Belle Vernon Legion opens season with three wins
Belle Vernon started the 2024 season with three victories in the opening weekend of play in the Fayette County American Legion Baseball League.
Belle Vernon closed the busy Memorial Day weekend of baseball Sunday with a 14-6 win against Uniontown.
Belle Vernon led 6-4 after two innings and put the game away with three runs in the top of the fifth inning. Belle Vernon added five runs in the final two innings.
JB Crovak came on in relief in the first inning and pitched through the fifth to earn the win. Crovak allowed three runs on two hits, walked three and struck out 10. He also had a solid day at the plate with a double and three RBI.
AJ Wardropper doubled in the victory. Jake Wessel singled, walked three times, drove in a run and scored three. Jaxson Bozek finished with two hits and two RBI. AJ Grese drove in a pair of runs.
Clay Dean took the loss. Shane Layton doubled for Uniontown. Parker Hoff had two hits and scored three runs, and Noah Lion drove in two runs.
Belle Vernon 13, Colonial 3 0 – Wardropper earned the win and the Belle Vernon offense pounded out 14 hits in Saturday’s game.
Wardropper allowed just two hits, singles to Brock Alekson and Dailan McManus, walked one and struck out two in three innings for the win. Zach Bird didn’t allow a hit in his two innings with one walk and three strikeouts.
Austin Hoffman drove in three runs for Belle Vernon. Crovak, Charlie Nigut and Faychak all finished with two hits. Faychak tripled and scored in the first inning.
Logan Brown took the loss.
Belle Vernon 11, Waynesburg 1 – Belle Vernon handed Waynesburg a loss Friday night in its return to league play.
Waynesburg tied the game with a run on a wild pitch in the top of the second, but Belle Vernon regained the lead on Alex Nash’s single in the bottom of the inning.
Nash earned the win with one unearned run on one hit – a single by Brody Ross – with a walk and six strikeouts in three innings of work. Bozek didn’t allow a run or hit, didn’t walk a batter and struck out four in the final two innings.
Faychak led the offense with three hits. Wessel and Nash both drove in two runs. Belle Vernon stole 10 bases.
Connellsville 8, Charleroi 1 – Matt Miller drove in four runs in Connellsville’s victory Sunday against Charleroi.
Miller had a two-run single in Connellsville’s four-run third inning.
Connellsville’s Kace Shearer finished with two hits and scored three runs. Anthony Piasecki drove in a run. Aidan Newmyer had a double and Matthew Firestone legged out a triple.
Logan Lowery allowed one earned run on four hits in the complete game victory. He walked three and struck out seven.
Tyler O’Neil doubled for Charleroi and Eddie Frizzel drove in a run.
Connellsville went undefeated over the opening weekend with a 10-0 win against Smithfield-Fairchance on Friday and a 15-0 victory against Waynesburg on Saturday.
Charleroi 15, Colonial 3 0 – Charleroi scored four runs in the top of the first inning, five in the second and four more in the top of the third to roll to a victory on Saturday.
O’Neil drove in three runs and scored two in the victory. Ben Shields walked four times and scored three runs. Jackson Keranko doubled and drove in two runs.
Tyler Fisher and Gavin Kovach combined on a one-hitter in the five-inning victory. The pair walked two and struck out five.
Dalian McManus had Colonial 3’s hit.
Uniontown 1, Charleroi 0 – Uniontown scored the only run of the game on an error in the top of the first inning for a season-opening win on Friday.
Winning pitcher Tate Musko allowed only a single to Ben Shields in the complete-game victory. He walked three and struck out eight.
Shields took the loss, allowing only a single by Musko. He struck out 10 and walked one in six innings of work.