The student news of Bethel Park High School.

Hawk Eye
The student news of Bethel Park High School.

Hawk Eye
The student news of Bethel Park High School.

Hawk Eye

Hawks fight off rallying Panthers in first game of series

Ella Buerkle, Staff Writer • March 30, 2026

Baseball season is back! After two rain delays, the varsity team finally faced the Upper St. Clair Panthers on March 25 at Boyce-Mayview Field.

With a winning score of 8-6, the Hawks fought off a mid-game surge from their neighboring rivals.

Leading the Hawks in this victory over USC was Senior Michael Bruckner, who went 2 for 3 with a homerun, single and 3 RBIs, and junior Chase White, who went 3 for 3 with three singles and two runs.

“ We knew we were a better team than them. We knew that they were gonna play small ball with us. We just had to bring our A-game,” said Chase White (No. 15, IF/RHP).

The Hawks jumped out to a three-run lead within the first three innings, while USC scored six runs in the bottom of the third inning.

Bethel came back in the fifth inning to score two runs and three in the sixth, where they took the lead 8-6 and never looked back.

Tyler Stewart ended up shutting the door to score the final five outs by striking out three batters during the process!

With the win, the Hawks improved to 4-0.

Here’s a look at the complete varsity roster:

  • Brayden Barra (Class of 2028, Outfield/Right-handed pitcher, No. 21, 5-foot-11)
  • Brayden (Brady) Bruckner (Class of 2027, Outfield/Infield, No. 1, 6-foot-tall)
  • Michael (Mike) Bruckner. (Class of 2026, Infield/Right-handed pitcher, No. 20, 6-foot-4)
  • Colton Fisher (Class of 2027, Infield, No. 10, 5-foot-7)
  • Matthew Hughes (Class of 2026, Left-handed pitcher, No. 11, 6-foot-2)
  • Samuel Knauff (Class of 2027, Outfield, No. 5, 5-foot-7)
  • Eric Miehl (Class of 2027, Center, No. 2, 6-foot-2)
  • Riley Philage (Class of 2027, No. 13, Infield/center/Right-handed pitcher, 6-foot)
  • Dylan Quinn (Class of 2026, Infield, No. 28, 5-foot-10)
  • Jace Rendulic (Class of 2027, Right-handed pitcher, No. 8, 5-foot-9)
  • Nicholas (Nick) Rillo (Class of 2027, Infield/Catcher/Right-handed pitcher, No. 9, 5-foot-10)
  • Mason Stewart (Class of 2026, Infield/Right-handed pitcher/Outfield, No. 18, 5-foot-10)
  • Tyler Stewart (Class of 2026, Infield/Right-handed pitcher, No. 6, 5-foot-8)
  • Caden Stokes (Class of 2027, No. 7, Outfield/infield, 5-foot-7)
  • Benjamin (Ben) Thomas (Class of 2028, No. 23, Outfield/right-handed pitcher, 6’3)
  • Owen Turoski (Class of 2026, No. 3, Outfield/right-handed pitcher, 6-foot)
  • Grasyon Wedoski (Class of 2027, No. 4, Outfield/catcher/right-handed pitcher, 5-foot-8)
  • Chase White (Class of 2027, No. 15, Infield/right-handed pitcher, 6-foot)

 

About the Contributor
Ella Buerkle
Ella Buerkle, Staff Writer
Ella Buerkle is in ninth grade, but she already has aspirations for the future! Her goal is to become a criminal justice attorney, and the reasoning behind it is truly inspiring. Throw out everything Ella said; she said it with all her heart, and wants the world to know. Throughout Ella’s life, she has been accused of actions she did not commit. She wants justice for herself and others who have been wrongly accused. Ella is highly motivational for people who seek justice. Ella’s other goal is to be a neurologist. Ella has always been curious about the human mind and wants to uncover the mysteries of the brain! Ella had joined the Scholastic Publications class in hopes of gaining admission to a prestigious college and ultimately securing her dream job, as well as learning to understand people’s opinions in the future. Ella’s favorite memory is of when she went to Florida for her 14th birthday and her family surprised her with her favorite cousin, whom she hadn’t seen in years. The suppression of seeing her favorite cousin, whom she hadn’t seen in years, had set her heart ablaze. Ella’s dream vacation is to go to Turks and Caicos because she wants to see the clear water with a beautiful sunset and dolphins jumping out of the water, so she feels like she’s in a movie.   Written by: Chloey Mazza-King, Staff Writer