ECC Lone D9 Baseball Team To Get Out of PIAA First Round as Crusaders Get Walk-Off Win

DUBOIS, Pa. – Elk County Catholic used a walk-off double from Ryan Fritz to secure a 4-3 win over Vincentian Academy in the opening round of the PIAA Class 1A baseball playoffs Monday night at Showers Field in DuBois.

(Photo of Ryan Fritz, whose walk-off double gave ECC a 4-3 win over Vincentian Academy in the opening round of the PIAA playoffs Monday. Photo by Jared Bakaysa of JB Graphics. See more of Bakaysa’s work here)

The game was tied at three going to the seventh when pinch hitter Dan Wimer drew a one-out walk. Tommy Slay pinch ran for Wimer and scored all the way from first to win the game.

ECC grabbed a 3-0 in the second inning on a two-run single by Fritz and an error by the Royals.

Vincentian Academy tied the game with three runs in the fourth off starter Taylor Boland.

An error, a sac fly and a James Lutz single tied the score.

Fritz had two of ECC’s five hits going 2-for-3 with three RBIs.

Dan Morgano was 2-for-4 with a run scored for Vincentian Academy.

Brady Schneider got the win in relief going three scoreless innings not allowing a hit and walking two while striking out one.

Boland went four innings allowing three unearned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out five.

Sam Basso got the loss in relief going ⅓ of an inning allowing one run on one hit and one walk. Morgano pitching six innings allowing three runs, two earned, on four hits and three hits while striking out eight.

ECC will take on Bishop McCort in the quarterfinals Thursday, June 6, at a site and time to be announced.

WEST MIDDLESEX 9, OTTO-ELDRED 4

NEW CASTLE, Pa. – A five-run fourth inning helped West Middlesex erase a 3-0 deficit and gain a 9-4 win over Otto-Eldred in the opening round of the PIAA Class 1A playoffs at Neshannock High School.

The Terrors scored a run in the first on a Cameron Magee single and then added two more in the fourth on a Trent Windsor groundout and a two-out Jacob Bell single.

But the Big Red used four hits and a walk after on out in the bottom of the fourth to take control of the game and then added a run in the fifth and three more in the sixth.

Ricky Ladjevich led West Middlesex going 3-for-4 with a double, a run scored and two RBIs. Jake Bowen was 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and two RBIs, Kaz Hoffman went 1-for-4 with a triple, a run scored and two RBIs and Dom Stinedurf was 2-for-3 with a double, two runs scored.

Cole Sebastian went 2-for-4 for Otto-Eldred.

Logan Hurley got the win going four innings allowing three runs, two earned, on four hits and two walks while striking out five. Bowen picked up the save going three innings allowing a run on two hits and two walks while striking out six.

Chase Sebastian took the loss. He pitched 3 ⅔ innings allowing five earned runs on seven hits and three walks while striking out two. Cole Sebastian went 2 ⅓ innings allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits and two walks while striking out one.

SERRA CATHOLIC 6, MONITEAU 3

DUBOIS, Pa. (D9Sports) – Despite a pair of runs in the seventh and the tying run at the plate, District 9 champion Moniteau dug themselves a hole too deep early in the game and fell to the WPIAL runner-up Serra Catholic, 6-3 in the PIAA Class 2A First round at Showers Field in DuBois.

Moniteau trailed 6-1 entering the bottom of the seventh and got a couple of runs from Lee DeMatteis and Hunter Fitzingo off a Gage Neal triple to cut the deficit to 6-3.

Tyler McFadden was the tying run at-bat with Neal on third and Jared Lominski on first but hit a pop fly to center field to end the game.

Mark Black led the Eagles offense with a two-run home run in the fourth inning. Pat Brennan doubled with an RBI and a run scored. Nico Eremic singled and drove in a run while Eli Kite went 1-for-3 with a run scored. Zac Miklos was 1-for-1 with a run scored and Alex Glumac had a run scored with an RBI.

Glumac opened up the scoring for Serra Catholic in the first inning when Brennan doubled to right field. Eremic bunted to set up a fielder’s choice which brought Brennan home to give the Eagles an early 2-0 lead.

Serra Catholic extended their lead to 4-0 in the second inning following an Eli Kite run scored on an error by Lominski, the Moniteau catcher, and a Glumac ground out that scored Jayden Metz.

Black’s line drive home run to center field drove in Zac Miklos and gave the Eagles a commanding 6-0 lead in the fourth inning.

Moniteau answered in the bottom of the fourth when Lominski scored on a Nate Tack ground out to cut the deficit to 6-1.

Neal’s triple and two RBIs paced the Warriors offense, McFadden and Mason Mershimer each singled while DeMatties went 1-for-2 with a run scored. Fitzingo was 1-for-4 with a run scored and Nate Tack drove in a run.

Logan Exler got the win in relief of Glumac with Brennan picking up the save.

Glumac worked 3 ⅓ innings allowing a run on a hit and four walks while striking out four. Exler then went 3 ⅓ innings allowing two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out five before Brennen got the final out.

For Moniteau, Fitzingo took the loss giving up six runs, five earned on five hits. He also struck out four batters and walked three.

CONEMAUGH TOWNSHIP 5, COUDERSPORT 3

SOMERSET, Pa. – Jackson Byer’s two-run single in the bottom of the sixth inning broke a three-all tie and give Conemaugh Township a 5-3 win over Coudersport in the opening round of the PIAA Class 2A playoffs at Somerset High School.

The Indians entered the bottom of the sixth down a run, 3-2, after Coudersport took the lead in the top of the inning on an error.

But Conemaugh Township tied the contest on an Ethan Leasure double before Byer gave the Indians the lead.

Owen Chambers had a double and two RBIs to lead Coudersport’s offense.

Byer was 2-for-4 with two RBIs for Conemaugh Township with Devin Foster and Shaun Berzonski also recording a pair of hits.

Foster got the win going six innings allowing three unearned runs on three hits and a walk while striking out eight. Jordan Poznanski got the save going an inning striking out one.

Blake Burgett took the loss going 5 ⅓ innings allowing five runs, three earned, on eight hits, a walk and a hit batter while striking out four. Kolby VanWhy gave up a hit while striking out one in ⅔ of an inning.

BEAVER 13, PUNXSUTAWNEY 3, 5 INNINGS

BUTLER, Pa. – Punxsutawney struck for three runs in the top of the first, but that was the highlight of the day for the Chucks as they suffered a 13-3, five-inning loss to WPIAL champion Beaver in the opening round of the PIAA Class 4A playoffs at Michelle Krill Memorial Field at Pullman Park in Butler.

Dylan Ishman and Ashton Stonbraker had RBI singles in the three-run first for the Chucks with Ishman scoring on an error on the Stonbraker base hit.

But Beaver scored four times in the bottom of the inning with the help of three walks and a hit batter to take the lead, 4-3. The Bobcats then added a run in the second before scoring five in the fourth and three in the fifth to end the game.

Daren Byers was 2-for-3 to lead Punxsutawney.

Dom Petrella went 2-for-2 with a pair of RBIs for Beaver with Mike Champ and Alec Berg also driving in two runs apiece and Zach Hansen driving home three runs. Hansen and Berg each had doubles.

Berg got the win going four innings allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits and two walks while striking out four.

Alec Greenblatt took the loss going three innings allowing five runs, four earned, on three hits, four walks and a hit batter while striking out four. Ike Knarr pitched 1 ⅓ innings giving up eight runs, all earned, on four hits, a walk and five hit batters. He struck out two.