Pitcher Brendan McKay's scoreless-innings streak ended with a thud.

Same for the Blackhawk baseball team's hopes of winning a third WPIAL Class AAA title, as the top-seeded Cougars fell, 5-3, in eight innings to No. 10 West Allegheny Thursday at Consol Energy Park in Washington.

McKay, the Louisville-bound left-hander who hadn't been scored upon since last season, gave up a run-scoring double with two outs in the top of the third to end his scoreless innings streak at 71 2⁄3, third-best all-time.

West Allegheny pushed two runs across in the top of the eighth for the win — the Indians' fourth WPIAL title.

Shortstop Tyler Amedure, who earlier ended McKay's streak, doubled and scored on center fielder Michael Cummings' single for the go-ahead run.

“No one believed in us,” Amedure said. “We had a bunch of fun doing it. Tried to break the streak. We just had a lot of fun.”

Amedure worked the final five innings to pick up the win.

West Allegheny (18-4) will play District 9 champion Punxsutawney in the first round of the PIAA playoffs Monday. Blackhawk (14-3) will play District 5 winner Somerset the same day. Times and sites are to be determined.

Amedure's double in the third scored Nic Daigle, who entered the game as a courtesy runner for the Indians' pitcher, Colin Claus. Claus started the rally by pulling a single into left field.

McKay's streak of 71 2⁄3 consecutive scoreless innings ranks as the third-longest in U.S. high school baseball history, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.

The record is 80 consecutive innings, set by Mississippi's Joey Porter in 1973. Second is 72 1⁄3, set by Florida's Mike Halperin in 1991.

It's McKay's first loss since his sophomore year.

“It was fun while it lasted,” said McKay, who gave up all five runs but did strike out 10. “You just have to move on and start another one, I guess.”

Amedure, Cummings and catcher Brandon Pouch had two hits apiece, while Cummings drove in a pair of runs.

Much of West Allegheny's success, the Indians said, came from using four or five younger left-hander who threw from 45 feet to emulate McKay.

“We just had a different approach tonight,” West Allegheny coach Bryan Cornell said. “The kids felt confident, and they were taking great hacks at the ball.”

The trick worked, Cummings said, but even he couldn't fully grasp what his team had accomplished: stunning one of the greatest pitchers to come out of the WPIAL and ending an absurd, Clairton-like streak.

“We knew what we were coming into,” Cummings said. “We scouted them. But he's really good. Best player I've ever faced.”

---

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---