Clean sweep
Uniontown Legion advances to semifinals of league playoffs
Jack Johns and Brayden Hinzy combined for a one-hit shutout in Game 1 before the offense broke out for 14 runs, including nine in the first inning, for a five-inning victory in Game 2 as Uniontown Post 51 won by scores of 7-0 and 14-1 to complete a sweep over Carmichaels Post 400 in the Fayette County American Legion Baseball league playoffs on Tuesday night at Wana B Park in Carmichaels.
Game 1 of the best-of-three series was contested on Monday at Hutchinson Field in Hopwood.
Uniontown (13-6) will play Smithfield-Fairchance (10-5) in the semifinals of the league playoffs in a best-of-three series. Game 1 will be held at German-Masontown Park on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Game 2 will be at Uniontown on Friday at 7 p.m., and if necessary, a third game will decide the series, which will be played at German-Masontown Park as Smithfield-Fairchance is the second seed.
Top-seeded Belle Vernon (15-2-1) and Charleroi (8-8) will face off in the other semifinal. The winners will meet in a one-game final for the league title. The finalists will represent Fayette County in the Region 6 Tournament at Blackhawk. The region tournament begins on July 18.
Uniontown coach Rich Franks liked what he saw from his team the first two games.
“Our pitching was outstanding in Game 1,” said Franks. “Jack Johns and Brayden Hinzy threw great, combined for a one-hitter and threw a total of 87 pitches. Both kids worked very efficiently, and have been solid for us all season.
“In Game 2, we jumped on them early and took it from there. Everyone had good at-bats the first two times through the order. The offense just clicked. Wherever you are playing a best-of-three series, earning a sweep is always ideal. We also felt less pressure in Game 2 after the victory in Game 1.”
Johns started for Uniontown on Monday and earned the victory after yielding one hit in four innings. He struck out and walked one batter apiece. Hinzy pitched the final three frames for the save. He had two strikeouts and walked three.
Franks credited Carmichaels starting pitcher Scott Maskil Jr. for holding his team’s offense in check the first four innings. Maskil allowed two earned runs on six hits with no strikeouts and four walks.
“We scratched a run across in the third and fourth, but we didn’t do much offensively until the sixth,” Franks said. “Shane Kelly and Sevi Vecchiolla hit the ball hard, but it was right at people. We were a little shorthanded in Game 1 due to an injury to Noah Lion and some kids being out of town, but our group responded. Our Junior Legion call-ups really stepped up for us, so a big thank you to those young men.”
Lane Smiley scored the only run Johns and Hinzy would need in the third inning when he crossed home plate on Parker Hoff’s double to left field for a 1-0 lead.
Mike Smith on Evan Lion’s ground out to second base in the fourth frame for a 2-0 advantage.
Vecchiolla scored when Smith reached first base safely on a bunt single for a three-run lead in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Nick Fleszar and Smith scored following Aiden Milsom’s line drive to center field. Jamesen Carter and Hinzy crossed home plate for the final run on Hinzy’s single to center field.
Hoff, Milsom and Smith each had two hits. Hinzy and Milsom drove in two runs apiece.
Xander Day singled to right field in the top of the third inning for Carmichaels’ lone hit in Game 1.
Smiley drove in four runs in Game 2 with two-run singles in the first and second innings.
Vecchiolla had a two-run double in the opening frame. Hinzy drove in two with a single, and Eahn Stevenson had an RBI double in the first. Kelly singled home a run, and Nick Crouch recorded an RBI on a groundout. Kelly and Stevenson had three hits apiece, and Hinzy and Vecchiolla added two-hit days. Stevenson had three doubles. Johns added a run-scoring double.
Nick Fleszar earned the win on the mound after allowing one run (zero earned) in two innings. He didn’t give up a hit, struck out four and walked three. Smiley pitched two scoreless innings and Vecchiolla threw a 1-2-3 fifth to end the game due to the 10-run rule.
Carmichaels’ Jordan Davis singled in the fourth inning. He advanced to second on an error and third on a groundout before being gunned down at home plate when Smiley induced an inning-ending double play. Brayden Ellsworth and Brody Bebout walked in the frame prior to double play.