Uniontown advances to Legion state tourney
Chad Petrush and Ian Edenfield both hit three-run homers as Uniontown rolled past Smithfield-Fairchance, 11-0 in five innings, on Tuesday to win the American Legion Region 6 baseball title and advance to the state tournament.
Petrush, who also smacked a two-run triple, drove in five runs and Andino Vecchiolla pitched a four-hitter as Uniontown qualified for its second appearance in the state playoffs in the last four years under manager Brad Yohman.
Smithfield-Fairchance (12-11) needed to defeat Uniontown twice to win the championship and advance.
Manager Mike Simon’s squad made a strong run in the regional as the fourth team out of the Fayette league. S-F went 3-2 in the tournament with both losses coming at the hands of Uninotown, which won all four of its games.
Uniontown (26-0) turned two inning-ending double plays in the first three innings that helped to keep Smithfield-Fairchance off the scoreboard.
Dylan Rush led off the game with an infield single for S-F, and Nate Bricker reached on a bunt single, but Vecchiolla got a pop out and then a 6-4-3 double play started by shortstop Travis Sankovich.
In the bottom of the inning, Josh Burns singled, Sankovich reached on an error and Edenfield hit his three-run blast to left-center field to make it 3-0.
Smithfield-Fairchance threatened again in the top of the third when it put two on with one out but this time it was Uniontown second baseman Burns who started a 4-6-3 double play to squelch a potential rally.
Uniontown added three more runs in the bottom of the inning. Edenfield walked, Nate Zimcosky got aboard on an error and Petrush drove both runners in with his triple. Dylan Bohna’s RBI single made it 6-0.
Yohman’s squad put up five more runs in the fourth.
Sankovich reached on an error and came around to score when Edenfield also got on base thanks to an error. Zimcosky singled to left and Petrush followed with his three-run blast to center. Bohna kept the rally going when he reached on an error, stole second and came home on Nick Kumor’s single to cap the game’s scoring. Kumor also had a double.
Vecchiolla allowed four hits and one walk with one strikeout to tossing the abbreviated complete game.
Mike Coll took the losss for Smithfield-Fairchance. Rush, who also walked, reached base twice for S-F.