WPIAL Baseball/Softball Playoff Recaps for Wednesday 5/13

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, May 14, 2015 | 2:05 AM

The opening round for both the District 7 baseball and softball postseason took a chilly turn Wednesday. Days after the mercury was knocking on the door of 90 degrees, temps barely got into the 50’s, giving the diamond action a late March, early April feel. That didn’t prevent some teams from taking care of business while earning a spot in the district Quarterfinals next week in baseball AAAA and AA along with softball AAA and AA. Here are recaps from the games heard live and archived Wednesday here on the MSA Sports Network.

A special thanks to Greg Kuntz, Lee Mohn, Jason Tennant, Steve Nagler, Lou Rood, Mike Azadian, Sean Meyers, Rob Longo, Josh Rowntree, Bobby Fox and Bob Gregg for their help on these recaps.

WPIAL BASEBALL CLASS AAAA First Round:

Norwin Knights 1 – North Allegheny Tigers 0 
The North Allegheny baseball teams season came to an end on Wednesday afternoon dropping a tough 1-0 decision to the Norwin Knights in first round action.  Nick Gross and John Driggers were superb on the mound.  Nick gross would give up only four hits on the day and one point retired thirteen straight.  Driggers would give up only five hits on the day.  The Tigers had a chance in the first inning but stranded Ryan Hamm at third and Blake Young at first.  Norwin would score all they needed getting a lead off single from Nick Amendola and a double from Ethan Sikora to put runners on second and third.  Gross was able to get one out before a slow roller to third by Vince Shuff was the only RBI of the game.  Daniel McCauley led off the 2nd inning with one of his three hits and was sacrificed to second but the Tigers could not get the key hit.  Again in the 4th inning McCauley would single with two out but this time stole second but could not score.  Ryan amm singled with one out in the sixth and stole second but that was where he was stranded.  Dan McCauley led off the 7th with a single and stole second with one out.  Joe Fitzgerald looked like he might have won it for the Tigers hitting a long fly to left field but with the wind blowing in it fell about 15 feet short for the second out and then Neil Woods would ground out to end the game.  Norwin will now go on to face Mount Lebanon in the quarterfinals.  Nick Gross was named the Wright Automotive player of the game for his complete game.The Tiger finish their seasson with a record of 12-9.

Fox Chapel Foxes 7 – Allderdice Dragons 3 
West Mifflin was the sight for Wednesday’s WPIAL first round AAAA baseball playoff game between the #5 Seeded Fox Chapel Foxes and the #12 Seeded Allderdice Dragons.  Allderdice scored in the top of the first as leadoff hitter Demetrius Haskins beat out an infield hit, stole second and scored on Mark Pfleger’s single to give the Dragons an early 1-0 lead.  Fox Chapel wasted no time in tying it up in the bottom of the first when Josh Kieffer reached with a one out walk, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Dan Vargo’s infield hit when the Allderdice catcher Pfleger committed a throwing error on the play. The Dragons quickly regained the lead in the top of the second when SS Evan Cheng singled, moved to 2nd base on and infield out and scored on an RBI single by Cam Jacobson.  The Foxes came right back and tied it up in the bottom of the inning  when CF Greg Yaksich singled, moved to second on a perfect sacrifice bunt by Josh Dunlop and an RBI single by Trent Rothert.  But Fox Chapel was not done for the inning as Rothert took 2nd on a wild pitch and scored on Josh Anderson’s RBI single to give the Foxes a lead they would not relinquish.  Fox Chapel pitcher Pat Monteverde, after surrendering a pair of runs in the first two innings then settled down and held Allderdice scoreless through the next 4 innings allowing just 1 hit and 2 walks from the 3rd through the 6th innings.  Meanwhile the Foxes offense blew the game open in the bottom of the 4th scoring 4 runs and chasing Allderdice starter Solomon Averbach from the game.  The four runs came on four hits, a pair of walks, and 2 RBI singles a piece by Anderson and C Zack Burkhart.  That ended the scoring for Fox Chapel as they cruised went 2-4, into the 7th inning with a 7-2 lead.  Allderdice tried to come back in the 7th but fell short scoring a lone run with two outs on a pair of infield hits sandwiched around a walk.  Monteverde picked up the win and Averbach his first loss of the season after coming into the game with a perfect 5-0 record.  Josh Anderson led the Foxes with 2 hits a run scored and 3 RBI’s while teammate Zack Burkhart added 2 hits and 2 RBI’s.   Allderdice finishes with an 11-4 record while Fox Chapel improves to 14-7, but more importantly moves into the WPIAL Quarterfinals, where they will take on Bethel Park who defeated Hempfield 3-0 on Monday at a site and time to be determined.

