Top-seeded Uniontown knocks out Carmichaels Legion
Top-seeded Uniontown blanked Carmichaels, 4-0, in the Fayette County American Legion Baseball League playoffs on July 12 to sweep their best-of-three semifinal series, 2-0.
Uniontown pitcher Zach Uhazie limited Carmichaels to four singles, struck out 11 and walked only one in a complete game shutout.
Uhazie got all the runs he would need in the first inning when Corey Dascenzo’s based-loaded single drove in Ted Sova and Troy Kifer. Giuseppe Schiano followed with a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Zach Stashick.
Uniontown added another run in the second when Sova singled, stole second and scored on Kifer’s single to left field.
It was all zeroes the rest of the way for Uhazie and Carmichaels starter and loser Brandon Lawless, who had eight strikeouts and three walks.
Kifer and Luke Wallace had two singles each to pace the seven-hit Uniontown attack.
Uniontown won the opener on July 11, 8-1, in a game that wasn’t as easy as the score might indicate.
“We started slow,” Uniontown manager Scott DeBerry said. “It might have been not playing in almost a week and a half. Good pitching and defense kept us in the game.
“We scratched for some runs and they made a few mistakes that helped us out, but overall it was not a good day for us.”
Carmichaels pitcher Keith Popernack made life miserable for Uniontown. He limited Uniontown’s powerful offense to 10 hits and five earned runs with a good mix of off-speed pitches.
“Their kid threw a good game. He kept us off-balance all night,” DeBerry said.
“We scored eight runs, but we never got a really big inning off of him.”
Uniontown was off so long because, as the top seed in these Fayette American Legion playoffs, they had a bye into the semifinals.
Carmichaels, the lowest seed, had played four games in five nights after beating Belle Vernon in the quarterfinals.
“We battled,” Carmichaels manager Tim Blasinsky said.
“We held them down and our pitcher kept us in it. We didn’t play our best game. We got one run early, but that’s not enough to beat a good team like Uniontown.”
Carmichaels scored its only run when leadoff batter Josh Mundell singled to center, moved up on a groundout and scored on Bill Bowlen’s RBI single.
But Uniontown took the lead for good with two runs in the bottom of the first, when Drew DeBerry doubled, Ted Sova walked. With runners at first and third, Uniontown tried a double-steal, but Carmichaels catcher Mike Blasinsky, instead of throwing to second, zipped the ball to third and had DeBerry in a run-down.
An errant throw, one of three errors for Carmichaels, allowed DeBerry to score before Sova was driven home on a Zach Stashick single.
Uniontown wouldn’t score again until the fifth, but plated six runs through the eighth for the win. Meanwhile, Colin McKee was solid on the mound for Uniontown. He struck out 11 batters without allowing a walk. He gave up his sixth hit to the last batter he faced leading off the eighth inning.
Drew DeBerry and Giuseppe Schiano had two RBI each for Uniontown, while Corey Dascenzo, Schiano and Luke Wallace had two hits each.
Bowlen and Jeff Spishock had two hits each for Carmichaels, which managed only six for the game.