PIAA Quad-A & Triple-A Baseball Championship Game Recaps

FROM MSA

PIAA Quad-A & Triple-A Baseball Championship Game Recaps
6/17/2011 - Mark Schaas

The MSA Sports Network has you covered with recaps of all four baseball championships games from Medlar Field at Lubrano Park at Penn State University. Here are recaps from both the Quad-A and Class AAA championships.

PIAA Class AAAA Baseball Championship:
Conestoga Pioneers 6 - Spring-Ford Rams 3 (10 innings)
In a rematch of the District 1 championship game, the Conestoga Pioneers got revenge for a 22-11 beating in the title game with a 6-3 victory over the Spring-Ford Rams in the PIAA Quad-A championship game at Penn State University. It’s the first state championship for the Pioneers in the longest title game in PIAA history.

The Pioneers jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the Rams came to the plate on back to back run scoring doubles down the left field line by Virginia recruit Scott Williams and Brendan O’Reilly. The Rams cut the lead in half in the second, catcher James Hoff led off with a single, his courtesy runner Connor Simmons moved to second on a bunt, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on Cody Clarke’s sac fly to shallow right field.

Spring-Ford starter Mike Oczypok settled down after the first inning, he retired six straight until Brian Cizek beat out an infield single with two outs in the third. Oczypok was able to come back to get Williams to ground out to end the inning. The Rams had a rally in the bottom of the frame, Sean Larkin singled and Josh Cratsenberg was ruled to have been hit by a pitch while attempting to bunt. After both coaches lobbied the umpiring crew and a meeting with the three base umpires, the ruling stood. Pioneer starter Austin Little came back to get Patrick Medley looking and Tom Grablewski lined into a double play to shortstop Ryan Richter.

Conestoga had a chance to blow the game open in the fourth, with one out, Ryan Richter tripled into the left centerfield gap and Jake Carr singled down the left field line to make the Pioneer lead 3-1. The lead would have grown except for a great over the shoulder catch by right fielder Cratsenberg. The inning continued when Tom Richter was hit square in the back with a pitch, putting runners on first and second. Shea Rosadino then singled over third to load the bases. But Oczypok struck out Luke Mogle on a 3-2 fastball to end the inning.

The Rams thought they had something going in the bottom of the fifth as with one out, Larkin walked and Cratsenberg was hit for the second time in the game, both runners moved up on a wild pitch, putting the tying run in scoring position. Medley grounded to third, Rosadino elected to go home to nail Larkin for the second out and Grablewski flew out to right to end the inning.

The sixth inning looked eerily similar for the Rams, Ricky Gorrell led off with a single to right, Hoff also singled thru the right side of the infield, allowing Gorrell to go to third. This time Oczypok grounded to third, Rosadino came home again to nail Gorrell. But Clarke delivered for the second time in the game, singling thru the right side to score courtesy runner Simmons to cut the lead to one. Ryan Conway struck out for the second out. That would be all for Little as coach John Vogan made the call, bringing on Williams to face Larkin. Williams walked Larkin on five pitches to load the bases. Cratsenberg then grounded to, guess who, third baseman Rosadino who stepped on the bag for the final out.

In the bottom of the seventh, Medley led off with a single to right. Grablewski then bunted Medley to second. With the tying run at second and one out, Gorrell drove a 2-2 fastball into left field for a hit. Medley scored as the throw was up the line, allowing Gorrell to go to second. Hoff grounded to second, allowing Gorrell to move up ninety feet. After throwing two pitches in the dirt to Oczypok, coach Vogan elected to walk both Oczypok and Clarke to load the bases. That brought Conway to the plate, who had driven in fifteen runs in his last twenty at bats, he flew out on the first pitch to bring on extra innings.

Larkin relieved Oczypok to start the eighth inning. O’Reilly tripled over the head of Cratsenberg, who came in on the line drive. But instead of holding O’Reilly at third, Vogan waived him home and the was tagged out at the plate on a great relay throw by Gorrell and tag by Hoff. In the bottom of the inning, Matt Cowell relieved Williams, and got two ground outs to second on fine plays by Tom Richter. After Medley singled, Grablewski smashed a hard liner to Tom Richter for the third out.

