Western Beaver Truly Golden In WPIAL Class A Baseball

By: Bruce Markey
Wednesday, May 29, 2013 | 8:03 PM

In an improbable finish to the Class A Baseball championship game, Western Beaver pitcher Nick Miller picked off Santino Platt off second base to end the game and give the Golden Beavers a 3-2 come from behind victory over the OLSH Chargers to claim their second WPIAL championship. Western Beaver scored two runs in the sixth inning to take the lead entering the final frame.

The win for Western Beaver give the Golden Beavers their second WPIAL title, they claimed the gold in 2000. Miller picked up the win, going to 7-1 on the season.

OLSH jumped out to an early lead. Jason Lanoy walked and Tim Mulvey doubled down the right field line, Nick Kocent drove in the first run with a single to center and a 1-0 lead. Preston Falascino made it 2-0 in the third with a double to the deepest part of Consol Energy Field in left center field. Coach Phil McCarron said the Chargers needed to take advantage of those opportunities early.

It was all Western from that point as Miller blanked the Chargers the rest of the way. Western Beaver broke the ice in the fourth inning when Steve Menich tripled over the head of center fielder Bill Mulcahey. John Petrosky followed with a fly ball to left fielder Kyle Seamon that he dropped, allowing Hunter Roknich to score.

Western Beaver took the lead in the sixth, Robert DiMaggio singled up the middle to lead off the inning, Menich singled up the middle as well and the ball went under the glove of Mulcahey, allowing DiMaggio to come all the way around to tie the game and Menich to second. Roknich replaced Menich at second. John Petrosky laid down a perfect bunt to move Roknich to third. OLSH countered by moving the infielders in to cut down the run at the plate but Steve Robison’s grounder to Platt at short was too deep to allow for a play at the plate as Roknich scored.

OLSH was able to get the tying and go-ahead runs on in the seventh. With one out, Platt reached on an infield single. Bechak bunted Platt to second for the second out. Coach Chad Miller elected to walk Falascino to set up a force play at any base and the end drama. Lanoy was able to work the count full, when Miller pulled the pickoff play on Platt. Miller said they have used the play all season to get out of jams. The junior said with the crowd noise, he knew that Platt would not be able to hear his coach warning him of the play. Coach Chad Miller said the Golden Beavers have pitched out of trouble all season, that he was a little nervous. He gave credit to Petrosky for getting the bunt down in the sixth.

The Golden Beavers picked up their 18th straight win, Western Beaver lost the first two games of the season to South Side Beaver and Riverside and are now 18-2. Western Beaver meets the winner of tomorrow’s District 9 championship game. DiMaggio and Menich were both 2 for 3 at the plate. Petrosky and Robison each drove in runs. Miller allowed two runs on six hits. He struck out four and walked three.

Falascino, a Slippery Rock University recruit, was the hard luck loser, falling to 7-2 on the season. He allowed just four hits and struck out eight. The Chargers will play District 10 champion Eisenhower in the first round of the PIAA playoffs on Monday. The loss ends a 18 game winning streak for OLSH, now 19-3, which is the highest single season win total in program history.

OLSH CHARGERS :  0 – 1 – 1 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0   =   2 – 6 – 2
WESTERN BEAVER GOLDEN BEAVERS : 0 – 0 – 0 – 1 – 0 – 2 – x   =   3 – 4 –  1
 

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