Upper St. Clair puts exclamation point on bounce-back season with playoff-clinching win

By: Don Rebel
Wednesday, May 7, 2025 | 11:41 PM

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Purchase Photo Options

Previous Next

A year after missing the postseason and finishing in last place in Section 2-5A, Upper St. Clair clinched a return to the postseason with a victory Wednesday over Chartiers Valley in the first game of a doubleheader at the Boyce-Mayview Complex, 4-1.

The Panthers join Bethel Park, Peters Township and Trinity as playoff-bound teams out of the section.

“I’m really happy for our kids,” Upper St. Clair coach Jeff Donati said. “This has been an extremely resilient group all year. We lost some game badly but would come back and win the next one. It’s a great group of kids, and they just go about their business the right way.”

The right way in this section is a close, low-scoring game, and this one fit the bill perfectly.

Despite being in last place at the start of Wednesday, Chartiers Valley needed to sweep the doubleheader at USC and get some help to force a five-way tie for third place in which the entire section would qualify for the WPIAL Class 5A postseason.

However, the Colts hurt themselves with mistakes that cost them the lead.

In the bottom of the third inning against CV starter Jules Prozzoly, Luke Marchinsky walked with one out, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and then one out later, scored on an errant pickoff throw at third base.

One of the key plays in the game happened in the top of the fourth inning.

Against USC starter Brayden Wells, Michael Switala lashed a one-out double to right-center field.

With Nathan Colberg batting, Panthers third baseman Eli Rankin loudly raced toward home, shortstop Nico D’Orazio ran toward third base and second baseman Finn Baird snuck in behind the runner and Wells picked him off.

The play was huge because it denied Chartiers Valley the equalizer when on the next pitch, Colberg lined a base hit to right-center.

Colton Koza flied to center to end the Colts rally.

“This is a new team to our conference because the other teams in our league know we like to pick a lot,” Donati said. “We were very fortunate, and it was a huge turning point for us. We practice it all the time, but we’re probably 1 for 8 on it this year.”

Upper St. Clair had only one hit through four innings but finally got the bats going in the bottom of the fifth.

Eli Rankin led off with a single, stole second and one out later, he went to third on a base hit to right field by the Panthers No. 9 hitter, Luke Marchinsky.

“We’re lucky to have Luke back,” Donati said. “He had a knee injury in the offseason, missed a lot of the basketball season and then he missed time with us after Danny (Holzer, USC basketball coach) took his team deep into the (state playoffs). It’s nice to have him back.”

Rankin scored on a wild pitch and Marchinsky was plated on a RBI single by D’Orazio, who later scored on a Tanner Schroeck single to put the Panthers up, 4-0.

Chartiers Valley finally chased Wells in the top of the seventh inning when Colberg singled and Koza walked. Two outs later, Drake Steding beat out an infield single, as did Jake Federouch to plate the Colts’ only run.

Max Dietrick came in to register the final out on a force out at third base to clinch the playoffs for Upper St. Clair.

Wells pitched 6⅔ innings and allowed one earned run on eight hits, one walk and five strikeouts.

“Everything he has done, he’s worked for and is a great kid,” Donati said. “He competes and he leads for us. We were going away a lot (Wednesday), and they were kind of feeding into it, so he flipped the plate on them and was coming back in on them. He did a nice job of doing that.”

This will mark the third time in his four years as Panthers coach that USC is playoff-bound and Donati believes this section has prepared his team for some postseason success.

“That’s what you want for the playoffs,” Donati said of the section and nonsection challenges of his schedule. “That is what you are going to face in the playoffs is that type of competition and we’re ready for it.”

Tags: Chartiers Valley, Upper St. Clair