Neshannock Blanks Neumann-Goretti for 2nd PIAA Baseball Crown

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, June 12, 2015 | 7:50 PM

Frank Fraschetti pitched a complete game, three-hit shutout, leading Neshannock (20-5) to a 9-0 PIAA AA Championship victory over Neumann-Goretti (20-5) on Friday evening at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park in State College.

The win gives Neshannock their second baseball state championship in school history and first since 2004. The victory also caps a golden spring for Neshannock, which also won the WPIAL AA Championship in May, a game in which Fraschetti also pitched a complete game shutout in a 4-0 win over Quaker Valley.

The Lancers pounded out eleven hits, but their first three runs were scored unconventionally, as two errors and a fielder’s choice factored into the plating of Neshannock’s early scoring.

Neshannock would grab a 1-0 lead in the first inning after back-to-back singles by Richie Serignese and Jacob Swope would be followed by an error on Saints’ first baseman Louis Testa, in which a ball off of Don Colucci’s bat would sneak between Testa’s legs, allowing Serignese to score.

The Lancers would load the bases in the second inning, forcing Neumann-Goretti starter Gino Tripodi out of the game. Ethan Pritchett would come in for Tripodi and allow seven runs in 4.2 innings of relief.

But the early Neshannock run would be all that Fraschetti would need. The right-handed junior pitcher would add to his incredible postseason run by striking out eleven batters and walking three in the win. In six appearances in the WPIAL and PIAA Playoffs, Fraschetti would give up just four earned runs, while striking out 43 batters.

But Neshannock would add on insurance runs throughout the course of the game, giving Fraschetti more than enough wiggle room. In the fourth inning, Jeff Sanfilippo would single and then later score after an Emilio Rodriguez double that was lost in the sun by Neuman-Goretti’s center fielder Brian Verratti. Verratti would then throw the ball to second base in an attempt to get Rodriguez out, but the throw would be errant, allowing Sanfilippo to score from third base and extending the Lancers’ lead to 2-0.

Neshannock would tack on another run in the sixth inning after a leadoff triple by Don Colucci, who would then score on a fielder’s choice in which Sanfilippo thought a check-swing was fouled off of the plate, resulting in him being thrown out at first base. However, Josh Gray, Colucci’s pinch runner, would score from third base on the putout, extending the Lancers’ lead to 3-0.

The following inning would see the floodgates open for Neshannock, as the Lancers would plate six runs on three hits and three walks. A double by Serignese would bring in one run, a fielder’s choice off of Jacob Swope’s bat would add another, a wild pitch would plate another and a walk to Fraschetti would bring the Lancers’ lead to 7-0. Sanfilippo would then rip a two-run single, capping Neshannock’s scoring at 9-0.

Bay To, Vince Vaccone and Louis Testa would account for Neumann-Goretti’s three hits. To would pitch in relief of Pritchett, allowing one run and walking two batters in the final inning. Neumann-Goretti’s season ends with a 20-5 overall record, a District 12 Championship and a PIAA Runner-Up Title.

Sanfilippo finished 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored, while Serignese would go 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and run scored. Rodriguez would also add a pair of hits for the Lancers, who will lose seven seniors, including five starters, to graduation. Luckily for Neshannock, those losses will not include Fraschetti or Serignese, who will both return for their senior seasons.

SCORE BY INNING:

Nehsannock Lancer : 1-0-0-1-0-1-6=9-11-2
Neumann-Goretti Saints : 0-0-0-0-0-0-0=0-3-2

WP: Frank Fraschetti: 7 IP, 3 H, 11 K, 3 BB, 0 R, 128 NP

LP: Gino Tripodi: 1.1 IP, 5 H, 0 K, 0 BB, 1 R, 22 NP