California rolls past Elk County Catholic
BROOKVILLE — Truth be told, this California baseball team is unlike any Don Hartman has coached.
“They’re goofy,” the Trojans’ veteran coach said with a smile.
Instead of taking a serious, all business approach to the game, Cal’s players were loose and enjoyed the moment. And, Monday’s PIAA Class A playoff opener only brought more good times, as the Trojans got 15 hits and a sterling start from Brian Fisher in an 8-0 rout of Elk County Catholic at Brookville.
California’s first win in the state tournament since 2007 sets up a rematch with Our Lady of the Sacred Heart on Thursday at a site and time to be announced. The Chargers, a 1-0 winner over District 10 champion Cochranton Monday, edged the Trojans 2-1 in the WPIAL semifinals last month.
But the next game will feature different pitchers — the teams’ two aces, OLSH’s Preston Falascino and Cal’s Brian Fisher, won’t be available to throw — and for Hartman’s crew, a different way of thinking.
“I don’t think we are feeling any pressure like we maybe did the WPIALs … we’re just playing ball,” he said. “They’re a loose group of kids and sometimes I’d like them to be a little more serious, but they have their own mojo going. And sometimes as a coach, you don’t mess with the mojo and let them be themselves.”
“We’re just having fun,” Cal’s Josh Luko said.
On Monday, California (19-5) took Luko’s lead.
The junior shortstop paced the team’s balanced attack with a 4-for-4 afternoon from his top of the order spot. That included a triple on the game’s second pitch, RBI singles in the third and fifth innings, along with a leadoff double to spark a three-run seventh.
“He got us going and made believers out of the rest of my hitters,” Hartman said.
Michael Luketich finished with a pair of triples, including a two-run hit in the fifth that fell in the right-center field gap to stretch the lead to 4-0. He added a second RBI triple in the seventh, while Jake Columbus (sacrifice fly) and Chris Swartz (single) also drove in runs during the surge.
Columbus, who also added an RBI groundout in the contest, was just one part of an attack that ripped 12 hits in the final three innings and smacked five hits apiece in the fifth and seventh.
“Once they had a little bit of success, it just kind of ran wild through the order,” Hartman said.
It wasn’t that way early on. Aside from Luko’s first-inning triple, much of Cal’s lineup could catch up to the high-80s fastball of Elk County Catholic starter Brandon Schlimm.
“I didn’t think he, from the information I was given, threw that hard. We really weren’t prepared for that kind of velocity,” Hartman said of the 6-3 junior righty, who gave up six runs (five earned), scattered 12 hits and struck out six in six innings before being pulled in the seventh without recording an out.
“He was real good, probably one of the fastest pitchers we’ve seen all season. It just took a couple innings to get used to him. Coach just told us to choke up and pepper the wall,” Luko said.
For Fisher, the game plan was simple against Elk County Catholic (19-4), the District 9 champ, which had reached states for the fourth straight season and came in winners of 11 in a row : Let your defense do the work.
Cal’s senior left-hander threw another gem, giving up six hits in a complete game shutout. He only fanned one and didn’t walk a batter, instead inducing 14 fly ball outs.
“They hit him hard, but my defense was absolutely phenomenal,” Hartman said of Fisher. “He threw threw strikes, hit his spots well and was able to get them to hit the pitches he wanted to.”
And able, with the help of his fun-loving friends, to keep the Trojans’ postseason run going.
“They’re playing their best baseball right now,” Hartman said. “I hope they can keep it up.”