WPIAL duo helps Pennsylvania sweep Maryland in Big 26 Baseball Classic

By: Michael Love
Tuesday, July 30, 2019 | 4:59 PM

Pennsylvania swept past Maryland in a three-game series over the weekend at the Big 26 Baseball Classic in Maryland, and WPIAL products Jarrett Heilman and Ryan McGuire contributed to the triumphs.

Pennsylvania, which lost two of three to Maryland in the 2018 series, collected 30 runs over the three games, winning 12-5 on Friday, 7-0 on Saturday and 11-5 on Sunday.

The Keystone State recorded a total of 35 hits, stole 12 bases and finished with a team earned-run average of 2.00.

“We had some time to get to know each other before the games began,” said Heilman, a rising senior at Freeport. “Everyone was talking, communicating and bonding as a team. That was really big.”

Heilman, one of six pitchers on the team, started the first game and worked a total of three innings over two contests. He gave up two hits and a walk, surrendered one run and struck out three.

McGuire, an outfielder and rising junior at South Fayette, drove in a run in Saturday’s game and added a pair of hits in Sunday’s contest.

Pennsylvania, which now leads the all-time series 4-3, also swept past Maryland in 2013 and ‘14. The game each year features players from both states who are heading into the junior and senior years in high school.

Several coaches and scouts were on hand to evaluate the players at both a showcase-style combine on Friday and the three games through Sunday.

The players involved in the Big 26 were selected through tryouts at several locations in each state in late May and early June.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Freeport, South Fayette