Shaler Titans 4 – Canon-McMillan Big Macs 1
Shaler scored three unearned runs in the top of the seventh and winning pitcher Jacob Potock retired the last 10 Canon-McMillan batters as the Titans downed the Big Macs, 4-1.  Noah Hernandez, Nick Fugh and David Pietropaolo each drove in runs in the decisive inning for Shaler (16-4).  The Titans took a 1-0 lead in the fourth.  Pietropaolo walked, stole second was sacrificed to third, and after two failed safety squeeze attempts by Andrew Mueller, Anthony Venezia singled to right, scoring the game’s first run.  Canon-McMillan (13-7) tied the game in the bottom of the inning on a charmed trip around the based for Tanner Piechnick.  The Big Macs catcher hit a grounder to short but reached on a throwing error, then stole second.  One out later, a balk moved him to third, and with two outs, Piechnick scored on a wild pitch.  Matt Mish and Jacob Davey followed with base hits, but CM did not have another runner reach base.  In the Shaler final frame, Venezia singled to center and was sacrificed to second.  Alex Ficorelli’s grounder to short was booted, putting runners on the corners.  Hernandez bunted up the first base line to score Venezia and reaching first when the ball was mishandled.  Fugh singled, scoring Ficorelli and chasing Austin Berger from the mound.  Luke Blanock got a flyout before Pietropaolo singled to score Hernandez.  Berger took the loss, allowed four runs (one earned) on six hits and three walks.  Potock allowed just five hits and one run while fanning seven.  The Titans face #2 Plum in Monday’s quarterfinals.

Seneca Valley Raiders 8 – Latrobe Wildcats 2 
The defending AAAA champion Seneca Valley Raiders secured a spot in the quarterfinals defeating the 14th seeded Latrobe Wildcats 8-2 on Wednesday afternoon.  Troy Martin went the distance allowing both runs in the first inning and only 5 hits.  Latrobe would score those two runs getting RBI single from Zach KoKoska and Mike Rodgers.  The Raiders would answer immediately in the bottom of the first with four runs batting around in the process.  Vince Augustine and Lane Palmer had RBI singles whole Matt Wagner had two RBI’s with a double.  Seneca would score three more times in the 4th to break the game open taking advantage of two Latrobe errors and two RBI’s from Corbin Kessler and another one from Matt Wagner.  The Raiders would close out the scoring in the 6th inning when Vince Augustine hit a sacrifice fly.  The Raiders collected 8 hits on the day.  Johnny Brittner had two of those hits and scored three runs while Corbin Kessler and Matt Wagner also had two hits.  The Raiders will now face Central Catholic on Monday.

