2015 WPIAL Baseball All-Star Game Recaps

By: Bruce Markey
Sunday, June 7, 2015 | 11:50 PM

The WPIAL Baseball Coaches Association hosted their annual all-star games event Sunday at Ross Memorial Field at the Washington & Jefferson College Sports Complex and broadcast here on MSA Sports. Here are recaps from the two contests won by the AAA and the AA all-stars.

Class Triple-A 3 – Class Quad-A 0

In a display of stellar pitching and defense, the Class AAA team notched a 3-0 victory against Class Quad-A in the WPIAL Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Game at Ross Memorial Park in Washington. A trio of pitchers, Zack Salmon, Chris Anastas and Colin Claus, combined to record the shutout for Class AAA. West Mifflin’s Salmon, who started the game and pitched four innings, earned the victory, and was also named the pitcher of the game. Claus, representing West Allegheny, twice worked out of jams to keep his team’s lead intact. In the eighth inning, the Class Quad-A all stars opened the inning with three consecutive singles, but Claus induced Nick Groover to pop out, and then fanned Chandler Palyas and Troy Martin to end the threat. Quad-A added a pair of singles in the top of the ninth to send the tying run to the plate, but Claus registered another strikeout, this time of Franklin Regional’s John Bondi, to end the contest. The decisive runs of the contest game in the third inning, as Class AAA’s offense capitalized on a pair of defensive blunders on a single play. Two throwing errors on a ball hit by Lucas Scheidemantel allowed Ty Reginelli to score the first run of the contest, and Scheidemantel later scored on a sacrifice fly by Joe Campagna. Class AAA added an insurance run in the next inning, as Reginelli’s two-out infield single plated Billy Krull for the third and final run of the game. As a result of his strong performance at the plate, Mars’ Reginelli was named the best position player of the game.

Class Double-A 8 – Class Single-A 7

Unlike the first game of the doubleheader, which featured outstanding pitching and defense, the WPIAL Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Game between Class AA and Class A turned into a slugfest, with Class AA prevailing in walk-off fashion, 8-7. After Class A plated a pair of runs in the top of the ninth to extend the game, Joe D’Antico of Laurel lead off the bottom of the ninth with a triple, and Washington’s Jonathan Spina plated him with a single to score the victory. Class A jumped out to an early lead, as Santino Platt opened the contest with a book-rule double, and scored on a groundout off the bat of Michael Blasinsky. Class A’s starting pitcher, Tony Mash of Jeannette, was outstanding in his two innings of work, striking out four batters while not allowing a hit. As a result, Mash earned the best pitcher award for the tilt. Mash’s relievers did not fair as well, though, as Class AA tied the contest up in the third with a run against Ian Taylor, and then took command with four runs in the bottom of the fifth against California’s Chris Swartz. In that inning, Danzel McKinley-Lewis, Shane Roebuck and Trevor Moser delivered consecutive singles, and the Class A defense committed a pair of costly errors. Class A responded in its next at bat, though, plating four runs in the top of the sixth to again tie the game, at 5-5. In the bottom of the frame, though, Class AA regained the lead, as Joel Rohanna was hit by a pitch, and scored on a two-out single by Moser. Class AA tacked on an insurance marker in the seventh, but Class A scored twice in the ninth against Chris O’Malley of Avonworth. Parker Janosko opening the inning with a single, and Platt added a single of his own. After Platt was caught stealing, O’Malley issued two-straight walks to load the bases, and Zac Quattrone drilled a two-run double down the third-base line to even the game at 7-7. O’Malley stranded a pair of runners in scoring position, however, allowing for the dramatic victory in the bottom half of the ninth. Roebuck, of Brownsville, was named the game’s most valuable position player in leading his squad to victory.