Gateway baseball team earns split with Penn-Trafford

By: Michael Love
Sunday, April 17, 2022 | 10:01 AM

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The Gateway baseball team split last year’s Section 1-5A series with Penn-Trafford on the way to a 6-4 record and a trip to the WPIAL playoffs.

Early last week, the Gators hoped to break out the brooms and sweep past the Warriors.

But Penn-Trafford wouldn’t go quietly after Gateway took Game 1.

Gateway doubled up the Warriors, 6-3, in a win which started on April 11 and, because of rain, was suspended and completed on April 12.

P-T came back April 13 and secured a 7-2 victory.

In the Game 1 triumph, junior Floyd McKenna and senior Grady Otterman combined to carry the load on the mound, and McKenna picked up the pitching win.

The game was scoreless through five innings before Gateway erupted for five runs in the sixth. Penn-Trafford responded with three in the bottom of the inning, but the Gators tacked on an insurance run in the seventh to set the final.

It was a team effort at the plate, as every batter in the Gateway lineup collected at least one hit. Junior Brody Clemens and senior Carsen Engleka produced a pair of hits, and Clemens, sophomore Taili Thompson (two), McKenna, junior Nate Demchak and senior Ryan Greggerson each knocked in runs.

The victory over Penn-Trafford got Gateway back in the win column after a tough 10-0 nonsection setback to Butler on April 8.

Gateway strung together eight hits in Game 2 but was able to produce just a pair of runs in the third inning.

But those two runs gave the Gators a 2-1 lead in the sixth before the Warriors erupted for six runs to all but seal the victory.

McKenna drove in both of the runs for Gateway with his first home run of the season. He finished the game 2 for 4, and it upped his season average to .292 (7 of 24).

McKenna knocked in four runs with a pair of doubles in the season-opening victory over Pine-Richland.

Junior Nate Demchak went 1 for 4 in the Game 2 loss to Penn-Trafford, and he was on base when McKenna delivered his home run. Through seven games, Demchek batted .370 and led the team in hits (10) and doubles (4).

Junior Nolan Boehm pitched five innings and was the pitcher of record when the Warriors took the lead in the sixth.

Latrobe opened a lead in the Section 1 standings at 4-0 with series sweeps of McKeesport and Franklin Regional. The Wildcats edged the Panthers by one run in both games of their April 12 doubleheader.

Gateway was to meet up with Latrobe on Monday and Tuesday. Both games, as well as a nonsection contest against Norwin last Thursday, were to be contested past the deadline for this week’s edition.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Gateway