Pittsburgh Central Catholic Vikings 8 – Franklin Regional Panthers 7
No. 6 Central Catholic (9-7) scored six runs with two outs in the 7th inning, overcoming a 7-0 deficit and defeating No. 11 Franklin Regional 8-7 on Wednesday at West Mifflin High School. The improbable comeback sends the Vikings into the WPIAL Quarterfinals, where they will meet defending WPIAL AAAA Champions Seneca Valley on Monday at a site and time to be determined. After Central Catholic starter Nolan Martino lasted only one inning, allowing five runs, Jack Tumulty would come on in relief and allow just two runs the rest of the way. But the Panthers (13-6) were able to gain a 7-0 lead thanks to three hits by Ryan Grieco and three RBIs by Matt Frey. The Panthers would carry the lead until the 4th inning, when Oklahoma recruit Dom Derenzo would trip and score on a sacrifice flyout by Joel Shaffer. Two batters later, Ryan Ray would drive in Pat Ferguson with a double, bringing the Vikings’ deficit to 7-2. That score would hold until the 7th inning, when Central Catholic would finally get to Panthers’ pitcher Luciano Besh. Besh would give up a single, but manage to get two outs, putting Franklin Regional just one out away from their first playoff win since 2007. However, the Central Catholic bats would awaken and the Franklin Regional gloves would go haywire, committing four errors in the final inning after committing none throughout the game. After a double error on a pickoff attempt would bring the game to 7-3, a Ryan Sproule double would bring the game to 7-4, forcing Besh out of the contest. Justin Johnson would come on in relief and produce a fly ball off of the bat of Derenzo. But Panthers’ second baseman John Bondi would drop the popup, allowing a run to score and cutting the Panthers’ lead to 7-5. After a Shaffer single and a walk to Ferguson, Ray would come to the plate with a chance to tie win the ballgame with the bases loaded. After falling behind two strikes in the count, Ray would line a ball to centerfield, scoring Derenzo and Shaffer. However, Grieco would boot the ball in center field, giving pinch runner Jim Murray a chance to score. Franklin Regional’s relay to the plate would be just late, as Murray would come around to score the game winning run. Ray finished 2-for-4 with two double and three RBI, including two on the game winning hit. The tight win was the sixth one-run game this season for the Vikings and the eighth one-run game between the two teams since 2009.

WPIAL BASEBALL CLASS AA First Round:

Riverside Panthers 3 – Washington Little Prexies 2 
Trevor Moser singled, scoring Ricky Wass with two out in the bottom of the seventh as #4 Riverside took a 3-2 win over Washington.  Mike Boswell got the win in relief.  The Panthers took a 2-0 lead in the fourth when Kolby Wolfe homered to left after Peyton Pacella was hit by a pitch.  Riverside (15-3) did not have another hit until Wass led off the seventh with a single to center.  Washington (9-6) scored once in the sixth, Jordan Mooney coming home on Steven Shallcross’ two-out single.  Jonathan Spina singled home Chris Gouin in the seventh, tying the game.  The Little Prexies had the bases loaded with one out but a force play at the plate and a groundout left the game square going to the bottom of the inning.  Wass singled to center to open the frame.  One out later, Dylan Speicher walked.  Spina relieved starter Connor Bedillion and coaxed Boswell to pop to short.  Moser ripped a base hit down the left field line, kicking up chalk when it hit the ground and bringing Wass home for the walk-off win.  Vinnie Luccisano worked six innings for Riverside, allowing just one run on seven hit while striking out three.  Bedillion took the loss, charged with all three Riverside runs, four hits, three walks and two hit batters.  The Little Prexies had base-runners in every inning, but stranded 10 men on base, six over the final three innings.  The Panthers will play #5 Quaker Valley in Monday’s quarterfinals.

