North bats produce 17 hits in win over Knoch
North Catholic’s bats picked a good time for an outburst.
The Trojans collected 17 hits in a 10-4 baseball victory over Knoch Monday at Pullman Park. Both teams entered the game with a chance to clinch at least a share of the Section 1-4A championship. With the win, North can win the crown outright with a victory when the two teams face each other again here Tuesday night.
“Our offense has struggled for much of the season,” said North coach Patrick McKay, “but we had a strong game against Avonworth (a 9-8 win Friday) and now the train’s rolling.”
The Trojans (9-5, 7-2) took control of the game with a five-run top of the second inning. Against Knoch starter Cody Stull, Blake Primrose and Justin Stupka both singled to begin the frame. Jeff Kreidler attempted to move them over with a bunt, but ended up reaching on a fielding error to load the bases.
The Knights (8-4, 6-3) took a big step toward escaping the inning with no harm done when Joe Safar flied out and courtesy runner Ben Sutton was thrown out at the plate.
But following another fielding error, Augie Maslo singled in the game’s first tally, Sean Dewey drew a bases loaded walk to push home another run and Tommy Koroly cleared the bases with a double to the left-center field gap.
“Our errors didn’t help,” said Knoch coach Bill Stoops. “We had three of them in the game and they were very costly.”
The five-run lead seemed even more commanding with Stupka on the mound.
“He’s one of the best pitchers in the WPIAL,” Koroly said. “Once we got him those runs, we felt very comfortable about our chances.”
Stupka, a left-hander, kept the Knights off the scoreboard on just two hits over the first four innings. Knoch finally got to him in the fifth when Anthony Grafton, Dathan Gillis and Angelo DeLeonardis each singled to scored the team’s first run.
With one out and runners at second and third, Knoch catcher Eli Sutton, who is batting over .600 this season, was intentionally walked. Stupka then issued a free pass to Isaac Roddy to cut North’s lead to 7-2.
Braden Wozniak then hit into a 6-3 double play to end the threat.
“I made eye contact with him (Stupka) and I knew he was ok to keep going,” McKay said. “His four-seam fastball was working today and he was keeping it down in the zone. He just doesn’t miss up in the zone.
Stupka struck out five, walked two and allowed the pair of runs on five hits in earning the win.
North plated three more runs combined in the fifth and sixth innings. Tommy Schafale drove in the Trojans’ final run with a single, chasing reliever Luke Priester from the game in favor of Jackson Pacek.
Knoch scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh, both charged to Maslo. Wozniak’s two-run single kept the Knights’ faint hopes alive, but they would score no more.
Stoops knows his team must hit earlier in Tuesday’s game if it is to claim a share of the section title.
“Hitting is our strength,” he said, “but today, we stood there and took too many pitches.”
Koroly, who joined Primrose and Stupka in tallying three hits in the game, worked a scoreless sixth frame for the Trojans.
North Catholic 052 012 0 — 10 17 0
Knoch 000 020 2 — 4 7 3
W: Justin Stupka 5 IP (5K, 2BB). L: Cody Stull 3 IP (1K, 1BB)
North Catholic: Augie Maslo 2-1B R 2RBI, Tommy Koroly 1B 2-2B 3RBI, Drew Doherty 2-1B R, Blake Primrose 3-1B, Justin Stupka 3-1B, Jeff Kreidler 2-1B 3R RBI, Tommy Schafale 2-1B R RBI
Knoch: Angelo DeLeonardis 2-1B R RBI, Eli Sutton 2-1B R, Braden Wozniak 1B 2RBI
Tuesday: Knoch vs. North Catholic, Pullman Park, 7:30 p.m.
