Royals seize crown again
Vincentian proves it can go the distance
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Vincentian had won three consecutive PIAA playoff games in five innings, courtesy of the 10-run mercy rule.
But Friday, for the first time in the state playoffs, the Royals had to play a close, seven-inning game.
No matter, though. They emerged PIAA baseball champions for the second time in the past three years. Vincentian beat Southern Fulton, 5-3, at Penn State’s Medlar Field at Lubrano Park to claim the Class 1A crown.
“I’d say there’s more emotion at the end,” said senior shortstop Kyler Fedko, who hit an RBI triple and made several key grabs on defense. “Backs against the wall, it probably feels better to get the win. But a win’s a win. Those dominating games still felt good, but I’d rather win a close one.”
The path to the state championship began May 2017, Fedko said, when Greensburg Central Catholic eliminated a stacked Vincentian team, the defending state champs at the time, from the WPIAL playoffs in the first round, 1-0.
“It all started in that Greensburg Central loss,” Fedko said. “It lit the fire.”
It felt pretty good, Vincentian players agreed, to rout Greensburg Central Catholic, 11-0, in the PIAA semifinals this season on the way to another state title.
Against Southern Fulton, the District 5 champion, Vincentian established a comfortable lead before running into some trouble in the final inning.
With one out in the seventh and a four-run advantage, senior Aidan Thomson relieved Vincentian starter Stephen Turzai. Thomson gave up an RBI triple and an RBI single before striking out Gabriel Stotler and retiring Colton Souders on a fly to left field.
“We’re a battle-tested group,” first-year Vincentian coach Bradley Bestic said of Southern Fulton gaining ground. “We were here two years ago. I think they just dug deep and [knew] that getting to a state championship, you can’t let your guard down one second. Stevie did what we needed to do, and Aidan came in and slammed the door on them. I’m just so proud of these guys.”
Turzai held the Indians to two runs, one earned, on three hits, striking out five and walking one in 6⅓ innings, capping his season record at 9-0.
In the bottom of the first, third baseman Danny Morgano tripled to right-cente field, scoring Fedko. The Royals padded their lead in the third.
Catcher Mark Yakim tripled to right-center field, second baseman Jake Skotsky reached base on an error to score Yakim before Thomson’s single to left scored Stotsky to make it 3-0.
Southern Fulton made Vincentian pay in the fifth after Tyler Unger and Eaven Gordon reached base on back-to-back Royals fielding errors. Cooper Grove singled to right , scoring Unger, and the Indians narrowed their deficit to 3-1.
Vincentian got the run back and then some in the fifth after Yakim singled and stole second and Fedko tripled him home. Morgano grounded out, scoring Fedko to build the lead to 5-1.
It wasn’t the cleanest game for Vincentian, which made four errors.
“They battled all year,” South Fulton coach Keith Potter said of his team.
“We don’t have big numbers, we don’t have a big area to draw from. They always battled. I wouldn’t expect [anything] different, and they know I wouldn’t expect anything less. I was proud of the way they kept working. …
“Some of the plays earlier in the game were so huge, because if we could have gotten one here, one there, that gap’s a lot less.”