Hartman brothers help lead Belle Vernon over Farmington in Legion playoffs
Rob Burchianti | Herald-Standard
Umpire Toby McKnight (right) calls Farmington’s Trent Uphold (middle) out at home plate after Belle Vernon catcher Jake Rathway (left) shows that he hung onto the ball after making the tag in the third inning of Monday’s Fayette County American Legion playoff game at DiVirgilio Sports Complex.
Belle Vernon's JJ Hartman prepares to deliver a pitch against Farmington during the seventh inning of Monday's Fayette County American Legion playoff game at DiVirgilio Sports Complex. Hartman came within one out of a complete game and was the winning pitcher in Belle Vernon's 8-2 victory.
Farmington's Jeremy Saliba advances to second base as Belle Vernon right fielder Max Gauden fields a single by Trent Uphold while second baseman Jared Hartman (99) looks on during Monday's Fayette County American Legion playoff game at DiVirgilio Sports Complex.
Belle Vernon's Joe Sabolek connects for one of his three hits against Farmington during Monday's Fayette County American Legion playoff game at DiVirgilio Sports Complex.
Farmington manager Rodney Frazee (far right) discusses the situation against Belle Vernon during a mound talk with (from left) shortstop Trent Uphold, second baseman Jeremy Saliba, pitcher Wyatt Rishel (5), first baseman Alan VanSickle and catcher John Harim during Monday's Fayette County American Legion playoff game at DiVirgilio Sports Complex.
Farmington right fielder Alec Busby tracks down a fly ball by Belle Vernon's Jake Rathway and makes the catch as second baseman Jeremy Saliba (7) looks on during Monday's Fayette County American Legion playoff game at DiVirgilio Sports Complex.
BELLE VERNON — Belle Vernon swirled a strong pitching performance by JJ Hartman together with an 11-hit attack to produce a solid 8-2 victory over Farmington in Monday’s Fayette American Legion baseball playoff game at DiVirgilio Sports Complex.
Hartman threw 6 2/3 innings before hitting the pitch limit, allowing only one earned run on eight hits with no walks and five strikeouts, and brother Jared Hartman drove in a pair of runs with a double and a single as third-seeded Belle Vernon (11-5) advanced on in the winners’ bracket, where it was set to play at second-seeded Connellsville on Tuesday night.
Joe Sabolek added three hits and an RBI for manager Tom Hartman’s squad, and was in line to start on the mound against Connellsville.
Farmington (6-8) was scheduled to host Jefferson-Morgan in a losers-bracket game Tuesday evening in the double-elimination tournament.
Belle Vernon made five errors, including three in the third inning, but made up for some of those miscues by getting four outs on the base paths against Farmington.
“J battled through some adversity and that’s what he’s good at,” third base coach Jake Hartman said of his brother. “Ever since J has been little he’s just good at that. He doesn’t care what anyone else is doing around him, he just goes out there and does his thing, which is exactly what we needed tonight.”
The only moment in the game where JJ Hartman seemed to get flustered at all was when he was standing on third base in the first inning with Jared Hartman, using JJ’s bat, at the plate. Jared swung at a pitch and broke the bat on a foul ball, send the barrel out towards third base.
“I’ve had that bat for three years!” JJ yelled.
“There’ll be a fight tonight about that,” Jake Hartman said with a laugh about his two younger brothers.
Jared eventually popped out but Belle Vernon scored three times in the inning to take the lead for good after Farmington had gone up 1-0 in the top of the frame.
Trent Uphold ripped a triple into the right-field corner leading off the game for Farmington and scored on a wild pitch as the visitors notched a quick run.
“Certainly that run in the first inning was exactly what the doctor ordered,” Farmington manager Rodney Frazee said. “A triple by your lead-off guy and we get him across the plate, that really gets everybody’s hopes up. It was sweet to have that but, unfortunately, we couldn’t expand on top of that.”