Quaker Valley Quakers 6 – Seton-LaSalle Rebels 0 
At the Burkett Complex in Robinson Township the Quaker Valley Quakers defeat the Seton LaSalle Rebels 6-0 in WPIAL first round baseball playoff action. Quaker Valley improves to 13-4 overall and will play in the quarterfinals on Monday May 18th at a site and time to be determined. For Quaker Valley Tyler Garbee was on the mound and he was dealing. He only hit two batters for the first 3 innings.  He was helped by great defense at short stop from Adan Pilewicz, and a 6-3-5 double play in the 3rd inning. On the other side of the fence Carson Rebel was on the hill for Seton La Salle. He was impressive as well only allowing a single and a walk thru three innings. QV would get the only runs they needed in the 4th inning as Adam Pilewicz reached on an error and a Peyton Rusiniello RBI single.  Two passed balls and a wild pitch later and it was 2-0 Quakers.  QV would tack on 4 more runs in the sixth on 5 hits to put the game away. John Medich had the big 2 RBI single in the inning.  Garbee went the distance for the Quakers giving up 2 hits, 2 hit batters, striking out 4 and walking 1 for the win. Rusinillo went 3 for 3 with 2 singles and a double, and 2 runs scored to lead QV in hitting.

Steel Valley Ironmen 6 – Shenango Wildcats 5 
In WPIAL AA baseball playoff action at the Burkett complex in Robinson Township the Steel Valley Ironmen the defending AA champions come from behind and win 6-5 over the Shenango Wildcats. They will move on and play the number two seed the Brownsville Falcons in the quarterfinals. In what was anticipated as a pitchers battle it turned into a hitters game. Neither starting pitcher threw well early. Brandon Donovan for Steel Valley gave up 4 runs thru the first 3 innings, and Evan Kendall 6 thru the first 4 innings. Shenango would score first in the first on two Ironmen errors and a Paul Turco RBI single to go up 2-0. Steel Valley would tie it at 2-2 in the second with three hits including a Brett Yuhas RBI single. In the third inning Shenango would go up 4-2 in the third on two hits, a hit batsmen and two more errors. Steel Valley came right back in the 4th inning and put up 4 runs, the key hit a two out 3 RBI triple by Matt Toth on a line drive to right field that was misplayed. The Ironmen went up 6-4 and would never lose the lead. Shenango would plate a 5th run in the 4th to cut the lead to 6-5, but Steel Valley pitcher Brandon Donavan would buckle down in the last three innings striking out 7 of his game high 12 and allowing only three baserunners to get the win. He walked only 1, hit 3 batters and have up 7 hits. Tanner Cannon was 2/4 with 2 singles,Toth 2/4 with a triple and a single and 3 RBI, Jesse Cantly went 2/4 with a double and a single, Yuhas had 4 hits all singles, and Connor Stevens went 2/4 with two singles in the Iron Man 14 hit attack.

Neshannock Lancers 7 – Waynesburg Raiders 0
Led by an outstanding pitching performance from Frank Fraschetti, the #3 Neshannock Lancers proved to be too much for the #14 Waynesburg Raiders to handle as the Lancers cruised to a 7-0 win.  Waynesburg had a chance to score first after a 2-out triple by Hunter Robinson in the first inning, but he was stranded at third and Waynesburg would only have two more base runners the rest of the game.  The Lancers scored in the bottom of the first when a Don Colucci single drove in Ray Scala.  They added two more in the third, a run in the fifth, and tacked on three more in the sixth inning.  Neshannock’s offense was constant and balanced as all but one of the nine hitters reached base at least once and all but two recorded hits.  Colucci had the only extra base hit for the Lancers with a double in the fifth inning. Rich Serignese drove in three runs. Neshannock had base runners in every inning. Waynesburg only recorded 23 at bats, or two over the minimum, with no answer for Fraschetti.  After the first inning triple, Fraschetti retired the next 7 batters in a row. Then following a lead-off single by Brandon Turcheck in the fourth, Fraschetti sat down the next 10 in a row.  The final Waynesburg hit was a 2-out single in the seventh by Joel Rohanna.  Fraschetti picked up the complete-game shutout, striking out 8 without allowing a walk.  The loss went the Robinson who gave up 7 runs, 6 of them earned, on 10 hits.  Robinson struck out 3 and walked 4. The Lancers advance to the Quarterfinals next Wednesday.

