Out of gas
Mikes fall to Homer-Center in PIAA opener
HOMER CITY – Carmichaels was sitting at a crossroads with a 6-4 overall record and a 5-3 mark in Section 1-A midway through the 2025 baseball season.
“We couldn’t really afford to lose another game after that point,” Mikes head coach Dickie Krause said.
Carmichaels turned its season around and wouldn’t lose again until it fell to Serra Catholic in the WPIAL final.
The Mikes were hoping to extend their season with a run in the PIAA playoffs but instead fell to District 6 champion Homer-Center, 10-0 in five innings, at First Commonwealth Field on Monday.
“It’s a disappointing end to a fantastic season,” Krause said. “We just did not have anything left in the tank. We had no energy.”
Collin Dunn had three hits and three RBIs, catcher Brayden Rado also had three hits and threw out two base runners and Dom Shimko pitched a three-hit shutout as the Wildcats (20-5) advanced to the state quarterfinals.
It was the second loss in a row for Carmichaels following a nine-game winning streak.
“We went from Good Friday (April 18) to Wednesday and never lost,” Krause pointed out. “This was a rough one. We were ready. We had good practices. We were prepared. We knew a lot about them. But we never gave ourselves a chance. Three hits, so we end the year not scoring a run in our last 18 innings.
“I really think we hit an emotional wall.”
The Mikes won their final six regular-season games to finish tied with Jefferson-Morgan for second place in the section, then knocked off Union, third-seeded Leechburg and second-seeded Eden Christian in the playoffs before falling to GCC in the district final.
“We hung in with Serra until the fifth inning when the rain hit,” Krause said. “But I think given the relative inexperience that we had, the fact that most of these kids never even played before this year – we only had three who actually started baseball games for us – we expended so much to get to the final and that was such an accomplishment for these kids that I think instead of looking at this as a renewed season we just kind of passed on it a little bit.
“These kids have been wonderful, though, one of the best groups I’ve ever had. Up until today they were really locked in all year. We were battlers. We gave teams fits all year long.”
Homer-Center scored the only run it would need in the bottom of the first inning. Mikes starting pitcher Colin Andrews hit Rado with a pitch and Nathan Birchall followed with a bunt single while trying to sacrifice. One out later Dunn singled in Rado.
The Wildcats made it 2-0 in the second when they combined two infield hits and an error to score a run. Andrews picked Rado off first base to prevent what could’ve been an even bigger inning.
Meanwhile the Mikes had two runners thrown out trying to steal by Rado in the first two innings with the second one combining with a strikeout for a double play.
“We got out of the first two innings only allowing two runs,” Krause said. “It could’ve been four or five. But, offensively, the last two games we never got to a point where we could really execute our game.
“We haven’t been the best hitting team all year but we’ve been very good at running and bunting. The short game has really worked for us. But their catcher did a heck of a job because he threw out our first two guys who tried to steal.”
The Mikes mounted their only real threat in the third inning when Ryder Krieg walked, Robbie Wilson-Jones singled and both stole a base to put runners at second and third. Shimko escaped the jam unscathed with a pop out and two strikeouts.
Homer-Center extended its lead in the bottom of the inning.
Braden Dunn led off the inning with a double, Collin Dunn followed with a single and Andrews walked the next two batters, prompting Krause to call on Jase Zdravecky to take the mound. Nash Budner then hit a perfectly placed fly ball that fell in between diving shortstop Krieg and outfielders Cooper Richards and Payton Reynolds to allow another run to score although the Mikes recorded a force out at second base on the play. Drew Fisher’s sacrifice fly plated the third run of the frame to put the hosts up 5-0.
Collin Dunn’s two-run single highlighted a three-run fourth inning for the Wildcats, who pushed across two more runs in the bottom of the fifth to invoke the 10-run mercy rule with Noah Turk’s single bringing in the game-ending run.
Shimko walked three and struck out six.
The Mikes could only muster three singles by Wilson-Jones, Jordan Davis and Dillon Fisher. Andrews reached base in both of his plate appearances via walks.
Andrews allowed four earned runs on six hits with two walks, a hit batter and one strikeout in two-plus innings to take the loss. Zdravecky gave up four earned runs on five hits with three walks, a hit batter and one strikeout. Wilson-Jones relieved in the fifth with the bases loaded and no outs and got one out when he fielded a grounder and made a spinning throw for a force out at home, but Turk followed with his single.
“I put Robbie in not only because I wanted to give us a chance to play another inning but also to give him a chance to pitch one last time,” Krause said of his senior who went into the game with a team-leading .446 batting average.
Krause commended his team for the season it had.
“This was a group of kids where at the beginning of the year people were saying boy if you could finish .500 that would be a good season, if you could somehow scratch your way into the playoffs that would be a good season,” Krause said. “We had really really good coaches this year and the players did everything we asked of them. I think we may have lacked the talent that some of the teams had, especially the privates.
“So we worked so hard to get here. I just wish we could’ve had a little better ending.”