Alan VanSickle singled later in the inning and went to second on a wild pitch, but Hartman limited the damage to one run and Belle Vernon answered in the bottom of the inning against Farmington starter Nolan Sennett.
Jake Rathway led off with an infield hit and Tyler Seliga walked. JJ Hartman singled in Rathway, and Seliga scored as well on an outfield error with Hartman taking second. Logan Seliga was hit with a pitch one out later, Trevor Schrock singled to center to load the bases and Hartman scored on Max Gauden’s infield hit to make it 3-1.
“That’s huge,” Jake Hartman said of BV quickly answering after falling behind by a run. “That’s what you ask of the guys out there. We talked to them between innings and said it’s early in the game, a lot of baseball to play. That’s big to come back and get three runs in the bottom of the first.”
Belle Vernon added three more runs in the second.
Cory Fleming singled to center and took second on an error, Rathway walked and Tyler Seliga bunted the runners up. After JJ Hartman walked, Sabolek, Logan Seliga and Jared Hartman each delivered a run-scoring single to put BV up 6-1.
Sennett allowed six runs on seven hits with three walks and a hit batter in 1 1/3 innings before being relieved by Wyatt Rishel, who coughed up just one earned run in 3 2/3 innings to keep Farmington in the game, but Hartman limited the visitors to one unearned run after the first inning.
“He threw well,” Jake Hartman said. “You can’t ask for much more out of him.”
Farmington took advantage of several BV miscues in the third to score it’s second run, but it could’ve been worse.
Uphold reached on an error, took second on a wild pitch and went to third when Rishel’s fly ball was dropped. Rishel got caught in a rundown while trying to steal and Uphold tried to score on the play but was thrown out with Rathway making the tag. Rishel scored from second when Sennett singled and the ball was misplayed in the outfield.
It was the first of four consecutive innings in which Belle Vernon recorded an out on the base paths.
Austin Rates singled leading off the fourth and advanced to third when Alec Busby reached on an infield error but was thrown out at home by first baseman Sabolek when he tried to score on John Hiram’s grounder.
Uphold, who had three of Farmington’s eight hits, singled leading off the fifth but was picked off by Hartman. Rates reached on a one-out error in the sixth but was gunned down trying to steal second by Rathway.
“Jake Rathway has done a great job for us behind the plate,” Jake Hartman said. “He’s not a catcher but he’s come in for us and filled the role perfectly.”
Belle Vernon tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the fifth.
Schrock reached third when his fly ball was misplayed for a three-base error and scored on Jared Hartman’s double. Hartman moved to third on Gauden’s deep fly out. Eric Pietrantoni walked and stole second, and Fleming followed with an RBI ground out to cap the game’s scoring.
VanSickle relieved Rishel to start the sixth and surrendered a one-out single to Sabolek while throwing a scoreless inning.
“He struggled in the beginning of the Legion season,” Jake Hartman said of Sabolek. “He went through a little slump, but as of late he’s come on, which has been big for us.”
Farmington mounted a threat in the seventh with consecutive two-out singles by Jeremy Saliba, Uphold and Rishel to load the bases, but Tom Hartman called on Pietrantoni to relieve his son and he retired Sennett on a game-ending fly out.
Frazee was satisfied with his team’s effort in defeat, especially on the mound.
“All in all, I’m pretty proud of my pitchers,” Frazee said. “The first two guys, Nolan and Wyatt, this is only both of their second games they’ve pitched all year. These guys stepped into roles they’re not familiar with.
“At the same time, we also had a player who had an unfortunate event happen in his family and our starting shortstop wasn’t able to show tonight. Everything changed. I just told my kids a life lesson, nobody knows what tomorrow brings. Every once in a while you get thrown a curveball and you’ve got to make your adjustments.”
Frazee commended BV.
“Belle Vernon has always been a hitting team and kudos to them, they continue to maintain consistency with swinging the bat,” Frazee said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy.”