Commodores earn key section victory
Frazier scored three runs in the first, third and fourth innings, and Brant Alekson didn’t allow an earned run in the Commodores’ 6-1 victory over Beth-Center on Monday in Section 1-2A play in Perryopolis.
Frazier improved to 4-7 in section play and 8-8 overall. The Bulldogs fell to 3-8 in the section and 7-10 overall. Beth-Center has been eliminated from the WPIAL playoff race.
The Commodores are a half-game behind Chartiers-Houston (4-6) in the section standings for the fourth and final playoff berth. The Buccaneers have two remaining section contests with California (5-5). Frazier plays its second game with the Bulldogs in the section finale. The Commodores split their season series with Chartiers-Houston. A tie that can’t be broken would put both teams in the district playoffs.
Alekson allowed one run over 6 â…” innings. He surrendered four hits, struck out six and walked three in earning the win.
Dalian McManus recorded the last out to close the game out.
McManus and Alekson had two hits apiece. Teammate Chase Fulmer hit a two-run home run in the third inning. He doubled and knocked in three runs. Noah Bachinski singled and scored on Fulmer’s dinger.
Enzo Brown and Jackson Nopwaskey doubled for Beth-Center. Nopwaskey had two hits.
Carmichaels 2, West Greene 0 — The Mikes’ Colin Andrews threw a six-hit shutout in a Section 1-A win over the Pioneers at Carmichaels Area High School.
Carmichaels improved to 8-3 in section play and 11-4 overall. Its final section contest is against West Greene (2-9, 3-12). The Mikes could finish in a tie for second place in the section with Jefferson-Morgan (7-3). The Rockets’ final two games in section play are against Jeannette (5-5).
Carmichaels and Jefferson-Morgan have both qualified for the WPIAL Class A playoffs.
Andrews had seven strikeouts and walked one in earning the pitching victory.
The Mikes scored the only run Andrews would need in the third when Dayton Reynolds reached on a bunt single and scored on Robbie Wilson-Jones’ double to center field.
Carmichaels added an insurance run in the sixth when Dillon Fisher doubled and Brody Pratt scored on Brayden Andrews’ single to shortstop. Pratt had advanced to third base on a passed ball prior to touching home plate.
Fisher also tripled for two hits. Andrews had two singles.
Xavier Lucey and Will Shipman had back-to-back singles to lead off the top of the seventh inning, but Colin Andrews recorded two strikeouts and induced a groundout to Wilson-Jones at shortstop to finish the game.
Lucey and Shipman had two hits apiece.
Connellsville 5, Gateway 1 — The Falcons clinched a tie for third place in Section 4-5A following a victory at the Gators.
Connellsville finished section play at 6-4 to tie Montour, however, the Falcons swept the Spartans in the season series, which should provide Connellsville with a better seed with the WPIAL releases the playoff brackets on Friday.
Mason Miller earned the win on the mound after throwing three innings of one-hit ball. He had three strikeouts and didn’t walk a batter. Ethan Porreca started for the Falcons and yielded one unearned run on one hit. He had eight strikeouts and walked six while throwing 90 pitches.
Gateway (2-8, 6-13) had a 1-0 lead after three innings, but Connellsville scored three runs in the sixth for a two-run advantage.
Matthew Firestone was hit-by-pitch and advanced to third on Noah Zawislan’s double to left field. Firestone and Zawisland scored on Keegan Lott’s double to left field for a 2-1 advantage.
Lott scored on Jayden Mickens’ base hit to center field for a 3-1 lead.
The Falcons added two insurance runs in the seventh, which began with Grayden Gillott drawing a walk and advancing to third on Chase Sankovich’s single. Gillott scored when Firestone grounded out to shortstop and Sankovich raced home on Zawislan’s base hit to center field for a four-run advantage.
Belle Vernon 6, West Mifflin 2 — Parker Lind struck out 13 and the Leopards benefited from a five-run fifth inning for a Section 2-4A win over the Titans.
Belle Vernon, Elizabeth Forward and West Mifflin all sit in a first-place tie for the section championship. The Leopards and Titans will knock the other down to second or third place when they meet in the section finale, while the Warriors close with Uniontown.
Elizabeth Forward won both games against Belle Vernon.
Lind yielded two earned runs on third hits over seven innings. In addition to his 13 strikeouts, Lind didn’t walk a batter.
West Mifflin committed four errors in the game, including three in the third inning. Both of the Leopards’ hits came in the fifth inning. Lucas Judy had a hit and drove in two runs.
Ringgold 4, Laurel Highlands 0 — The playoff-bound Rams blanked the Mustangs in Section 2-4A play.
