Trojans cut short Crusaders’late rally
WASHINGTON – Before the season started, California baseball coach Don Hartman boldly predicted that a Section 1-A team would make it to the WPIAL Championship game. “I felt very strongly that our section was that good,” Hartman said Wednesday after his Trojans made his prediction come doubly true. “Now, I’m glad we’re bringing the WPIAL Championship back to the Fayette-Washington County area.”
The Trojans held off a gallant Bishop Canevin comeback for a 6-5 win in a semifinal game Wednesday at Ross Memorial Park. California’s win sets up an all-Section 1 title game pitting California against Geibel Catholic. The game will be played Tuesday at Falconi Field. Game time will be set today.
“It’s going to be a phenomenal,” Hartman said.
The Trojans jumped to a 6-1 lead behind Matt Hartman, who had pitched only 10 innings all season. Then, in the bottom of the seventh, the Crusaders made a run and eventually chased Hartman.
“That last inning, I was just pushing my arm,” Matt Hartman said. “I didn’t try to overpower anybody all game, but I was pretty tired.”
“Matt’s a great little closer for us,” Don Hartman said. “The problem is that with Zack (Jeney) and Travis (VanOlst), he doesn’t get to pitch very much. I told him before the game that this is where heroes are made. This is what little kids’ dreams are made of. He came through big time for us tonight.”
“I just tried to throw strikes and let my fielders do their jobs,” Matt Hartman said.
California got a run in the top of the first inning when Jason Britton stroked a one-out double to right field. He scored on Matt Hartman’s single to center. Hartman took second on a wild pitch and tried to score on Travis VanOlst’s two-out infield single, but Hartman was gunned down at home.
The Crusaders tied it in the second when Dom DiPaolo reached on an error, was balked to second, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and scored on Casey Quinn’s RBI groundout.
The Trojans took command with a pair of runs in the fourth. Hartman walked and moved to second on a passed ball. Courtesy runner Andy Booth came around to score on J.D. Hawk’s double to the fence in left field and Hawk scored when Mike Galis’ fly ball was dropped in right field.
California blew open the game with three runs on only one hit, an attempted sacrifice bunt by VanOlst, in the top of the sixth. The Trojans batted around and benefited from four walks and two Canevin errors. That stretched Cal’s lead to 6-1.
Canevin came back strong in the bottom of the seventh. The Crusaders opened the inning with three runs on two hits and two California errors. That was enough to chase Hartman in favor of Britton.
“I went out and told them that they were playing scared to lose instead of playing to win,” Don Hartman said. “I knew Britton was my guy if we needed him. He’s our only senior and he’s been such a leader all year for us. I just knew he could get it done for us.”
All Britton had to do was get two outs to send the Trojans to the WPIAL Championship game. He struck out Lucas Amorose for the first one. A wild pitch allowed Canevin’s fifth run to score, but the Trojans pulled it out with a rare 5-6-3 put-out.
Casey Quinn’s grounder bounced off of Hartman to VanOlst at short and his throw beat Quinn to the base to seal California’s victory.
“Travis hasn’t played third base for us since the third game of the season,” Don Hartman said. “And he struggled out there a little bit, but he kept battling. It was ironic, wasn’t it, that he made the play that got us the last out? That was terrific.”
So, too, were the Trojans.