District 6 baseball playoff capsule: Ligonier Valley vs. West Shamokin

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, May 12, 2019 | 5:05 PM

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District 6 baseball

Heritage Conference Championship

Ligonier Valley (13-2) vs. West Shamokin (13-0)

7 p.m. WEDNESDAY at First Commonwealth Field at Homer-Center Booster Complex

Coaches: Brett Marabito, Ligonier Valley; Dave Powers, West Shamokin

Players to watch: Sam Sheeder, Jr., C, Ligonier Valley; Jacob Allen, Sr., OF-P, West Shamokin

Extra bases: Ligonier Valley is the South Division champion, and West Shamokin won the North. Ligonier Valley is seeking its first conference title since 2012. The Rams are hitting .337 as a team and have produced 145 runs while yielding a compact, 1.54 ERA. Sheeder is hitting .333 with a team-best 19 RBIs, and senior shortstop Sullivan Shueltz is hitting .362 with 17 RBIs and a team-high 24 runs. There are a number of quality arms at the team’s disposal, including senior John Caldwell (1.75 ERA, 34 strikeouts), junior Michael Marinchak (1.77 ERA, 42 K’s) and junior Ethan Boring (1.88 ERA, 22 K’s). … West Shamokin, fresh off back-to-back division titles, is seeking its first conference championship. The Wolves are a potent combination of offense and pitching. They have a team batting average of .394, 51 stolen bases and 143 runs and a pitching staff with a 1.59 ERA. Three players are hitting over .400: junior Blake Fairman (.474), senior Tyler Lightcap (.455) and sophomore Justin Smulik (.406). Sophomore Ezeck Olinger leads with 14 RBIs. He and senior Tristan Doverspike have 3-0 records as pitchers.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Ligonier Valley