

After a single by John Chalus, Jack Edner was put into a pinch run before Holewinski broke the tie and walked it off in the bottom of the seventh.

This win propelled the Hawks to 7-1 in the section, which they have now clinched, and 10-4 overall and in a great position for post-season play.

“I’m proud of my teammates for coming together to accomplish our first of the three-team goals,” said Jack Edner.

The Hawks travel to Trinity for their next contest on Monday for another section battle.