Frazier beats B-C to clinch playoff spot
Baseball roundup
Frazier needed a win and some help on Tuesday to qualify for the WPIAL baseball playoffs.
The Commodores did their part as Brant Alekson pitched six strong innings and Tyler Morrison delivered a double, single and an RBI in an 8-4 victory at Beth-Center.
California provided the needed help by knocking off Chartiers-Houston.
The combination of events left the Commodores (5-7, 9-9)
and Bucs (5-7, 9-9) tied for the fourth and final playoff spot out of Section 1-2A but only Frazier will advance thanks to its regular-season sweep of C-H.
Alekson earned the win, allowing just one run on five hits with two walks and 13 strikeouts in six innings. Beth-Center trailed 8-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh but put up three runs until Noah Bachinski came on to record the final out and notch the save.
Bachinski also sparked a five-run first inning with a two-run single.
Chase Fulmer had two hits and two RBIs for the Commodores, who also got doubles from Eli Cernuska and Noah Varga and two singles apiece from Nick Porter, Alekson and Tyler Jerico.
Brody Bebout had two hits and two RBIs for the Bulldogs (1-11, 1-16), who also got a double and two RBIs from Enzo Brown.
CALIFORNIA 9, CHARTIERS-HOUSTON – Eli Carpenter was 3 for 3 with an RBI and Logan Hartley tripled and knocked in three runs as the second-place Trojans bumped the Bucs out of the postseason chase with a Section 1-2A win.
Easton Daniels also hit a triple for California (10-2, 13-6).
JEANNETTE 6, JEFFERSON-MORGAN 5 – The Jayhawks defeated the visiting Rockets in a Section 1-A game but Jeannette also needed a loss by Carmichaels to reach the playoffs. The Mikes rolled past West Greene, 11-1.
Jefferson-Morgan and longtime coach John Curtis, in his final year, locked up a postseason berth Monday with a win over the Jayhawks (6-6, 10-7), although a win Tuesday would’ve vaulted them into a second-place tie with Avella. The Rockets (7-5, 11-9) wound up in a third-place tie with the Mikes.
Brayden Ellsworth had two doubles and an RBI for J-M, which also got two RBIs from Joey Bair.
CARMICHAELS 11, WEST GREENE 1 – Cooper Richards had two hits and four RBIs as the playoff-bound Mikes rolled over the Pioneers in a Section 1-A game.
Winning pitcher Owen Ray threw a four-hitter with one walk and five strikeouts.
Scottie Maskil contributed a double and two RBIs for Carmichaels (7-5, 8-9), which also got a single and two RBIs from Connor Lapana.
Joel Rizor had two hits for West Greene (2-10, 2-16), which also got a double from Gavin Roberts.
LAUREL HIGHLANDS 10, RINGGOLD 0 – Jack Johns fired a two-hitter with two walks and nine strikeouts as the Mustangs romped over the visiting Rams (6-6, 9-10) in a six-inning Section 2-4A game.
Aiden Milsom doubled, singled and drove in three runs and Nick Crouch doubled, singled and had two RBIs for Laurel Highlands (2-10, 5-12), which also got two hits and an RBI from both Noah Lion and Ramaree Morgan and two singles from Andrew Gallick.
ELIZABETH FORWARD 5, UNIONTOWN 0 – Shane Kelly had a double for the Red Raiders (4-8, 9-10) in a Section 2-4A loss to the first-place Warriors (11-1, 13-6).
CHARLEROI 11, WAYNESBURG CENTRAL 10 – DJ Reese had a double and two RBIs but the playoff-bound Raiders fell to the Cougars (7-5, 10-8) in a Section 4-3A game.
RJ Whyel and Jarett Tretinik both had a double and an RBI for Waynesburg (6-6, 7-12), which could’ve finished in a second-place tie with a win.
FREEPORT 5, SOUTHMORELAND 0 – Joey Bentz, Cooper Kaylor and Mason Myers had the only hits for the Scotties (0-12, 1-18) in a Section 3-3A loss to the unbeaten Yellowjackets (12-0, 17-0).
GREENSBURG CENTRAL CATHOLIC 16, MAPLETOWN 1 – Sam Moritz had hit for the Maples (0-12, 3-17) in a Section 1-A loss to the first-place Centurions (12-0, 14-0).
WEST MIFFLIN 9, BELLE VERNON 3 – AJ Watson had two hits and an RBI but the Leopards fell to the Titans (9-3, 13-6) in a Section 2-4A game.
Connor Bergman and Vito Francia each had a double and an RBI for Belle Vernon (9-3, 13-4), which finished in a second-place tie with West Mifflin.