Riverview rallies but comes up short in PIAA baseball playoffs

By: Michael Love
Monday, June 2, 2025 | 8:07 PM

Purchase Photo Options

ERIE — The Riverview baseball team had to battle from an early deficit in Monday’s PIAA Class 2A first-round game against Mercyhurst Prep at Mercyhurst University in Erie.

Trailing by four runs after one inning, the Raiders cut the Lakers lead to one with a three-spot in the third.

But Riverview was unable to add on, and the Lakers got some insurance in the fifth in a 5-3 Mercyhurst Prep victory.

Raiders coach Bill Gras, his voice filled with emotion, praised his players’ effort against the District 10 champion.

“We are so proud of them,” Gras said of the message to the team in the postgame talk.

“We got down early, but we came back and battled. That is what this team is all about. They didn’t get down on themselves and knew they could get back in the game.”

Riverview, the third-place team from the WPIAL, capped its season at 15-8. The Raiders played in the state tournament for the first time since 2021.

“This was just a great season from the guys,” Gras said. “I told them at the beginning of the year that it was going to be something special. We knew we were going to have fun, and we did.”

Mercyhurst Prep improved to 23-1 and will play District 5 champion Tussey Mountain in the quarterfinals Thursday.

“At this stage, every team is good, and we’ll be ready to play Thursday,” Lakers coach Randy Durkoske said.

“That was a nice win for us against a really good Riverview team.”

Down by two entering the top of the seventh, Riverview had the meat of the order up against Mercyhurst starter and ace Hunter Krahe, and the Raiders faithful were hoping for a rally.

Things looked good to start as sophomore Lukas Duncan and senior Eli DeVita opened the inning with back-to-back singles.

Senior Rece Stempfer flew out to center for the first out, but the Raiders seemed to still be in good shape.

But that is when things took a turn in the opposite direction.

Raiders sophomore catcher Miles Duncan lofted a ball to shallow right field that started to sink fast.

Lakers right fielder Noah Reigel came in and made a sliding, diving catch to rob Miles Duncan of a hit and at least one RBI.

Thinking that the ball was going to drop in, DeVita was a little too far off first, and Reigel threw to first baseman Jack Stoker to complete the game-ending double play.

“If that kid misses that ball in right field, it’s a tie game, and we could be close to taking the lead,” Gras said. “It was so close. That was a nice play.”

“With the guys we had coming up, we were feeling pretty good about our chances to score. It was the third time through (the lineup). We saw (Krahe), and we were getting more comfortable. He wasn’t going to surprise us with anything at that point. But they made the plays.”

Said Durkoske: “When it was first hit, I thought it was going to carry enough to (Reigel).

“Then I saw him come in a couple steps and kind of stutter and stop. I was like ‘Oh no, it can’t drop in front of him. He started in and made the diving catch. The play was incredible.”

Mercyhurst Prep erupted in the bottom of the first off of Riverview starter Johnny Bertucci.

The Lakers collected four hits and took advantage of a hit batter.

Third baseman Hayden Spencer had the big hit of the frame with a double that plated two runs to extend the lead to four.

“That was huge for us,” Durkoske said. “We needed to come out swinging the bats because we’ve been struggling a little bit. We were going to the opposite field, and everything worked to perfection.”

Stempfer singled to lead off the top of the second and made it to third with one out, but Krahe got a strikeout and a groundout to third to end the Raiders’ rally attempt.

Riverview was able to strike back in the top of the third as Bertucci walked with one out, Lukas Duncan reached on an error and DeVita singled.

Courtesy runner Ian Stempfer, in for Bertucci, came around to score on a throwing error after DeVita’s hit. Lukas Duncan raced home from third on a fielder’s choice to third off the bat of Rece Stempfer, and DeVita scored on an infield single from Miles Duncan to cut the Lakers lead to 4-3.

Bertucci retired 11 of 12 batters after the Spencer first-inning double before he hit Zack Kruszewski to lead off the bottom of the fifth.

Kruszewski advanced to second on a groundout, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a throwing error by Miles Duncan to make it 5-3.

In the end, Bertucci held a Lakers lineup that came in batting a collective .392 to six hits.

“It was a little bit of a shaky start, but Johnny beared down and pitched a helluva game after that,” Gras said.

Riverview finished with nine hits off the Krahe, who struck out four and walked one. Miles Duncan finished 3 for 4, and DeVita went 2 for 4 in his final game in a Raiders uniform.

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: Riverview