Belle Vernon Legion sweeps doubleheader from Uniontown
Belle Vernon traveled to Hutchinson Field for a doubleheader Wednesday night with the opportunity to inch closer to clinching the Fayette County American Legion Baseball League regular season title with just over a week remaining.
Uniontown needed at least a split to remain in the hunt for second place, a first-round bye and home field.
Belle Vernon (11-0, 12-0) moved closer to clinching the regular season title with a sweep of the doubleheader, taking the first game, 11-0, and winning the nightcap, 10-1.
鈥淗itting, running, fielding, anything in general, we did,鈥� said Belle Vernon manager Tom Jackson. 鈥淚 think we鈥檙e averaging around 12 runs a game. We just have to go one game at a time.
The first game was high strung with both teams engaging in spirited chatter back and forth, to the point where both umpires warned the benches enough was enough.
The intensity reached a high point in the top of the third inning when Uniontown starting pitcher Tate Musko reacted after Cole Matusik walked on a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded. His reaction led to an ejection with Belle Vernon leading, 3-0.
Belle Vernon almost ran out of the inning against Musko, though. Jaxson Bozek singled to open the inning. Charlie Nigut walked and Jake Wessel was safe when his fly ball was dropped.
Kayden Faychak ripped the ball off the left-center fence, but Nigut got a late start and held third. Meanwhile, Wessel was nearing third and Faychak passed second base.
However, Belle Vernon escaped disaster when Wessel and Faychak were able to hustle back safely for a long, run-scoring single.
Tyler Gasper was pressed into duty after the ejection with the bases loaded and no outs. Infield ground outs by Jake Lee and Kole Doppelheuer gave Belle Vernon a 5-0 lead.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e a great hitting team. If you look at the numbers, the best hitting team, without a doubt.
They鈥檙e able to stack runs. They get traffic on the bases. They have good-enough hitters to get the ball in play,鈥� said Uniontown Legion manager Rich Franks. 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e able to put the ball in play, good things happen.鈥�
Belle Vernon increased its lead with six runs in the top of the fourth inning with a couple hits and some help from the home team.
Mitchell Vuick was at the plate in the top of the third inning when Austin Hoffman was caught stealing, so he led off the fourth inning.
Vuick was hit by a pitch, as was Bozek. Nigut walked to load the bases.The runners held on Wessel蘑菇视频 fly ball to right field.
Faychak walked home a run. Matusik蘑菇视频 line drive to center singled home a run and two more scored when the ball was misplayed and Matusik took third.
Lee walked and stole second. Doppelheuer hit a sacrifice fly and Hoffman singled home a run.
Night doubled on the first pitch of the game, but was picked off. Wessel walked and moved to second on an errant pickoff attempt. Musko ended the threat with an infield fly ball and ground out.
Uniontown (6-5) had a solid opportunity to grab control of the game in the bottom of the first inning.
Eanh Stevenson was hit by a pitch after an earlier pitch deflected off the knob of the bat. Wyatt Nehls singled and then beat out a play at second on Mason Kuhn蘑菇视频 ground ball to keep the inning alive with two outs.
AJ Wardropper ended the threat with a strikeout.
鈥淔irst inning, we got the bases loaded. Any time you do that against a team like this and don鈥檛 score, it蘑菇视频 a momentum killer from the start,鈥� said Uniontown Legion manager Rich Franks. 鈥淚f you can at least scratch out one run and use pitcher a little bit, and don鈥檛 let him settle in a groove,
鈥淭hat蘑菇视频 been the story. We kind of broke that for a little while, but this game here we stranded some guys and it hurt.鈥�
Wardropper was unhittable after the first inning, retiring the side in the second, third and fifth innings. He walked Connor Hebda and hit Kuhn with one out. But, stopped the threat with an infield fly ball and a ground out.
Wardropped finished with seven strikeouts and just one walk.
Hoffman went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs for Belle Vernon.
Belle Vernon didn鈥檛 slow down with another strong offensive performance in the nightcap.
Belle Vernon broke the scoreless tie with four runs in the bottom of the third inning.
Lee drove in two runs with a single, Faychak walked with the bases loaded, and Matusik was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
The lead grew to 6-0 in the fourth inning.
Uniontown scored its lone run in the top of the fourth inning. Belle Vernon closed with four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Wessell went 3-for-3, a home run shy of hitting for the cycle, with two RBI. Lee contributed two hits and two RBI.
JB Crovak allowed one unearned run on two hits with five walks and 11 strikeouts in six innings, and tripled home a run. Zach Bird struck out all three batters he faced in the seventh inning.
Musko and Stevenson accounted for Uniontown蘑菇视频 hits with a single each.