Key victory: Red Raider trio combines on no-hitter in 14-3 win
Jim Downey | Herald-StandardUniontown’s Tate Musko fires a pitch in the bottom of the fourth inning in Monday’s Section 2-AAAA game at Laurel Highlands. Musko didn’t allow a hit in six-plus innings in the Red Raiders’ 14-3 win.
Tate Musko started it and Caleb Bartock finished the combined no-hitter Monday afternoon in Uniontown’s key 14-3 victory in Section 2-AAAA play at Laurel Highlands.
The victory gave the Red Raiders a tenuous hold on a playoff berth with a 4-5 section record and overall mark of 5-7. Ringgold (4-5, 6-8) kept pace with Uniontown in the final two spots and put a crimp in Albert Gallatin’s playoff hopes with a 12-0 victory.
The section finale was scheduled for Tuesday night at Bailey Park.
“I think it was more important (to win) today, but now tomorrow is more important. We split with AG and beat Ringgold twice,” said Ken Musko.
Tate Musko met his 100-pitch limit when he walked Xavier Call, the lead-off batter in the bottom of the seventh inning.
“Look, Tate, I said this to our guys and our coaches, we’ve talked, and Tate’s the best player in the section. What he’s done this year both pitching and at the plate, he’s really putting together a great year,” said Laurel Highlands coach Brad Yohman, adding, “We knew it was going to be a challenge.”
The left-hander struck out the side in the first and second innings to finish with 12 strikeouts. His only two walks came in the first inning and led to the Mustangs’ first run.
Parker Hoff walked with one out and moved to third on two passed balls. Losing pitcher Devan Krivosky followed with a walk. Krivosky broke for second, but the pickoff throw to first was awry and Hoff came home with an unearned run.
Tate closed the inning with two strikeouts.
“I knew he would calm down. These guys get up for this game so much and I don’t know how you fix that in a young kid. And, all of them are like that on both sides,” said Ken Musko. “I was confident he would calm down and get moving. It wasn’t his best game.”
Laurel Highlands scored two more runs in the third inning without a hit.
Ethan Koffler was hit to open the inning. Parker Hoff hit a fly ball just on the outfield grass and the ball was misplayed for an error.
Krivosky laid down a safety squeeze bunt that scored Koffler. Musko lost his footing as he fielded the ball, and threw the ball wide of first base as he hurried to get off the throw before he regained his balance.
The inning ended with a double play after third baseman Wyatt Nehls snared a line drive and threw to first.
“The story of the game is we got some traffic, but not enough hits. We thought we had a lot of momentum from Thursday’s game against McGuffey. We put up 18 hits and scored 13 runs,” said Yohman. “I felt really good how we practiced. Offensively, we just weren’t good enough today.”
“It’s been little things like that. We’ve been losing one-run, two-run games like that and they’re not hitting the baseball,” said Ken Musko. “It’s not necessarily errors. It’s walks, passed balls. It’s a little mistake.”
Koffler was hit by a pitch with one out in the fifth inning. Andrew Gallick bunted foul for a strikeout. Musko ended the inning, and saved his pitch count, when he picked off Koffler at second for the third out.
“The pickoff, it helped our pitch count. I was just trying to get him out of the inning without any more pitches,” said Ken Musko.
The Mustangs attempted to run up Musko’s pitch count with at least one fake bunt attempt per at-bat and by crowding the plate.
“We knew we needed to do whatever we could to get his pitch count up. He’s good and we know that,” said Yohman.
Ken Musko understood the strategy.
“I credit their coaches. It’s not my kind of baseball, but I understand it,” said Ken Musko. “A few years ago West Mifflin faked bunt to get deep in the counts. It was a good game plan. It’s not fun to be around.
“They almost executed it.”
Tyler Gasper came on in relief of Tate Musko, but walked the one batter he faced. Bartock managed to pick up the final two outs.
“We’re very young. I have confidence in them and they have confidence. They’re eager to get in. That’s nice to see,” Ken Musko said of his pitching staff. “Better than we hoped for. We didn’t have to use our No. 2 guy (Austin Greco).”
The Uniontown bats took awhile to get going, but finally scored in the top of the third inning on Mason Kuhn’s run-scoring single and a passed ball.
The Red Raiders’ lead grew to 4-3 on Brayden Hinzey’s sacrifice fly and errant throw.
Uniontown scored two more runs in the top of the fifth inning.
The Red Raiders sent 12 batters to the plate to blow the game open with eight runs in the top of the seventh inning. Hinzey had a two-run double in the final rally.
Hinzey sparked the offense with three hits, three RBI and three runs scored.
Yohman said the Mustangs weren’t just playing out the string despite being out of the playoff race.
“We still have a lot to play for, even though we’re not going to the postseason,” said Yohman, adding, “Devan did a good enough job pitching. He kept us in the game. We just made some mistakes behind him.”