Belle Vernon Legion earns 3 wins in 2 days
Belle Vernon made sure it kept itself busing during the weekend with three American Legion baseball games in two days.
Belle Vernon picked up a 7-1 win at Smithfield-Fairchance in Fayette league play Friday while also defeating Moundsville, 10-5, earlier in the day in five innings and Charleston, 13-3, in four innings on Saturday in a pair of non-league games.
Manager Tom Jackson’s squad improved to 11-1-1 overall and sits in first place in the Fayette league.
Vito Francia had two hits, including a double, and two RBIs in the win for Belle Vernon in the win over S-F. The visitors also got two hits and an RBI from both JB Crovak and Jesse Sobczak and a double from Cole Matusik.
Winning pitcher Ian Porter pitched a complete game, allowing five hits and one walk with two strikeouts.
Belle Vernon scored two runs in the second inning. Matusik led off with a double and scored on a single by Sobczak, who late came home on a wild pitch.
Smithfield-Fairchance (6-4-1) got its lone run in the third inning when Billy Craig doubled and scored on AJ Watson’s double.
Crovak made it 3-1 with an RBI single in the fourth.
Belle Vernon put the game away in the top of the seventh when it tacked on four more runs. Francia’s two-run double was the key hit in the frame.
Losing pitcher Kaiden Brady surrendered two earned runs on seven hits and three walks with six strikeouts.
Earlier in the day against Moundsville, Jacob Peterson had two hits for Belle Vernon which took advantage of seven walks, including four along with a hit batter and singles by Dom Pireaux, Francia and Peterson in a six-run first inning.
Belle Vernon starting pitcher Crovak pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings, giving up one hit but six walks with 10 strikeouts.
In Saturday’s victory over Charleston, Jack Crovak was 3 for 3 with a triple, double and four RBIs, and JB Crovak had a single and three RBIs.
Pireaux contributed a double and an RBI, and Landon Jackson added a single and two RBIs.
Aiden Shaffer earned the win.