The WPIAL title game experience that Blackhawk brings with it into each and every postseason is perfectly exemplified by Mike Pearson.

The Cougars headed into the WPIAL postseason with a group of multi-sport athletes who have competed for WPIAL gold at Heinz Field, A.J. Palumbo Center and CONSOL Energy Park.

Pearson watched on from the dugout as a sophomore when Blackhawk lost to West Allegheny, 6-3, in the WPIAL title game two years ago. In 2008 at the Palumbo Center he scored 20 points in a WPIAL title win against Hopewell and this past November at Heinz Field he scored one of two Blackhawk touchdowns in a 34-14 loss to Thomas Jefferson in the Class AAA final.

"That is huge and I always stress that is why I like multi-sport guys," Blackhawk baseball coach Bob Amalia said.

"They have been through the pressure. We have a lot of multi-sport guys and I think it is huge because they know how to handle the pressure in big games."

In these playoffs Pearson hopes to accomplish a rare trifecta -- scoring in three different sports in their respective WPIAL title games. With the regular season Blackhawk put together, it looks as if Pearson will have a good chance to do that. The Cougars went 17-2 overall this year and 11-1 in Section 1-AAA to win the section crown.

"It helps a lot being in all those big games," Pearson said. "We have all been there. Whether it is baseball, basketball or football, we all experienced the playoff atmosphere before. The thing with Blackhawk is that we have so many guys who play different sports. They know what it's like to play in those big games."

That showed Tuesday when Blackhawk edged Elizabeth Forward, 1-0, in a first-round playoff game with Pearson making an outstanding catch in the outfield. The Cougars will play Chartiers Valley, a 3-0 winner against Greensburg Salem, at 1 p.m. tomorrow at the Burkett Complex in Robinson.

This season Pearson led the team with a .545 batting average hitting from the cleanup spot. He also drove in 31 runs with 6 doubles and a pair of home runs. Pearson started in center field last season but since Amalia was expecting this 6-foot-1, 185-pound lefty to log plenty of innings pitching this year, he moved him to right field rather than having to switch his center fielder routinely. Greg Weatherly, a junior moved to center field this year in place of Pearson.

On the mound Pearson throws his fastball in the low 80s mph with a solid curve. He went 5-1 this year while striking out 37 over 331/3 innings with an ERA of 3.99.

"He has been a good pitcher his entire career," Amalia said. "He has been a good hitter in his career, too, but this year he has just been outstanding. He had a tremendous year pitching, in the field and hitting. He has just done everything for us."

Pearson has struck out only twice at the plate this year while drawing 14 walks and along with staff ace Ben Rawding, another lefty, has given Amalia the best pitching duo he has had since 2002. The comparison to Amalia's 2002 staff puts Rawding and Pearson in select company as the Cougars had Brian Omogrosso and Shaun Butler on the mound that season. Butler established school records for most strikeouts in a game, in a season and in a career and Omogrosso is with the Chicago White Sox organization at the Class AA level in Birmingham, Ala.

Rawding finished the regular season 8-0 with 66 strikeouts in 42 innings. Only giving up three runs all season he finished with a 0.50 ERA. Junior Colin Loughner gave the Cougars another option on the mound. He pitched 132/3 innings this year without yielding an earned run. He struck out 13 and went 2-0 with two saves.

So far, four Blackhawk players have committed to play baseball in college. Pearson accepted a scholarship to play at St. Peter's College in New Jersey, while Rawding is headed to Mercyhurst. Left fielder Kyle Starkey will play at Allegheny and second basemen Austin Wulf, the owner of four school batting records, is going to Tennessee Tech. Senior outfielder T.J. Lambert has also received college interest but he has not decided on a school yet.

Wulf hit .491 this season with 23 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. Lambert hit .396 with 16 RBIs and Starkey hit .353 from the second spot in the lineup.