Pennsbury captures PIAA Class 6A state title
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. » The Pennsbury High baseball team put it all on the line in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 6A state championship game late Friday night at Penn State University’s Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
After a nearly four-hour rain delay, the Suburban One League National Conference and District 1 champion Falcons played two hours of scoreless baseball with District 3 champion Dallastown before Pennsbury pulled out a 1-0 win with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to capture the first state title in school history.
Wildcats pitcher Alex Weakland, a sophomore who entered with an 8-0 record and a 0.99 earned run average, retired the Falcons’ first nine batters before Tyrone Hodges was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the fourth. But a line drive and a double play kept the locals from scoring.
Pennsbury did not get its first hit off Weakland until the bottom of the fifth when Ryan McCarty led off by beating out an infield single, only to be gunned down at second base by George Washington Universitybound catcher Bryant Holtzapple, who was backing up first base after an overthrow.
From his position behind the plate, Holtzapple picked off pinch runner Justin Ward at second base after Billy Bethel’s leadoff double in the bottom of the seventh. That play was crucial since sophomore Justin Massielo followed with a single down the third-base line, which could have decided the game.
Instead, with two outs and two on, senior lefthanded batter Nick Price dropped in a single into left field with two strikes, and Massielo came around to score the game’s only run, setting off a championship celebration.
Falcons senior starting pitcher McCarty worked out of a first-inning jam by striking out two, while stranding runners at the corners. In the second inning, he gave up a leadoff single, then got a double play. McCarty kept battling and struck out six through five innings.
Pennsbury head coach Joe Pesci called on another senior, tri-captain Bethel, to replace McCarty with one on in the sixth, and he stranded the runner at third base. Then Bethel got out of a two-on, one-out jam with a double play in the top of the seventh to put himself in line to become the state final’s winning pitcher. AMERICAN LEGION
BSP 5, BORDENTOWN 1 HAMILTON » With Post 26 and pitcher Mike Urban holding onto a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning, Post 313 cut down a run at the plate in the top of the sixth, then went to work changing the outcome in the bottom of the frame.
After Shane Hoffman and Kyle Harrington singled, Cameron Bruschini bunted the runners into scoring position before Alex Venutolo beat out a squeeze bunt to tie the game.
Brien Cardona also bunted, but a missed tag allowed everyone to be safe. After a double steal, Connor Hayes singled in two more before his pinch runner, Tom Cramer, stole second ahead of an RBI single by Connor Luckie.
Broad Street Park’s timely hitting proved crucial since a downpour followed, forcing the game to be called before the seventh inning got going. HIGHTSTOWN 11, TRENTON 1 TRENTON » David Jasper, Jake Simon and Stephen Brookwell knocked in two runs apiece to help Post 148 roll to a five-inning win over Posts 93 & 182 at Wetzel Field.
Hightstown pitchers Griffin Lepore, Matt Mankowich and Grayson Cooke combined on a three-hitter.
Sterling Ayala tripled for Trenton, and Owen Lucash drove in the Schroths’ run. SUSPENDED GAME PRINCETON » Hamilton Post 31 and Princeton Post 218 made it to the third inning before their game had to be suspended because of rain.
The game will continue before the teams play their regularly scheduled game at Steinert High’s Rich Giallella Field at 11 a.m. Sunday, July 9.
The heavy rain later in the day forced Princeton to postpone its home game with Trenton Posts 93 & 182 Sunday. Instead, the game will be played at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday, June 28 at Barbara Smoyer Park. HOPEWELL 5, FLEMINGTON 1 HOPEWELL TWP. » Post 339 did all of its scoring in the first two innings and got solid pitching from five different hurlers to defeat the defending state champs in non-league action.
Luke Blair went 3-for-3 with a double, a triple and two runs scored. Nick Psomaras went 2-for-2 with three RBIs, plus pitched the final inning, striking out two.