SOMERSET, Pa. – In late fall, Jake Jewart tore his ACL and his baseball season was in jeopardy.
(Submitted Photo)
Tuesday afternoon at Somerset High School, Jewart, who came back from the injury in near record time to play the full baseball season after missing basketball season, was the hero for Moniteau in a 2-1 win over Chestnut Ridge in the District 5-9 Class 3A Championship Game.
Jewart’s two-out single to left scored Hunter Fitzingo from second to break a 1-all tie. Fitzingo had started the rally when he greeted reliever Mason McVicker with a double to left.
McVicker was forced into action when starter Phillip Dull, who entered the game with a 5-0 record and a 0.47 ERA, reached the 100-pitch mark (105 to be exact) in a seven-pitch at-bat by Chance Nagy.
Nagy’s plate appearance ended in a pop out to shortstop, but the junior was able to force Dull to throw enough pitches to reach the high-school mandated 100 limit (a pitcher can throw more than 100 while pitching to the batter he reached the 100-pitch mark against). If Nagy had made an out on the first pitch, Dull would have been able to face Fitzingo, and the outcome might have been different.
Moniteau had a chance against Dull, who allowed one unearned run on four hits and a walk while striking out 11, and the Lions because of the pitching of Fitzingo and Nagy.
Fitzingo started and got a no-decision going 5 ⅔ innings allowing an unearned run on three hits, two walks and a hit batter while striking out six. Nagy kept the game tied at one by working 1 ⅓ innings hitless. He struck out one.
The first batter Nagy faced with two outs in the bottom of the sixth nearly gave Chestnut Ridge the lead.
With two outs in the sixth, Justin McCoy singled on a ball back to Fitzingo on Fitzingo’s 100th pitch.
Nagy relieved, and Jacob Mowery hit a ball that went for an error, and McCoy tried scoring on the play all the way from first only to be gunned down at the plate to end the inning.
Moniteau took a 1-0 lead in the third when Jewart doubled with two outs and scored when Nick Sosigian’s grounder to short turned into a two-base error.
Chestnut Ridge got that run back in the fourth. Ty Diehl led off with a single was erased at second on a Noah Dillow fielder’s choice. Dillow was sacrificed to second and scored when McCoy reached on an error.
The Lions had a chance in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead after two outs when Fitzingo hit Derek Weaver and Weaver stole second and went to third on a throwing error by Wyatt Geibel the catcher. But, after a walk to Dull, Diehl struck out looking to end the threat.
Moniteau put runners on first and second with two outs against Dull in the sixth when Jared Lominski singled and went to second on a wild pitch before Nathan Sosigian walked. But Gage Neal struck out swinging to end the threat.
Moniteau moves into the PIAA playoffs where it will play the District 6 runner-up, Bald Eagle Area, who made a surprise run from the seventh seed in the D6 bracket until being beaten by Huntingdon in the title game. That game will be Monday, June 4, at a time and place to be determined.
MONITEAU 2, CHESTNUT RIDGE 1
Score by Innings
Moniteau 001 000 1 – 2
Chestnut Ridge 000 100 0 – 1
MONITEAU – 2
Hunter Fitzingo 4120, Jake Jewart 4121, Nick Sosigian 4010, Wyatt Geibel 3000, Jared Lominski 3010, Nathan Sosigian 2000, Gage Neal 3000, Lee DeMatteis 0000, Brice Williams 3000, Chance Nagy 3000, Tyler McFadden 0000. Totals. 29-2-6-1.
CHESTNUT RIDGE – 1
Brodie Harbaugh 3000, Derek Weaver 2000, Phillip Dull 2000, Ty Diehl 3010, Noah Dillow 3100, Mason McVicker 2000, Justin McCoy 3020, Jacob Mowry 3000, Jared Weaver 3000, Rhett Weaver 0000. Totals 24-1-3-0.
LOB: Moniteau 7. Chestnut Ridge 7. Errors: Moniteau 4. Chestnut Ridge 2. 2B: Jewart, Fitzingo. SB: Nick Sosigian. Derek Weaver. SAC: Derek Weaver. McVicker. HBP: Derek Weaver by Fitzingo.
PITCHING
Moniteau
Hunter Fitzingo 5.2 IP, 3H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 HP
Chance Nagy 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 0 HP
Totals: 7 IP, 3H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 1 HP
Chestnut Ridge
Phillip Dull 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 K
Mason McVicker 0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Totals: 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 12 K
Winning pitcher: Nagy
Losing pitcher: McVicker
