Nazareth Area High School baseball team ousted in PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinals

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

The warning signs arose early Thursday for Nazareth Area High School's baseball team. A potential two-run homer in the first inning by Blue Eagles shortstop Mike Garzillo was ruled foul.

Nazareth never recovered from the early setback, and ultimately dropped a 5-0 decision to Manheim Township in a PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinal round playoff game at Walter M. Stump Stadium.

Senior Darren Yoder pitched a four-hit shutout with six strikeouts and one walk. Two of the hits he allowed were singles to Nazareth right fielder Shane Siebler.

Manheim Township (17-7), the No. 2 seed from District 3, advances to the state semifinals Monday against District 1 champion Spring-Ford, which scored three in the bottom of the seventh to defeat Council Rock South, 6-5. Nazareth, the District 11 Class AAAA champion, finishes its season 23-4.

"I'm proud of what these kids did this year," Blue Eagles coach Jon Lock said. "To put together the record we did under all the adversity says a lot about their character."

The Blue Streaks scored all their runs off Nazareth pitcher Jordan Smith, who allowed seven hits and struck out seven in six innings. Despite the loss, Smith said he is grateful for all his team's accomplishments this season.

"It's awesome what we were able to do," Smith said. "I'm so proud of the guys after all our trials and tribulations."

Nazareth threatened in the top of the first, when Kris Kent led off with a hard single to left. Garzillo followed with a prodigious drive down the left field line that was ruled foul. Lock challenged the call, to no avail.

"It looked fair to me," the coach said. "But it was so far and high it was hard to tell. The foul pole is 20 feet high and the ball was about another 60 feet higher than that. It was hard for the third base umpire to see the ball."

Manheim Township jumped on Smith for two runs in the first inning. Jon Rieker led off with a walk, advanced to second on Cameron Gallagher's single and scored when Adam Yunginger smashed a run-scoring single down the left-field line. Clean-up hitter Dan Vukovich laid down a sacrifice bunt, and Gallagher sprinted home on Yoder's sacrifice fly to shallow center.

"I wanted to go after their two and three hitters (Gallagher and Yunginger) with nobody on base," Smith said. "Then I walked the leadoff man."

The Blue Streaks used the top of the order to add three more runs in the third. Rieker again led off with a walk and moved to second on another single by Gallagher, who was drafted in the second round Monday by the Kansas City Royals. Both scored when Yunginger crashed his sixth home run of the season, a towering drive over the right-field fence.

Smith shut down the Blue Streaks the rest of the way, but the Blue Eagles couldn't figure out how to get to Yoder.

"He pitched great," Lock said. "He got ahead of us and pounded the strike zone. A couple times I thought we swung too early in the count."

"Darren hadn't started a game since the first week of May." Manheim Township coach Bill Sassaman said. "His body language and mannerisms told me he wanted the ball. After I slept on it a night, I made the decision to start him."

"It's unfortunate, but it had to end at some point," Smith said. "We had a great season. I'll never forget this bunch of guys."


***


NAZARETH (ab-r-h-bi) -- Kent cf 3-0-1-0, Garzillo ss 3-0-0-0, Pacchioli c 3-0-0-0, Keglovits 1b 3-0-1-0, Hercik 2b 3-0-0-0, Siebler rf 3-0-2-0, Shepherd 3b 2-0-0-0, Deutsch lf 2-0-0-0, Smith p 2-0-0-0. Totals 23-0-4-0.

MANHEIM TOWNSHIP (ab-r-h-bi) -- Rieker 2b 1-1-0-0, Gallagher c 3-1-2-0, Yunginger 1b 3-1-2-4, Kurtz rf/Vukovich dh 2-0-0-0, Yoder p 2-0-0-1, Moshos lf 3-0-2-0, Dornes 3b 3-0-0-0, Sallade cf 3-0-1-0, Manacher ss 1-0-0-0. Totals 21-5-7-5.

Nazareth 000 000 0--0 4 0
Manheim Twp. 203 000 x--5 7 0

DP -- Nazareth; LOB Nazareth 4. Manhein Township 3. HR -- Yunginger. S -- Vukovich, Manacher. SF -- Yoder.
Smith and Pacchioli; Yoder and Gallagher. SO-BB -- Smith 7-2; Yoder 6-1 . WP -- Smith.
Records -- Nazareth 23-4; Manheim Township 18-7.

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/sports/index.ssf/2011/06/nazareth_area_high_school_base_8.html