Penn-Trafford rallies from 5-0 deficit to sweep baseball series with Latrobe

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, March 25, 2025 | 9:24 PM

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Penn-Trafford was limited offensively for the first five innings Tuesday and stared down a five-run deficit for most of the game.

But the defending WPIAL champion Warriors saved their best for last, rallying for nine runs over the last two innings to pull past Latrobe, 9-6, to earn a Section 1-5A baseball sweep at wind-chilled Graham-Sobota Field.

The Warriors made their comeback despite leaving 12 on base.

“These kids are very resilient,” Warriors coach Lou Cortazzo said. “We hit when we needed to today. We know with the players we have, we’re never out of a game.”

Down 5-0 going into the sixth inning, Penn-Trafford (4-1, 2-0) began to chip away at the Wildcats (2-3, 0-2), who trailed 5-0 in Monday’s opener but could not rally back.

“It’s a tough lesson,” Latrobe coach Matt Basciano said. “You don’t lose. You learn. No lead in this section is safe.”

Zach Feldman, who earned the pitching win with five innings of relief, led off the Warriors’ sixth with a double. Jonny Lovre, the starting pitcher, knocked in a run with a single.

A bases-loaded walk — Latrobe reliever Aaron Gaskey issued three straight free passes in a long inning — brought in the second Penn-Trafford run.

Ethan Septak then ripped a 3-2 pitch to left-center for a two-run single that closed the gap to 5-4.

“We didn’t play our best game, but we put the ball in play,” Cortazzo said. “We needed to swing at good pitches.”

Latrobe put another run on the board in the bottom of the frame on a two-out RBI single by Brody Rumon, who went 3 for 4.

But the Warriors did not go quietly in the seventh. Instead, they ran up five more runs to take a 9-6 advantage.

After an error by Latrobe put runners at first and third, Dom Delio dropped a squeeze bunt to score a run and make it 6-5.

“Sometimes, you need that small ball,” Cortazzo said. “You need to rely on fundamentals.”

After a bunt single by Braden Kane, who was 2 for 2 with two runs, loaded the bases, Hayden Porterfield, the third Wildcats pitcher of the day, recorded back-to-back strikeouts.

But Logan Matrisch kept the rally going with a two-run single with the bases loaded to give Penn-Trafford its first lead at 7-6.

“We got our energy up,” said Matrisch, who went 4 for 7 in the series. “Dom put that bunt down and got us going. Our bats really got rolling.”

After an intentional walk to Septak, Colton Tyburski connected for a two-run single and a 9-6 lead.

Feldman, who allowed four hits and two earned runs, worked a 1-2-3 seventh to finish off the Wildcats.

“They did what they needed to do,” Matt Basciano said of the Warriors. “We battled and fought. Like I said, we’ll learn from it. We’re not going to pout and cry. We’re two games into the section.”

Penn-Trafford took a 5-0 lead in Monday’s series opener and held off the Wildcats late for a 5-3 win.

The Wildcats had the early 5-0 run this time but could not preserve it.

Latrobe scored three times in the second inning on Cooper Basciano’s bases-loaded triple. Eli Boring stole home on a double steal in the third for another Wildcats run, and it was 5-0 in the fourth after a run scored on a passed ball.

Matrisch, Tyburski, Feldman and Kane had two hits each. Tyburski had a double.

Jack Stynchula doubled for the Wildcats.

Cole Short started for Latrobe and allowed three hits in four innings. Porterfield took the loss.

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

Tags: Latrobe, Penn-Trafford