Carmichaels bows to GCC
CALIFORNIA – When you put two class teams on the field directed by two class coaches, the only marring factor to the whole day is that one of them has to lose. It can’t be any other way. This is scholastic baseball playoff time, and somebody has to lose every game that is played.
That was the only minus point to an otherwise great Friday afternoon for baseball as Greensburg Central Catholic erupted for nine runs in the third and went on from there to a 13-3 win over Carmichaels in the Western Regional semifinals of the state (PIAA) Class A scholastic playoffs.
Nate Miller handled the pitching and Warren Schaeffer was the trigger man in the 11-hit offense as the Centurions (17-2) advanced to the Western finals against Meyersdale (21-2), their match set for Monday at a site still to be announced.
Greensburg Central coach Jack Korpar said, “We learned from our loss to Neshannock. That day we did not play fundamental baseball and we lost. But we learned from that loss, and it led to this game today. Hopefully, we will get a rematch.”
They won’t. Neshannock was trounced 14-5 by Meyersdale and will now meet GCC with that winner advancing to the state finals.
As for Friday, Carmichaels coach Dave Bates said, “We got pounded by a good team. They hit, they fielded, they did everything a team has to do to win, and they did it with class. Their pitcher was an ace today, in control the whole game. They are the best team we have played this year, a team well put together, well coached, a very fundamentally sound team. I pick them to win the state title.”
Miller held the Mikes hitless until Shayne Busti’s one-out double in the fourth, and then they escaped the collar in the fifth. With one out, Niko Buday walked, Jamie Kowalczyk singled, Jono Menhart walked, and with two down Busti singled in two and Jared Lapkowicz singled for one.
Miller said, “In the last inning, I was just trying to get through. Coming into the game, I felt if we could get a couple runs, we could hold them, and then we had to get some hits of our own.”
Korpar added, “Nate throws hard, and he came in today well focused on what he had to do. He kept the ball down and didn’t give them any high strikes. They are a good hitting team, and he held them well today.”
The Centurions collected 11 hits off three Mike pitchers, led by Schaeffer with two home runs, a single and six runs batted across. Schaeffer, who will be a senior next year, singled in a run in the first, homered with two on in the big third, and again with one on in the clinching fourth, his first dual homer game as a scholastic player.
He said, “We knew their pitcher (Jared Lapkowicz in relief of starter-loser Colby Giles) has thrown three no-hitters this year, and I wanted to watch him. On the first homer, I was looking for a fastball and got it. On the second, he got behind in the count and then came in again with a fastball.
Korpar said, “It was a fine day for Warren. He’s a very good athlete, and I feel that somewhere down the line you are going to hear more about him.”
Also weighing in for the Centurions were Rob Altieri with a triple and single, Josh Yerecic with a pair of singles and pitcher Miller with a double.
GCC went ahead 1-0 in the first. Altieri singled, stole second, continued to third on a high throw and scored on Schaeffer’s single.
Then came the big third. Schaeffer launched it with a walk and went to second on an errant pickoff try. Miller also walked, and when Blas? Caranese tried to bunt them ahead, he popped to the mound. Justin Pennavaria was aboard on an error, Greg Mroz walked, and Yerecic, Mike Venditti and Tom Kimble singled, coupled with an error.
That was all for Giles, and Lapkowicz relieved. Altieri was safe on another error that scored one run, and Schaeffer, up for the second time, climaxed the inning with a high 3-run shot over the fence in center.
Bates said, “Colby has pretty good stuff but he struggled the first couple innings.”
Three more runs in the fourth ended the GCC scoring, coming on Yerecic’s single, Altieri’s two-out triple and Schaeffer’s high liner over the left-center fence to the right of the 371-foot mark.
Reflecting on the loss, Bates observed, “When we play basic baseball, the basic plays come and that in turn pushes you to make the big fundamental plays, but we didn’t do all that today.”
But the Centurions did, and that game plan, led by Miller and Schaeffer, has driven them to the Western Division finals.