Clarion stops Centurions in semifinals

Mistakes finally caught up with Greensburg Central Catholic and cost the team a berth in the PIAA Class A championship.

A critical error in the bottom of the seventh allowed the only run of the game to score as District 9 champion Clarion ousted the WPIAL runner-up Centurions, 1-0, in the PIAA semifinals at North Allegheny.

“Anytime you lose in the bottom of anything it looks bad,” Greensburg Central Catholic coach Dennie Reist said. “But they’re still young. They’ll rebound. It’s not the end of the world.”

With runners at second and third and two outs, Greensburg Central Catholic reliever Antonio Cavello induced Reed Anthony to hit a bouncer to the left side. Third baseman Nicholas Ruggeri cut to his left to field it but the ball deflected off his glove toward second base, which allowed Kyle Patterson to score the winning run.

Greensburg Central Catholic was on the field with its full lineup as senior Jack Liberatore finally took his place at shortstop. The Ohio University recruit had missed significant time since an April ankle injury and had only come back as the designated hitter at the start of the PIAA playoffs.

But Greensburg Central Catholic ran into a buzz saw as Anthony, a Clarion lefthander, kept them off balance throughout. South Park celebrates after beating Blackhawk in a PIAA Class 4A semifinal game Monday at North Allegheny.

Anthony struck out seven, gave up only three hits and allowed only one Greensburg Central Catholic baserunner to reach second base.

“He’s just able to feed both sides of the plate, outsideinside and didn’t have his off-speed as much as I would have liked, but he really didn’t need it,” Clarion coach Rob Jewett said. “He had his fastball and his curveball and just enough of an off-speed when he needed it and he trusted his defense.”

He didn’t need that defense more than in the one inning when Greensburg Central Catholic challenged.

With two outs in the top of the fifth, Neal McDermott singled and Justin Hoover walked.

Libertatore then drilled a sinking liner to right-center field that appeared headed for a two-run double, but Clarion center fielder Sterling Conner dived and made the catch to end the inning and end the Centurions threat.

“Sterling, he’s been doing it all year and that was huge,” Jewett said. “That was a game-saver right there with full extension in the gap.”