Westmoreland County baseball notebook: Hempfield’s Tim Buzzard hits career milestone

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, April 20, 2023 | 4:45 PM

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There was some “Buzz” around Hempfield last week.

Spartans’ coach Tim Buzzard recorded a milestone win when the Spartans blanked Baldwin, 10-0, for a three-game sweep.

The victory was No. 200 of his career. Buzzard is in his 15th season leading Hempfield. He is 200-114 overall.

Tourney time

Latrobe likes those road trips.

The Wildcats take one to Ohio early in the season, and last week took one to Altoona for a midseason tournament.

The Wildcats played in the Altoona Curve Classic at Peoples Natural Gas Field in Altoona. The stay was short, however, in the double-elimination tournament.

After a wild, 19-15 loss in their opener, the Wildcats fell to Altoona, 11-2, on the first day of competition.

Logan Bradish had two doubles, Erick Batista doubled and drove in two, and Eli Boring had four RBIs in the opening game.

Growing pains

Jeannette has seen a turnover in baseball talent over the last couple of seasons. In short, the roster got younger.

But as the freshmen and sophomores gain experience with playing time, longtime coach Marcus Clarkson believes results will turn over, too.

“We’re improving every day,” said Clarkson, in his 19th season. “I’m starting six freshman this year and they earned the time, so I’m excited about them and the future.”

Jeannette had a 2-6 record by midweek.

The team has not had a winning season since 2019. The Jayhawks won a WPIAL title in 2017.

Clarkson, who took over the program in 2004, recently coached his 300th game. He is 135-173 overall.

Efficient outing

Yough’s James Shoman didn’t concern himself with a pitch count in Tuesday’s 7-1 win over Southmoreland. He only needed 77 pitches to set down the Scotties.

From the third through the sixth inning, Shoman (4-0) only threw 29 pitches.

Alesi commits

Franklin Regional senior Anthony Alesi, a corner infielder, will continue his playing at Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, Va.

Alesi hit a home run in his first at-bat of the season.

Keeping score

Norwin has a familiar face keeping its scorebook in the dugout this season.

Trib Westmoreland Boys Basketball Player of the Year Adam Bilinsky is recording hits and outs for the Knights.

Not only does he get to hang around with his friends, but he also gets some fresh air.

“I try to be outside as much as I can,” Bilinsky said.

Extra bases

Yough scored 15 runs in the sixth inning Wednesday in a 22-5 win over Southmoreland. … Hempfield won the first two games against Canon-McMillan to open a two-game lead in Section 2-6A. … Nolan Ryan doesn’t pitch for Norwin, although it would be cool if he did. No, he does his damage offensively. In Wednesday’s 10-2 win over Mt. Lebanon, he went 3 for 4 with two home runs and six RBIs. … Section 3-2A is getting tight at the top. Serra Catholic (10-2, 5-1), Greensburg Central Catholic (6-2, 5-1) and Riverview (6-2, 5-1) were all tied at the top, with Ligonier Valley (7-4, 5-3) lurking nearby.

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

Tags: Hempfield, Jeannette, Latrobe, Norwin