Anthony Koziel, winning pitcher Jimmy Nash and Ashton Mincin limited Laurel Highlands to four hits.
Ringgold (6-5, 8-9) scored a run in the first, second, third and sixth innings. Alex Kolando and Demetri Lowe doubled for the Rams.
Cage Senchur had two hits for the Mustangs (2-9, 3-12).
Jack Johns took the pitching loss, but had a solid start in allowing four runs, two earned, on five hits over six innings. He had five strikeouts and walked one.
Elizabeth Forward 12, Uniontown 0 — Cy Herchelroath threw a five-inning no-hitter in the Warriors’ Section 2-4A victory over the Red Raiders.
Herchelroath struck out 13 and walked two. He issued his two free passes to Luke Gresh.
Herchelroath hit a two-run home run and knocked in three. Teammates AJ Grese and Charlie Nigut had one double apiece. Grease and Campron Bendel each had two hits.
Jacob Williams had two hits and two RBIs.
Softball
Southmoreland 4, Trinity 3 — The Lady Scotties proved they are ready for the postseason in defeating another playoff squad in a non-section victory over the Lady Hillers.
Southmoreland (9-6) plays in Class 3A, but didn’t show any fear in topping a Class 5A team.
Trinity (10-9) opened the scoring in the bottom of the third inning when Hanna Suhoski hit her first of two doubles and scored on Gabby Humphreys’ single to center field for a 1-0 lead.
The Lady Scotties evened the score in the top of the fourth when Maddie Browns singled and scored on an error after Zoey Murphy doubled. Murphy would earn the win in the pitching circle.
Southmoreland added three more runs in the fifth for a 4-1 advantage.
Abigail Grabiak singled to center field to lead off the frame, and advanced to second and third on two passed balls.
Nita Hribal walked, and with one out, stole second before Grabiak scored when Makayla Etling reached on a fielder’s choice for a 2-1 lead. Hribal moved to third on the play.
Etling stole second, and she and Hribal scored on Riley Puckey’s line drive to center field for a 4-1 advantage.
Humphreys hit a solo home run in the fifth, Anna Krenzelak hit a run-scoring single in the sixth and Suhoski walked to lead off the seventh, but Murphy buckled down to record the last three outs.
Connellsville 4, Uniontown 3 — The Lady Falcons rallied from a three-run deficit to edge the Lady Red Raiders in non-section play.
Both teams have qualified for the WPIAL playoffs in their respective classifications with Uniontown (10-7) earning a berth in Class 4A and Connellsville (12-6) in Class 5A.
The Lady Falcons scored the winning run in the bottom of the sixth when Kalyn Cole reached on an error and Kaylee Roadman hit an infield single before Kendal King sacrifice bunt moved both up to second and third base.
Cole scored on Maggie Onrdorff’s groundout to shortstop for a 4-3 lead.
King pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to close the game out. The Connellsville starter yielded three runs (one earned) on six hits over seven innings. She struck out five and didn’t issue a walk in earning the win in the circle. The Lady Falcons’ Cali Leichliter had a hit and two RBIs.
Connellsville’s Addison Lloyd doubled.
The Lady Red Raiders’ Alivia and Emmaleigh Noah each had a hit and RBI. Emmaleigh Noah took the loss in the circle, but allowed four runs (three earned) on eight hits over six innings. She had three strikeouts and no walks.
Uniontown’s Alexa Budner had two hits.
Frazier 10, Belle Vernon 2 — The Lady Commodores used two three-run innings and scored four in the sixth for a non-section win over the Lady Leopards.
Both teams have qualified for the WPIAL playoffs, as Frazier (13-2) is in Class 2A and Belle Vernon (9-10) in Class 4A.
The Lady Commodores’ Gracen Hartman, Addison Hiles, Emmy Travalear and Grace Vaughn combined for 10 of their team’s 14 hits. Gracen Hartman and Vaughn tripled. Travalear doubled twice and Grace Polkabla had a two-bagger.
The Lady Leopards’ Taylor Beech and Paisley Hibner doubled, and teammate Kaylee Sypolt hit a home run.
Hiles had six strikeouts and walked one in earning the pitching win. She allowed two earned runs on seven hits over seven frames.
Northern Garrett, Md. 10, Albert Gallatin 0 — The Lady Huskies downed the Lady Colonials in non-section play.
Albert Gallatin’s Luca Augustine, Hannah Dunham, Jenna Myers and Ellie Seese had one hit apiece.
Bailey Champin struck out six and walked one in a five-inning shutout. Teammate Demi Ross was 2 for 3 with a double, singled and two runs scored. Alex Fike was 2 for 3 with a double, singled and one run scored.