JACKSON TWP — Seneca Valley wasn't doing much hitting Wednesday, but they didn't have to.

Shaler pitcher Matt Davis had trouble with his control and the Raiders were more than happy to take whatever advantage they could.

Davis allowed only two hits in 4 Qe innings, but he walked eight batters and hit three more as the Raiders built a six-run lead and held on for a 6-4 high school baseball victory.

"It's tough to face a pitcher who doesn't get the ball around the plate," said Seneca Valley coach Eric Semega. "When he does, it surprises you."

"Matt Davis has good stuff, but he hasn't been throwing strikes," said Titans coach Bob Hines.

Davis allowed two hits, four walks and a hit batsmen in the first two innings, but the Raiders could muster only two runs and stranded five runners.

However, a crucial two-out error in the third helped the Raiders double their lead.

After Davis opened the frame with consecutive walks to Derek Andrekovich and Brett Spagnola, Cory Mazzoni's sacrifice bunt resulted in a fielder's choice at third base.

The Raiders' Ken Walrond grounded out to first to put runners at second and third before Jim Burry's hard grounder to Titans first baseman John Grubic rolled through his legs and allowed both runners to score.

In the fifth inning, Seneca Valley's Phil Double walked with the bases loaded and Zach Duggan followed with his second run-scoring sacrifice fly of the game for a 6-0 lead.

The Raiders, though, left the bases loaded again and finished the game with 12 stranded runners.

That almost came back to haunt Seneca Valley as the Titans sent the potential game-tying run to the plate in the sixth inning and the go-ahead run in the seventh.

After allowing two hits through five innings, Seneca Valley pitcher Kyle Helisek surrendered singles to Sam Arnold and Troy Handza to start the sixth inning. A fielder's choice and a sacrifice fly drove home Arnold.

With a runner at first and two outs, the Raiders looked to have dodged a bullet, but Helisek gave up a single to Joe Lombardo and walked Grubic to load the bases.

Pinch-hitter Brian Bartolowits had an RBI single to make it 6-2 before Garrett Henzler grounded out to Spagnola at third base.

In the seventh, The Titans Ryan Fazio led off with a single before Arnold struck out. Semega pulled Helisek and brought in Gabe Grinder, who hit Handza and surrendered an infield single to load the bases.

"That's a good hitting team and Kyle Helisek did a heck of a job," said Semega. "We set a limit for pitches for Kyle and I asked him after the sixth inning how he felt.

"I knew he was tired after the fifth inning, Even after the strikeout (of Arnold in the seventh), he was coming out," he added.

An RBI single by Nieman made it 6-3 before Double, the Raiders' right fielder, made a clutch catch on a line drive by Lombardo that sent the Titans' fourth run home.

Grinder then got Grubic to ground back to the mound to end the game.

Despite the final score, Semega wasn't alarmed when the Titans battled back.

"This team will not choke. They are baseball players. They want to win. They want to succeed and they care. They care about baseball."

Shaler 000 002 2—4 9 1Seneca Valley 112 020 x—6 4 1WP: Kyle Helisek (6 1/3 IP) 4 strikeouts, 2 walks.

LP: Matt Davis (4 1/3 IP) 0 strikeouts, 8 walks

Shaler (4-6, 2-3): Tom Neiman 1B, SF, 2 RBI; Joe Lombardo 1B, SF RBI; Brian Bartolowits RBI 1B

Seneca Valley (7-2, 4-0): Zach Duggan 2 SF, 2 RBI; Kevan Smith RBI 2B, Brett Spagnola 1B, Cory Mazzoni 1B, Jim Burry 1B, Phil Double RBI

Wednesday: Seneca Valley at Fox Chapel