WPIAL SOFTBALL CLASS AAA First Round:

Hampton Talbots 12 – Elizabeth Forward Warriors 10 
Staked to an 11-run lead in the fifth inning, Hampton had to hold off a furious comeback effort from Elizabeth Forward, as the Talbots scored a 12-10 victory in Class AAA first round action at Baldwin High School. Hampton’s offense proved potent in the early stages of the contest, plating a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to gain a 2-1 edge. Sam Clutter led off that frame for the Talbots with a single, and Kat Bittner followed up with a double. Those two runners scored on an Ashley Sheetz groundout and a single by Megan Thornton, respectively. After both teams were held off the board in the second inning, Hampton’s offense erupted for seven runs in the third inning to take command. After Sheetz and Thornton began the frame with consecutive doubles, Rachael Pletz was hit by a pitch to put two runners on base. Chloe Nelligan then crushed a pitch over the left field fence for a three-run blast, and Clutter added a three-run homer of her own later in the frame to score Hannah Dietz and Natalie Klaas. Already ahead by eight runs, Hampton added three more in the fourth inning to build what appeared to be an insurmountable lead. But the Warriors kept their hopes alive in the fifth, as they plated the necessary two runs to avoid the mercy rule. In the sixth, Elizabeth Forward put its own seven spot on the board, as the Warriors sent 13 girls to the plate. Maddie Porter delivered the big strike of the inning, as her two-out triple scored three runs to trim the EF deficit to 12-8. Porter later scored on a single by Lexi Ribarchak, and Lauren Cain also crossed the plate on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Cassidy Kern. With the go-ahead run on first base, though, Jess Cartia struck out looking to end the frame. In the seventh, the Warriors again threatened, but Hampton pitcher Megan Thornton punched out Lauren Cain to end the rally and seal the victory for the Talbots. With the triumph, Hampton advances to the quarterfinals to face Southmoreland.

WPIAL SOFTBALL CLASS AA First Round:

Ellwood City Wolverines 5 – South Park Eagles 4 
After 2 innings of uneventful softball, the South Park Eagles rocked the scoreboard in the top of the 3rd.  Back-to-back doubles by Katie Isenberg and Cassie Scanlon off Ellwood City starter Skyla Greco got them on the board, 1-0.  After a strikeout, Justine Dean reached on an error to set up a 1st and 3rd situation.  Breanna Nugent’s double, the third of the inning, plated both Scanlon and Dean to give the Eagles a 3-0 lead.  Nugent would eventually score herself on Angela Shine’s base hit, and the #13-seeded Eagles had the #4 Ellwood City Wolverines on the ropes, 4-0.  The Wolverines responded, however, in the bottom of the inning as Lauren Stiles led off with a walk, and a wild pitch moved her to 2nd.  With one out, Mallory Swogger reached base on a throwing error by SP’s SS Nugent.  On the play, Stiles would score to cut the lead to 4-1.  Stiles would also get a rally started in the bottom of 5 as she doubled with 1 out.  Justine Dean subsequently hit Allie McKelvey to put runners at 1st and 2nd.  Then Mallory Swogger took Dean out of the yard over the left-center field wall to tie the game at 4 on that 3-run shot.  The score remained that way until the bottom of the 7th when Stiles singled and moved to third on an error by Scanlon when she tried to throw out McKelvey, putting the winning run 60 feet away.  Swogger was intentionally walked, and Summer Maine’s sacrifice fly plated Stiles with the winning run.  The Ellwood City Wolverines move on to the quarterfinal round with a 5-4 victory and will face the winner of the 2nd half of the doubleheader from West Allegheny High School.between the South Side (Beaver) Rams and the Steel Valley Ironmen.  Ellwood City’s record now sits at 13-3.  South Park’s season comes to a heartbreaking end at 8-6.

