Sawka leads Uniontown to 15-3 win
Uniontown scored 15 runs, marking the fourth consecutive game with a double-digit scoring effort, in Game 1 of the Fayette American Legion championship series. But it really only needed Cory Sawka to pull out the win and go up 1-0 on Charleroi in the best-of-5 series.
Sawka tripled and scored in the third inning and doubled and scored in the seventh en route to a 2-for-4 performance with three runs scored and five RBIs, accounting for eight of Uniontown’s runs.
Sawka’s offense was more than enough of a cushion for starter Nate Fike, who allowed only three Charleroi hits while striking out 10 batters, as Uniontown won game one on the 12-run rule, 15-3.
“You have to start off like this at home,” Uniontown coach Ron Popovich said. “Charleroi is a good club and you have to put the pressure on and score at home, because it’s going to be a different story on the road at Charleroi.”
The two teams will take today off and resume the series Thursday with Game 2 at 5:30 p.m. at Charleroi.
Charleroi held a 1-0 lead when the game headed into the bottom of the third inning.
The lead, however, didn’t last long as Uniontown’s offense wasted little time in regaining control of the game.
After Sawka grounded out to second base to lead off the inning, six consecutive batters reached base and all eventually scored, including an RBI single by Carmen Congelio.
After an error allowed another runner to reach base, Sawka then drove in two with a triple in his second plate appearance of the inning. Mike Pegg scored Sawka with a single shortly after for the inning’s eighth run.
Despite allowing a run in each of the third, fourth and fifth innings, Fike cruised on the mound. The lefty allowed only the three hits and stuck out two batters in each of the first four innings.
“There’s not much else I can say about Nathan Fike,” Popovich said. “It’s another strong start. He never really allowed a hard-hit ball. He sawed them off and did his job.”
Uniontown put the game away in the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring five runs without allowing an out to be recorded for the 12-run rule to take effect.
Nick Erminio led off the inning with a walk and was followed by a bloop single off the bat of Joe Hoover. A walk to Fike leaded the bases for Sawka who scored all three with a double.
Pegg doubled in Sawka and eventually scored on an Eric Fudala single.
“I hate to always bring up the team that went to the states a few years ago,” Popovich said, “but six of these guys were on that team and they are hungry to make it back. It’s my job to keep them hungry.
“And the younger guys on the team have been feeding off of what the older ones have been doing.”
Cory Young suffered the loss for Charleroi, pitching 4 1/3 innings. He allowed 10 runs on six hits, while striking out four and walking six.
Nate Helster led the Charleroi offense, scoring two of the team’s three runs.
Helster walked and eventually took home on a wild pitch in the fourth inning. After singling with two outs in the fifth inning, Helster scored again when the throw to third on his stolen base attempt skipped into left field.