In the top of the ninth, Alan Grodecki led off the inning and if he was a cat, he used two of his nine lives, as Clarke dropped a foul popup for an error, then he swung and missed to strike out, but first base umpire Alan Frick called time before the pitch. Grodecki used both of those opportunities to then single down the left field line. Tom Richter moved him up with a sacrifice, but Rosadino was caught looking. Mogle was intentionally walked, Cizek reentered the game, after suffering an elbow injury while batting in the fourth, he struck out to end the inning. In the bottom of the inning, Hoff reached on an infield single to the right side with one out, Oczypok grounded out to second to move up courtesy runner Simmons, giving Conway a second chance to win the game, but he took a 3-2 fastball on the inside corner to end another Rams threat.

In the top of the tenth, Williams smashed a hard base hit off the body of Clarke at third, O’Reilly singled over first to give the Pioneers runners at second and first with no one out. Ryan Richter roped a 3-2 pitch into left field to score courtesy runner Randy Margolis. Carr singled to center to score O’Reilly for a 5-3 lead. Josh Mellon came on in relief of Larkin and hit Grodecki. After Tom Richter struck out, Rosadino flied out to center, allowing Ryan Richter to score the sixth run.

Spring-Ford had runners at second and first with two outs in the bottom of the tenth, but Hoff flew out to center to end the game.

Conestoga was led by Williams and O’Reilly with three hits, Rosadino, Ryan Richter, Carr and Grodecki had two hits each. Cowell was the winning pitcher, going the final three innings. The Pioneers end the season at 22-4.

Hoff had three hits for Spring-Ford, Medley notched two hits, along with Gorrell. Clarke drove in two runs. Larkin took the loss, he allowed three runs in two-plus innings of work. The Rams finish at 25-5.

Conestoga Pioneers 2 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 3 = 6-16-1
Spring-Ford Rams 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 1 - 1 - 0 - 0 - 0 = 3-11-1


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PIAA Class AAA Baseball Championship:
Northern York Polar Bears 6 - Tunkhannock Tigers 3

In the first ever state championship game at Medlar Field, the Northern York Polar Bears used a blast by Joe Tuschak to defeat the Tunkhannock Tigers to claim the PIAA Class AAA baseball title for the first time in school history. Tuschak, a sixth round draft pick of the New York Mets, went 2-4 with a grand slam as part of a six run fourth inning. Pitcher Vince Apicella shook off some miscues by his defense to allow just two runs, he struck out nine to get the win.

Tunkhannock missed out on an opportunity to take an early lead in the top of the first, Kyle Custer led off with a single and was stranded on third base when Mike Healey struck out to end the inning. Northern York also missed out on a scoring chance, as Joe Tuschak and Cody McLaughlin led off with singles but Andrew Keirn left runners at the corners to end the inning.

The District 2 champions took a 2-0 lead in the third inning, after one out, the Tigers as four consecutive hitters reached base, including run scoring singles from Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim draft pick Michael Papi and U. Conn recruit Healy.

Northern York answered in the bottom of the fourth in a big way, taking advantage of two errors by Tunkhannock to score two runs and keep the bases loaded, setting up the blast by Tuschak, hitting an 0-1 fastball over the right center field fence.

The Tigers got back a run in the fifth as Custer collected his third single of the game, he was brought home on Ty Saylor’s double down the left field line.

For the Polar Bears, Mark Stetts went 3 for 3 and drove in a run, McLaughlin also had two hits, Northern York ends the season 23-5, it’s the fourth straight year that District 3 has claimed at least one championship.

Tunkannock finishes 19-3, Custer went 3 for 4, Ty Saylor, Papi and Healey all drove in runs. Healey was the losing pitcher, he was touched for six runs, he fanned three.

Tunkhannock Tigers : 0 - 0 - 2 - 0 - 1 - 0 - 0 = 3-6-2
Northern York Polar Bears : 0 - 0 - 0 - 6 - 0 - 0 - x = 6-10-4