By Chris Rossetti, D9Sports.com
Special to MaxPreps
CURWENSVILLE, Pa. – Ben McGary’s heads up move on the mound preserved a thrilling 9-8 win for Curwensville over visiting Ridgway last Thursday in District 9 baseball action.
Curwensville led by 9-8 with two outs in the top of the seventh and Ridgway, which had already scored two runs in the inning, had the tying run on third base. That runner, Jerico Weitzel, one of the top players in District 9, then tried to steal home with the hope that McGary, Curwensville’s pitcher, would balk. But McGary stepped off the mound and threw strike to his catcher, Cory Bloom, who tagged Weitzel out ending the game.
“That was a surprising ending,” Curwensville coach Ryan Briskar told the DuBois Courier-Express. “It took me off guard, especially with there being two outs. But we made the play.”
Ridgway coach Mark Morelli explained that his team was just trying to make something happen.
“Jerico is a smart ball player,” Morelli said. “We were trying to be aggressive. Things didn’t work out for us.”
If Ridgway had scored on the play it would have marked the third time in the game the Elkers had rallied from a three-run deficit. They trailed 3-0 at the end of two innings and 6-3 going to the sixth but tied the game both times, including on a three-run home run by Joe Renaud in the top of the sixth.
But Curwensville retook the lead in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single by McGary and a two-run single by Mark Dell’Antonio before Ridgway got two of the three back in the top of the seventh.
Brett McCracken led Curwensville’s offensive, going 3-for-3. Jesse Hoover, Jed Greslick, Sam Gardner and McGary each added two-base knocks. McGary got the win despite allowing eight runs, all from the fourth inning on.
Renaud led Ridgway with two hits and five RBI, while Miriglia had two hits and three RBIs, including a two-run home run. Weitzel also added two hits.
Also on Thursday in District 9, long-time KSAC whipping boy A-C Valley stunned Keystone, 5-4, thanks to a four-run bottom of the sixth that was highlighted by back-to-back home runs by Jesse Mangel and Nick McGuirk and a two-run single by Ryan Austin.
Keystone led 2-1 going to the sixth before the Falcons teed off against Keystone starter and loser Matt Bashline in the sixth.
Baseball: Ford City Pastes Moniteau
Carter Haponski and Brandon Carson each drove in three runs to help Ford City roll past Moniteau, 15-0, Thursday.
Haponski was 2-for-3, while Carson was 2-for-4. Tyler Smith, meanwhile, went 2-for-3 with a double and picked up the win on the mound, going four innings and striking out five while allowing just one hit.
It was just the second game the Sabers got in this season.
“We played good for not being outside very much,” Ford City coach Larry Cujas said.
WPIAL Baseball: Pitchers Come to the Forefront
There were some top-notch pitching performances during the week in the WPIAL.
In a game at Peters Township Tuesday, Peters Township and Baldwin combined for two hits, but PT made its one hit count, getting an RBI single from Jordan Jankowski in the third inning to drive in the lone run in a 1-0 win.
Nick Merich got the win tossing a one-hitter, while Jeff Greiner was the hard-luck loser despite allowing just the one hit.
Also Tuesday at Fox Chapel, Gateway sophomore Shane Henkel struck out 15 and threw a two-hitter to lift the Gators to a 9-0 win over the Foxes.
And at Plum Tuesday, the Mustangs got a combined two-hitter from Clint White and Dave Weifenbaugh to get a 4-1 win over section rival Penn Hills. White set down 10 of 11 Indian batters at one point, with the lone base runner coming on a passed ball following a strikeout.
Penn Hills got a strong pitching performance from sophomore lefty Mike Johnson, who after allowing four runs in the first two innings, retired 13 of the final 15 batters he faced.
Kittanning also got a pair of good pitching performances during the week as Brett Conaway threw a three-hitter while striking out five and walking one in a 4-3 win over Karns City Wednesday. Friday, Russell Bishop went six innings to get the win and Shawn Arble picked up the save for the Wildcats in a 3-2 win over Derry.
