Tigers Thwart 3-peat
WASHINGTON, Pa. — Two impressive runs came to an end for the Seneca Valley baseball team Wednesday.
The Raiders fell to North Allegheny 4-2 in the WPIAL Class AAAA title game at Consol Energy Park, pulling the plug on SV's quest for a third consecutive district crown. It also marked the first time in seven games against the rival Tigers that the Raiders left the field on the short end of the final score.
NA junior pitcher Mitch Machi held a potent Raider lineup in check, allowing two runs on just four hits in 6 1-3 innings of work.
“We didn't strike out against him (Machi) all night,” said SV coach Eric Semega. “We put the ball in play, but give credit to NA because they made the plays.
“As glorifying as it is to win this game, it hurts that much to lose it,” he said.
It is the seventh WPIAL title in the history of NA's baseball program and first since 2009. Earlier this season, the Tigers dropped a pair of 3-2 regular-season decisions to the Raiders.
“If we play them 10 times, they probably beat us more times than not,” said Tigers coach Andy Maddix. “It's a great rivalry and I think there's a lot of respect on both sides.”
SV cut its deficit to 4-2 in the top of the sixth frame when Jonathan Dorogy walked, moved to second and third on wild pitches and scored on Brad Gresock's groundout. But Machi kept the Raiders at bay by getting Sam Fragale to foul out and Carson Kessler to ground out to end the inning.
In the top of the seventh, the right-hander surrendered back-to-back one-out singles to Jason Martin and Zach Spangler. That sequence prompted Maddix to bring in Jason Monper to close the game, which he did by striking out Connor Coward and Alex Hajduk. With two strikes, both batters tried to check their swing, but were rung up by the home-plate umpire.
The final two outs secured the victory for Machi, who limited SV's scoring chances all night long.
“On the biggest stage and against a team like Seneca Valley, I thought he was fantastic tonight,” Maddix said.
SV drew first blood in the top of the second. Designated hitter Carson Kessler led off with a double down the right-field line and moved to third base on a sacrifice bunt from Gianpaul Gonzalez. Two batters later, Spangler's sacrifice fly put the Raiders up 1-0, but the lead was short-lived.
In the bottom of the inning, the Tigers did their damage against Coward with two outs. Sean Fitzgerald and Zach Woloszyk had back-to-back singles and Machi reached after a strikeout on a wild pitch to load the bases. A walk to Brandon Bergstrom tied the game, after which Coward was called for a balk, allowing Woloszyk to trot home with NA's second run.“The umpire said that Connor shrugged his shoulders,” said Semega. “If that's what he saw, then that's what he saw.”“We were fortunate in that second inning,” admitted Maddix. “(Coward) is a tough pitcher and if that inning is played over a second time, he probably doesn't make those mistakes.”The Raiders' chances took a hit when Machi induced two clutch double-play balls in the fourth and fifth innings. In the first of those, Sam Fragale led off the fourth frame with an infield single before Kessler grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.In the next inning, Hajduk's groundball was turned into a 4-6-3 twin killing, ending the frame.NA (20-4) added to its lead in the fifth. Bergstrom's leadoff double was followed by two sacrifice bunts from James Meeker and Matt Waugaman, but the Raiders were unable to turn either into an out. With runners at first and second, Gresock bolted from his catcher position to field Waugaman's bunt, but his throw to first sailed high and Bergstrom scored for a 3-1 lead. A third straight bunt, this one from Jimmy Divosevic, resulted in the inning's first out, but also plated Meeker.“You don't plan on throwing the ball around when you get to a game like this, but if you play long enough, that kind of stuff is bound to happen,” said Semega of the errant throw.“After that second loss to Seneca (April 25), we knew we had to play that way against them,” Maddix said of the string of bunts. “Our players are an unselfish group.”Coward, who allowed the four runs on five hits, was relieved at the start of the sixth inning by Spangler, who pitched one scoreless frame.Seneca Valley (18-4) will face District 9 champion DuBois in the first round of the state playoffs Monday at a time and site to be determined.Seneca Valley 010 001 0 — 2 4 1North Allegheny 020 020 x — 4 6 0W: Mitch Machi 6.1 IP (0K, 3BB). L: Connor Coward 5 IP (7K, 3BB).Seneca Valley (18-4): Jonathan Dorogy R, Brad Gresock RBI, Sam Fragale 1B, Carson Kessler 2B R, Jason Martin 1B, Zach Spangler 1B RBINorth Allegheny (20-4): Brandon Bergstrom 1B 2B R RBI, James Meeker 1B R, Jimmy Divosevic RBI, Justin Dattilo 1B, Sean Fitzgerald 1B R, Zach Woloszyk 1B R
