West Allegheny avenges early season loss to Moon
In the only black mark on West Allegheny’s record so far — a 9-5 loss to Moon on April 19, the Indians committed six errors, had two passed balls, two wild pitches and didn’t put bunts down.
The rematch May 4 was a different story, with the Indians avenging the loss with a 5-2 victory.
“The kids came back and made all the routine plays we needed to make,” West Allegheny coach Bryan Cornell said. “We pitched OK and we playedexcellent defense.”
With an 11-1 Class 5A Section 2 record, West Allegheny will glide to the postseason. Senior Tyler Anderson leads the Indians with a .500 batting average, with senior Devin Donaldson not far behind, batting .408 with seven doubles and 15 RBIs. Freshman Austin Hendrick has added 5 doubles, 2 triples and 3 home runs.
After the loss to Moon, Cornell didn’t see his team deflate. Instead, he saw players bounce back and work to get better.
“It’s baseball,” Cornell said. “You’re going to lose baseball games. That game, how they responded the next practice, is what we looked at. And how they worked on and shored up some things.”
After the team’s winning streak was broken, Cornell said it motivated West Allegheny to work harder and revitalized the team down its final stretch of games.
“I think that just puts a sense of energy back in you, and I think that’s what it did for us.”
Armstrong
In 2015, Kittanning and Ford City high schools merged to become Armstrong. Armstrong baseball struggled through its first season, going 3-9 in Class 4A Section 2 and 7-13 overall.
Now playoff-bound, coach Ed Morris has seen once-Kittanning and Ford City players continue to get to know each other and understand each other on the field.
“I think it’s a matter of chemistry and jelling together,” Morris said.
Armstrong moved to 7-5 in Class 5A Section 1 and 10-8 overall with a 6-1 win versus Obama Academy Tuesday. The River Hawks have shown improvement from last year, when opponents would get in a rhythm and stay there, Morris said.
“We were in games last year and defensively we had those innings where we just couldn’t put the fire out,” Morris said. “Defense has been better, our pitching has been better, our hitting’s coming around.”
Center fielder Zane Dudek, batting .308, has helped lead the team in its resurgence this year.
“Zane’s a weapon as soon he steps on the field,” Morris said. “Everybody knows Zane’s up, or Zane’s on the bases. He’s definitely a game changer, he brings a lot to it. He can hurt you in a lot of ways.”
Pine-Richland
Shaler and Pine-Richland were tied, 3-3, through 12 innings Friday when the game was suspended. The teams continued Monday, with Pine-Richland edging Shaler, 6-5, and clinching a Class 6A Section 1 title.
After making the postseason, the section title is a bonus for Pine-Richland, coach Kurt Wolfe said.
“Our goal was to make the playoffs," Wolfe said.
Shaler, fighting for a playoff bid, got help from North Allegheny and its 4-0 defeat of Central Catholic, which Shaler defeated twice in the regular season. Both the Rams and Titans are postseason-bound.