District 10 Baseball: Titusville’s Clark No-Hits Central Tech
On Wednesday, Titusville’s Sean Clark threw a six-inning no-hitter in a 12-2 win over Central Tech. Clark did walk four and gave up two unearned runs, both in the first inning before settling down, striking out 11 in the game. He also did damage with the bat, going 3-for-3 with a triple and two RBI. Derek Carr also had a home run for the Rockets.
Also on Wednesday, Corry’s Jeremy Cressley, who is headed to Mercyhurst next season, threw a two-hitter in an 11-0 win over visiting Oil City. Joel Oesch led Corry’s offense with a pair of hits and two runs scored.
In Erie Wednesday, Erie McDowell’s J.P. Frye dove in the winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning to lift the Trojans to a 5-4 win over Grove City at Gannon University. Grove City led 4-0 at the end of one-half inning but couldn’t hold the lead.
Also in Erie Wednesday, Mark Pompeani went five innings, allowing just one hit and striking out seven, to lead Erie Cathedral Prep to a 7-0 win over Commodore Perry. Bryan Colish had three RBI, including a home run for Erie CP.
WPIAL Softball: North Hills Rallies Past Shaler with Six in the Sixth
North Hills used a six-run sixth inning to erase a 2-1 deficit against section rival Shaler and get a 7-2 win Tuesday. Rachel VanAtta had a home run for the Indians. North Hills followed that win up by slipping past Seneca Valley, 4-3, Thursday to improve to 2-1 on the season, while Shaler rebounded from the loss to split its next two games beating Bethel Park, 4-0, Thursday and losing to Seneca Valley, 4-2, Saturday.
Also Tuesday, North Allegheny got a strong performance on the mound from Amber Steenbeke to beat Butler, 3-1. Steenbeke allowed just the one run while striking out six to lead the Tigers to victory. The Tigers, however, dropped to 2-5 after a 6-4 loss to Pine-Richland Thursday. Butler, meanwhile, rebounded to beat Fox Chapel, 9-5, Thursday.
District 10 Softball – Savitz Throws No-Hitter in Varsity Debut
Titusville’s Cassie Savitz had a varsity debut that she won’t soon forget, tossing a four-inning no-hitter to lead the Rockets to a season-opening 15-0 win over Central Tech Thursday. Only four walks kept Savitz from being perfect and she struck out eight of the 16 batters she faced.
Meanwhile, Savitz’s teammates made sure the pitching performance would be rewarded, pounding out 11 hits, including a triple and three RBIs from Alyssa Lesko. Savitz helped her own cause with a pair of hits as well.
In other District 10 action Thursday, Oil City rolled to an 11-3 win over District 9’s Venango Catholic, with Kaitlynn Wenner going 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and five RBIs for the Oilers. Abby Lutz added a double and a triple for Oil City.
Football: Bradford’s O’Brien to Play at Allegheny
Bradford running back Taylor O’Brien, who helped lead the Owls to back-to-back District 9 Class AAA titles, has committed to play football at NCAA Division III member Allegheny.
O’Brien, who rushed for over 2,000 yards and 32 touchdowns in his high school career, saw his senior season cut short by an injury that forced him to miss five games; he did return to the Owls PIAA playoff loss to Selinsgrove. He ran 77 times for 497 yards (6.5 per game) on the season, scoring 11 touchdowns.
In 2006, as a junior, he was the eighth leading rusher in District 9 carrying the ball 134 times for 1,094 yards (8.2 per carry) and 19 touchdowns. O’Brien was also recruited by Robert Morris, Clarion and Grove City.
Allegheny, a member of the North Coast Athletic Conference, went 5-5 last season, 3-4 in NCAC play.
Chris Rossetti covers Western Pennsylvania for MaxPreps.com.
