600 is Golden As Riverside Wins WPIAL Baseball Crown

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, May 31, 2016 | 8:18 PM

It was thought that the WPIAL Class AA baseball championship game would turn into a pitcher’s duel. The game lived up to that billing and then some. Riverside’s Mike Boswell and Neshannock’s Frank Fraschetti pitched over eight scoreless innings each, but it was the Riverside Panthers (20-2) came out on top, defeating the Lancers 1-0 in nine innings at CONSOL Energy Park in Washington.

Kolby Wolf scored on a Braden Bentel single to center with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to give the Panthers their fourth WPIAL championship in school history. The win was also the 600th of head coach Dan Oliastro’s 48-year coaching career.

Boswell tossed nine scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and striking out five. The senior had the Lancers (19-3) hitters off balance all day long, saying that all three of his pitches were working well. Boswell walked only two batters and had stretches of ten and six straight batters retired between.

The game did not start in such a dominant way for Boswell, as Neshannock’s Rich Serignese lined a double down the left field line to lead off the game. He would advance no further and Boswell would not allow another base runner until Brandon Schiedemantle one-out single in the fourth inning.

Riverside placed two runners on base in the first inning with two outs following a Jason Dambach single and walk drawn by Wolf. But Austin Dambach flied out to left to end the inning. The Panthers also had runners at the corners in the third but Fraschetti pitched out of danger, striking out Wolf to end the inning.

The Lancers dodged a bullet in the fifth when Fraschetti combined with shortstop Jason Swope to pick off Riverside’s Ty Thellman at second to end the inning. Neshannock had a chance to score in the sixth when Serignese reached on an error by third basemen Will Yesenka. The senior was able to steal second and was bunted to third. Boswell came up big, getting Schiedimantle to foul out and clean up hitter Emilio Rodriguez to strike out to keep the game scoreless.

The Panthers had a chance to win in the bottom of the seventh with two on and two out, but Yesenka grounded out to Swope to send the game to extra innings.

The Lancers led off the eighth with a Josh Gray walk, but Boswell picked him off first base. Neshannock also could not capitalize in the ninth as Swope led off with a hit. Schiedemantle popped a bunt over Boswell’s head but he was able to recover and force Swope out at second. That set the stage for a Riverside walk-off.

Wolf reached base to lead off the ninth, as Swope committed a throwing error. After Austin Dambach sacrificed Wolf to second and Cristian Cicchinelli flew out, Ricky Wass was intentionally walked to set up Bentel to be the hero. The shot to center was fielded cleanly by Danny Welker in center, his throw was short of the plate and a diving tag by Schiedimantle came up short, sending the Panthers into celebration mode.

Riverside will meet the loser of Wednesday’s District 6 title tilt between Martinsburg Central and Bishop McCort in the first round of the PIAA AA Playoffs. Those teams square off at People’s Natural Gas Field in Altoona at 7 p.m. 

Fraschetti was the hard luck loser, falling to 9-2 this season and 33-5 for his career. He allowed six hits, three walks (two intentional) and fanned two batters. Neshannock will await the winner of Thursday’s District 10 championship game between Fairview and Girard. Those schools will play at Ainsworth Field in Erie at 4 pm.

Neshannock Lancers : 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 = 0 – 3 – 1
Riverside Panthers : 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 1 = 1 – 6 – 1
(2 outs when winning run scored)