Steel Valley Ironmen 5 – South Side Beaver Rams 4 
Upset-minded Steel Valley fell behind early on but battled back to defeat the South Side Rams, one of the favored teams in the Class AA bracket.  The Rams broke a scoreless tie in the bottom half of the first inning as McKenna Smith singled home Cheyenne Siek and Toni Yacoviello drove home a pair of runs with a 1-out 2B giving them a 3-0 lead.  But Ironmen starter Maddie Cotter would settle down as she would only allow three more hits the rest of the way to get the victory.  Steel Valley would reduce the deficit to 3-1 in the 4th inning behind a 2-out RBI single by Alexis Vargo.  They would tie the score at 3-3 in the 5th when Krista Bayus hammered a 2-run HR to dead center field.  The Ironmen momentum continued in the 6th inning as they would plate the go-ahead and eventual winning runs.  Lisa Straub’s only hit of the game delivered Milan Harris from 2B to give the Ironmen a 4-3 lead.  Straub would come home to score after a dropped fly ball with two outs in the inning.  The Rams wouldn’t quit though as they rallied to make it close in their final AB. With one out, Seik doubled and came around to score with two outs as Hunter Hand doubled over the head of Veronica Sikora.  However, on the play, Hand would get caught trying to stretch a double into a triple as Sikora’s relay to 3B was a bang-bang play to end the game.  Steel Valley advances to play Ellwood City in the 2nd round of the Class AA playoffs.

Mohawk Warriors 15 – Bentworth Bearcats 5 
Mohawk proved Wednesday why it is a serious contender to the WPIAL Class AA crown. The Warriors scored at least one run in each of the five innings played, including a six-run fifth inning to enact the mercy rule as the No. 2 seed. Tristian Voss ran into a little bit of trouble in the fifth inning, allowing five runs, but struck out five, allowing five hits. Voss also got the job done with the bat, helping her own cause in the bottom of the first with a grand slam. She added a double and single to her evening, showing why she was named the ProGrass softball athlete for the month April.

Carmichaels Mighty Mikes 9 – Freeport Yellowjackets 2 
Carmichaels blew open a 2-2 tie halfway through Wednesday’s WPIAL Class AA first round matchup with Freeport at California University of Pennsylvania’s Lilley Field. Senior pitcher Erica Burns keyed the victory both from the circle and at the plate. With a runner on first and one out on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth, Burns teed off on the eventual game-winning hit, a two-run line drive homerun over the left-centerfield fence, to put the Mighty Mikes ahead 4-2. Carmichaels sealed the victory with a five-spot in the bottom of the sixth that included a two-run double by senior second baseman Caroline Cree. The seven unanswered runs were more than enough support for Burns, who tossed a complete game in which she allowed just one earned run on four hits and a walk, while striking out seven. Freeport scored the game’s first run in the top of the second, which produced the team’s only lead of the day. The Yellowjackets were hindered by five defensive errors. Designated player Becca Fennell drove in both of Freeport’s runs, while Cree collected a game-high two hits with two RBI and a run scored. Burns went one-for-two at the dish with two RBI and two runs scored. The Mikes will be back in action on Tuesday, May 19, with a quarterfinal game against Mohawk.

Seton-LaSalle Rebels 4 – Avonworth Antelopes 0
For the first couple of innings of Wednesday’s WPIAL Class AA first-round playoff game, it seemed as if Seton-La Salle’s perfect season would come to an abrupt end. The scrappy and No. 14 seed Avonworth Antelopes were holding their own against the Rebels, who outscored opponents 82-3 this season heading into the contest. However, all of those fears would come to a screeching halt with one swing of a bat, when Lexi Wagner belted a three-run homer to put the Rebels up comfortably in the bottom of the fifth inning. Tomasino Arrigo smacked a solo shot of her own in the sixth inning for insurance, but with ace Lauren Zola on the mound for Seton-La Salle, the Rebels only needed one run. The senior, heading to IUP next year, struck out an astounding 18 batters, striking out a least one batter in each inning, and retiring the side on her own in five innings. The Rebels now move on to face Neshannock next Tuesday.