2012 WPIAL Baseball All-Star Game Recaps

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, June 11, 2012 | 10:38 AM

The top senior baseball players in the WPIAL were on display Sunday afternoon at the Burkett Complex in Robinson Township in the 2012 WPIAL Baseball Coaches Association All-Star games. The doubleheader event pitted Class AAAA stars vs. Class AAA stars and the top players from Class AA against the best from Class A. One game was a nail-biter was the other was a rout. Here are recaps from both games.

CLASS AAAA 16 – CLASS AAA 3
By Mike Azadian

In the WPIAL baseball coaches association AAAA versus AAA all star game held at Burkett Field in Robinson Twp, the AAAA squad put a hitting and pitching lesson on in winning 16-3.

The AAAA squad scored 4 runs in the 2nd, and 4 in the 3rd to take an 8-0 lead. The AAA team got on the board with 2 runs in the 4th to close it to 8-2. The quad A squad ran away and hid with a 7 run 5th to run the score to 15-2. They scored 1 more run in the 8th, and the AAA team one in the 9th to make the final 16-3.

For the AAA squad 5 pitchers went 9 innings, gave up 16 runs, on 16 hits, striking out 10, walking 9, and throwing 4 wild pitches that all led to runs. Mike MaGahan from Moon went 2 1/3 and didn't give up a run, and Greg Shneider of Thomas Jefferson pitched 1 scoreless inning and struck out 3 batters. For the 3A squad hitting wise Zarley Zalewski reached base 3 times, with 2 singles and also by error. Mike Nowicki of Greensburg Salem and Shane Hertzog of Mount Pleasant both reached base twice each getting a single and a walk.

For the Quad A team 5 pitchers went 8 innings, gave up 3 runs, on 11 hits, 14 strikeouts, 4 walks, and only 1 wild pitch. Pitcher of the game Mark Opferman of Baldwin went 3 innings, gave up 0 runs, on 4 hits, 6 strikeouts, and 2 walks. He edged out teammate Matt Smith from Seneca Valley who started the game and went 3 innings, giving up 0 runs, on 4 hits, 3 strikeouts, and 1 walk.

The hitting stars were numerous for the AAAA team as 8 players reached base twice, and 1 three times. Hitter of the game Andrew Erenberg of Peters Twp was 2 for 3 with a triple and single, 2 runs scored and 3 RBI. Russell Clark of Pine Richland, and Jack Elliot and Troy Shoeppner of Upper St Clair all had two hits and 2 runs. Clark had 3 runs and an RBI.

This Wooden bat all star game was created to showcase players talents for fans, scouts, and colleges. The AAAA team was coached by Andy Maddix of North Allegheney, Eric Semega of Seneca Valley, Rich Snatchko of McKeesport, and Todd Schiffhauer of North Allegheny. The AAA team's coaching staff consisted of George Bradley of Knoch, Bruce Herstine of Beaver, Rich Krivanek of Thomas Jefferson, and Jeff Kuzma of West Miflin.

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CLASS AA 5 – CLASS A 5
By Greg Kuntz

The final appearances by the two very talented groups of seniors in the Class A vs Class AA All-Star game at the Burkett Sports Complex in Crafton turned out to be quite the battle as they played to an eventual stalemate. 

It was not until the bottom of the 4th inning when the first run was scored by the AA Stars.  Freedom's Fran O'Connor led off the inning with a triple and scored on teammate Jordan Price's ground out.  Shady Side Academy's Ben Hartz continued his marvelous pitching performance as he hurled the first 3 innings for AA by scattering 4 hits and fanning 5 A batters.  

Class A, however would break the game on in the top of the 5th by sending 9 men to the plate and rocking Ellwood City's Christian Kerns for 5 runs.  After a strikeout to lead off the inning, Kerns would give up a walk to John Shaw, and 3 consecutive singles to North Catholic's Zach Miller, OLSH's Brandon Duerr, and Springdale's Joe Killian.  Shaw would score on Duerr's RBI single.  Duerr was lifted for Neshannock's John Sansone as a courtesy runner, and Miller and he would score on Killian's 2-RBI single, and Killian would score as Chris Koryak of Vincentian would reach on a fielder's choice.  Jefferson-Morgan's Brandon Lesko would drive in Koryak with a double to put AA in a cavernous hole.  

AA would redeem themselves in the bottom of the 7th and tie the game up with their own 9-men-to-the-plate show off the gifted arm of Serra Catholic's Alain Girman.  Waynesburg's Alex Swauger led off with a single, and he would advance to 2nd as Coty Villinger of Southmoreland reached base after a wild pitch on a strikeout.  A walk to Freeport's Ryan Dunn would load the bases, and Phil Gnus would reach base on a Z-Miller error, scoring Swauger to cu the lead to 5-2.  Kerns' single would drive in both both Villinger and Dunn to close the gap to 5-4.  Gnus would score on a bases-loaded walk to Southmoreland's Brandon Galley to tie the game.  AA would have a chance to win in the bottom of the 9th Fort Cherry's Tanner Garry and Galley led off with back-to-back songles, but they would not score as Laurel's Todd Fennick struck-out, and his Spartans' teammate Rick Jones would hit into a 4-3 game-ending double-play.

Hartz, who already the Player of the Year in Class AA won Pitcher of the Game honors, while Killian earned the Hitter of the game with 2-hits and 2 RBI's.