Seneca Valley’s Tkatch, Erdos sparkle in 11-1 win
JACKSON TWP — Seneca Valley’s Zach Tkatch wanted the ball for all seven innings.
Fellow senior Creed Erdos did his part in making sure his teammate had to settle for five.
Tkatch went the distance in an 11-1 WPIAL Section 1-6A home triumph against Allderdice (1-2, 0-1) on Wednesday. He struck out nine and allowed just one earned run in a winning effort for the Raiders (2-1, 1-0).
“He hit all his spots today,” Seneca Valley coach Eric Semega said of his returning ace. “He wants it. Today, it wasn’t about pitches. He goes, ‘I’m going all seven.’ That’s what you want as a No. 1. He wants the ball and he wants to stay in.”
Erdos, the team’s third-year starting backstop, went 4-for-4 at the plate with three extra-base knocks. The first was a one-out solo drive over the tall left field fence, which leveled the scoreboard at one in the bottom of the initial inning.
Of all places, it landed on top of Semega’s car, shattering its sun roof.
“He was just like, ‘You’re paying for that,’” Erdos said with a laugh, not yet knowing the extent of the damage.
It was Erdos’ first-ever home run at the Raiders’ field.
“Going up there first AB, I was really looking for something belt-high, middle,” Erdos explained. “First pitch, I was looking to jump on something early and I was able to get that belt-high fastball. ... I didn’t miss it.”
Erdos had four RBIs on the day. His double in the second frame pushed across Luke Anderton and his single in the third plated Aedan Fowler. Chasing the cycle in fifth, he looped a double down the right line, scoring Fowler again.
Fowler had a triple and a double in the win, while Nick Parrotto had three RBI singles.
Kallen Durbin (Erdo’s courtesy runner), Ryan Piekutoski, and Mike Delduca also came around in the fifth inning. Owen Malak worked out of an 0-2 hole to walk Delduca in to end matters.
The success starts with the pitcher-catcher battery, though.
“They’re the staple of our team,” Semega said. “You have a leader in Creed taking care of everything and Zach, what he does on the mound always gives us a chance. ... We’re fortunate to have both of them this year.”
The Dragons dented the board first in the contest, as consecutive one-out hits by Landon Blank and Zach Shook set the table for Nadav Gil’s sacrifice fly. That bloop stayed up long enough for Fowler to slide under for a strong defensive play in right field. In left field shortly after, Aiden Leiendecker made a sliding grab of his own, stranding Shook at third.
“We did what we needed to do today,” Semega said. “Obviously, if we don’t make those two great plays in the first inning, that could’ve been something that put us in a hole a little bit.”
Tkatch sat down 12 of the final 13 batters he faced. He finished the matchup having fired 61 pitches.
“We didn’t put the ball in play,” Allderdice coach Brad Hoffer said. “We made it too easy on the pitcher. They hit the ball hard. Some fortunate shots for them in the gaps and over our heads. We just didn’t respond offensively.”
The Dragons fell behind in the count frequently. Only once did Tkatch need more than 13 pitches to get out of an inning.
“I knew once the bases reset, the second, third inning, I got back into it,” Tkatch said. “I just needed a clean slate to get started again.”
With a pinpoint fastball and working slider, he fanned his final six challengers. The year of know-how under his belt aided his composure.
“It’s good experience because I’m not nervous going into games anymore,” Tkatch said. “I’ve already pitched against these teams, so I know how it’s going to work pretty much and I know how to ready myself for the games.”
While in the heat of competition, he has a trusted catcher in front of him.
“We’ve been best friends for a while,” Erdos said of his link with Tkatch. “Just the connection we have off the field, as well, really helps. Just knowing each other, knowing what works, what doesn’t work in certain situations.”
Allderdice 100 00 — 1 3 1
Seneca Valley 221 24 — 11 10 0
W: Zach Tkatch 5IP (9K, 0BB). L: Steak 2IP (0K, 6BB).
Allderdice (1-2, 0-1): Landon Blank 1B R, Zach Shook 2B 1B, Nadav Gil RBI
Seneca Valley (2-1, 1-0): Creed Erdos HR 2-2B 1B 4RBI, Tyler McNanny R, Kallen Durbin R, Ryan Piekutoski 2R, Mike Delduca 1B R, Owen Yarussi 2B RBI R, Nick Parrotto 3-1B 3RBI R, Aedan Fowler 3B 2B 2-R
Thursday: Allderdice at Seneca Valley
