May 7, 2009 3 min read

ROGERSVILLE – A playoff berth already in its pocket, the Geibel Catholic baseball team trekked to West Greene for a doubleheader Wednesday. After winning the opener, 10-2, the Gators led the nightcap, 9-1, when play was suspended until 4 p.m. today at Soberdash Field in Connellsville Township. Of course, that game, as are all games this time of year, will be played only if Mother Nature says so, a fact sure to rankle the WPIAL. But the governing body of local high school sports can’t argue that Geibel Catholic and West Greene didn’t do all they could to get their Section 1-A games played before Thursday’s deadline. “We almost got it in,” Gators coach Mark Riggin said. “We got a good effort in our first game. Ryan Craft pitched real well for not pitching in a long time.

Craft scattered nine hits over six innings, with seven strikeouts and 1 walk, before Brendan Costantino worked the scoreless seventh. Craft also had a bases-clearing triple to spark the nine-hit Gator attack in the opener. Costantino doubled and singled and scored three runs, while Nolan Zavora drove in a pair of runs with two hits.

Losing pitcher Wes Wright was 2-for-2 for West Greene (2-11, 2-7). Curt Jones was 3-for-3, Patrick Wilson added two hits and Kyle Richter doubled.

Craft was headed toward being the offensive hero of the second game as well, when the light but steady rain finally had taken its toll and washed out the remainder of the game. He was 2-for-2 with a double and four RBI when he stepped to the plate in the bottom of the third with the bases loaded. Costantino had scored two runs with two hits and had reached base three times. Zavora was pitching a three-hitter and was 2-for-2 at the plate, as the Gators had 10 hits when the game was suspended. Mick Betler (hit by pitches twice and walked) managed an RBI and a run scored without the benefit of an official at-bat.

West Greene got its run when Dakota Riffle scored on a Levi Durbin groundout.

The Gators and Pioneers will do their best to finish the second game today, even though it would have no bearing on the playoffs for either team. The Gators (10-6, 6-3) are locked in third place in the section and West Greene has no chance of qualifying for the playoffs.

“We can’t move up or down,” Riggin said. “But we want to play ’em all like we’re supposed to. As far as seedings go, you have to beat everybody in the playoffs anyway, so it doesn’t really matter where you are seeded.

“I’m pleased with where we are pitching and hitting, but we have to get a lot better on the base paths if we want to do anything in the playoffs.”