May 22, 2007 By Mike Ciarochi 4 min read

ROSTRAVER TWP. – California opened defense of its WPIAL Class A baseball championship with a workmanlike 5-3 win over Chartiers-Houston in an 8-inning quarterfinal game Monday at John DiVirgilio Field. It was not a dominating performance by either pitcher Zack Jeney or the Trojans’ offense, which had been idle since ending the regular season back on May 9. What this game was, according to coach Don Hartman, was effective and necessary.

“Absolutely,” Hartman said when asked if his team needed to win a good, close game in order to repeat as WPIAL champions. “We’ve never been in this situation before. There is a lot of pressure when you’re the defending champs and you’re top-seeded. We kept our composure today and our older guys came through at the end.”

Three seniors – actually four, including courtesy runner Waugh Carter who scored the winning run – came through in the top of the eighth. Jeney opened with a single to center and, after Carter made his fourth appearance of the game, J.D. Hawk stroked a double over the leftfielder’s head to bring Carter home. Hawk moved up on a balk and scored on Brandon Rossi’s suicide squeeze bunt to make it 5-3.

Jeney was perhaps stronger in the eighth than he was in any of the previous seven innings, getting two strikeouts and a lazy fly ball to second base to preserve the win.

“J.D. Hawk was 0-3 and had struck out right before he had that hit in the eighth,” Hartman said. “I wanted him to bunt to move the runner up a base and he fouled it off. But then he came through with his double. That was a really big hit.

“Zack was effective, but he didn’t pitch nearly as well as he’s capable of pitching. His last game was May 8. He struggled at times, but he ended up throwing a phenomenal game. He threw one bad pitch and their kid made us pay. In the end, though, he got outs when he needed them.”

Nursing a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third, the Trojans gave it back when A.J. Kerr hit a three-run homer to left field to tie the game, 3-3.

California scored three in the top of the third when senior Mike Galis and Matt Hartman singled, Jeney doubled in Galis, and Hartman and Carter (running for Jeney) scored when Travis VanOlst singled to center.

“I told our kids coming in that Chartiers-Houston has quite a tradition,” Hartman said. “Their seniors this year were on a team that made it to the WPIAL championship, so they know what the playoffs are all about. We expected the game of their lives and we got it. Their pitcher (Andy Petrus) pitched an outstanding game and he’s their No. 2. That’s a luxury.”

“He’s been our No. 2 all season,” Chartiers-Houston coach Dan Alderson said. “There are times in the playoffs when you need a solid outing from your No. 2 and we got that today from Andy. He did an unbelievable job. Kerr is our No. 1 and he pitched on Saturday. Since Kerr is a senior, I was wondering if we would have a No. 1 next season, but Andy answered that today.

“We have nothing to be ashamed of. Our kids gave their all. It was a great game. With them having that long layoff, we figured if we were going to beat them, this was our best chance. We played with them for eight innings.”

California (19-2) moves on to meet Serra Catholic, an 8-0 winner over OLSH Monday, in a Class A semifinal to be played Wednesday at a site and time to be determined. The Buccaneers finish the season at 15-6.