Category Archives: Local Sports

Riverside and Philipsburg-Oceola were set to play at Brockway High School yesterday afternoon for the PIAA AA Semifinals until Mother Nature had a plan of her own. With gloomy skies and scattered showers throughout the day, Brockway’s field was deemed unplayable. The game was then moved to Harry Noerr Field in Punxsutawney.

But don’t think a short delay of game or a little rain shook up the Lady Panthers. Kirsten Wilson threw yet another perfect game. No-hitters seem almost like a regular occurrence for Wilson nowadays. She struck out a total of 15 Lady Mounties and allowed only 4 walks.

The battle for a State Championship spot remained dead even with a scoreless game until the 5th inning. Cassie Barker stole a free walk to first to lead off the first inning. Sophomore, Nicole Kranz, hit a sacrifice bunt to send Barker to second. Logan Snyder then followed Barker’s lead by also picking up a walk.

With two runners on base and a powerhouse up to bat, the Lady Mounties had no other choice but to intentionally walk Kirsten Wilson in attempts to defend the plate. Although Natalie Pritts knew what was at stake as she received her pitch. Pritts bombed one to center field to score Barker and Snyder for the only 2 runs of the game.

Other leading batters for the afternoon were Brooke Barker, Nicole Mansfield, Kirsten Wilson, and Morgan McElwain. Barker contributed a double while Mansfield smacked a single and a double. Wilson and McElwain also both chipped in a single a piece.

Riverside kept their dream alive, after defeating the Mounties 2-0. The Lady Panthers will now advance to the PIAA AA State Championship on Friday against Brandywine. The game will be held at Penn State’s Nittany Lion Softball Park in State College, PA at 10:00 a.m. The WPIAL Champions improved their perfect record to 22-0. With a win on Friday, Riverside will clench yet another title as well have a spotless season.

Minor League:

Nalco 5 – PJ Construction 2

At the midway point of the season Nalco remains unbeaten at 6-0.  For Nalco, Danny D’Itri capped his winning performance on the mound by striking out 3 people looking.  He threw 9 pitches that inning, making every one count.  D’Itri started off the 4th inning at 3rd base, fielding the first balls hit to him and to get the first 2 outs of the inning. In the 5th inning, James Meehan made a great stop of Doug Balin’s hard hit line drive to hold him to a single. Joey Hudson followed with a walk but Danny D’Itri then doubled in Balin.

This was immediately followed up by a line shot to right center by Justin Bailey earning him a 2 RBI double.   For PJ Construction, a late inning come back started with the walking of Brock Biega.  With 2 outs, Sammy DiCaprio doubled to center, setting up the next batter with runners on 2nd and 3rd.  Ryan Hampton was next who sent a shot to the center field fence, scoring 2 and earning himself a triple.  The comeback came up short when shortstop, Balin, fielded a hard hit liner throwing the batter out at first for the 3rd and final out of the game. Nalco finished on top with a score of 5-2.

Little League:

Elks 13 – Moose 12

Elks Pitchers:

• Josh Magill pitched 4 innings to strikeout 6 and walk 4.
• Jake Roxberry pitched 2 innings to strikeout 3 and walk 2.

Moose Pitcher:

• Blake Agnew pitched 5 innings to strikeout 5 and walk 2.

Elks Leading Batters:

• Jake Roxberry batted 3 times to have 2 hits and 2 RBIs.
• Josh Magill batted 3 times to have 2 hits and 1 RBI.
• Alex Fotia batted 3 times to have 3 hits and 4 RBIs.
• James Meehan batted 3 times to have 3 hits and 2 RBIs.

Moose Leading Batters:

• Tristan Weber batted 4 times to have 2 hits and 1 RBI.
• Brandon Harden batted 3 times to have 3 hits and 4 RBIs.
• Gage Agnew batted 3 times to have 2 hits and 3 RBIs.
• Matthew Dudash batted 3 times to have 2 hits.

With the score tied at 12 in the bottom of the sixth, Matthew Dudash smacked a ball into the left center field gap to open the frame with a double.  Two batters later, James Meehan cracked a ground-rule double, his third hit of the game, scoring Dudash for the win. Elks came out on top with a final score of 13 – 12.

Elks 12 – Johnny’s 7

Elks Pitchers:

• Austin Walley pitched 5 innings to strikeout 8 and walk 3.
• Jake Roxberry pitched a third of an inning to strikeout 1 and walk 4.
• Jake Peffer pitched two-thirds of an inning to strikeout 1 and walk 0.

Johnny’s Pitchers:

• Brady Welsh pitched 5 innings to strikeout 4 and walk 1.
• Hunter Wilson pitched 1 inning to strikeout 2 and walk 1.

Elks Leading Batters:

• Evan Barton batted 4 times to have 2 hits and 1 RBI.
• Austin Walley batted 4 times to have 3 hits and 2 RBIs.
• Josh Magill batted 4 times to have 2 hits and 1 RBI.
• Caden Ochsenhirt batted 3 times to have 3 hits and 2 RBIs.

Johnny’s Leading Batters:

• Storm Chambers batted 3 times to have 2 hits and 2 RBIs.
• Ryan Hampton batted 3 times to have 3 hits and 2 RBIs.

Known by most in the area as a wrestler and football player, Austin Walley paced the Elks in picking up their second consecutive win both on the mound and at the plate.  Walley threw five strong innings to keep the hard-hitting Johnny’s lineup at bay for five innings.  He consistently threw strikes, walking only three batters.

Johnny’s staged a comeback late with Storm Chambers smacking a two-out, two-run double, but reliever, Jake Peffer came in to close out the game for the Elks.

At this point in the season, the Lady Panthers look like the dream team for any softball coach. Pam McCarty’s team is currently 21-0 with a WPIAL Championship under their belts. But after Friday afternoon’s show, they proved to Ligonier Valley there is still plenty of unfinished business for the Panthers.

Riverside’s scoreless first inning was a false glimmer of hope for the Rams. Ligonier Valley upset Chesnut Ridge to advance to the State Quarterfinals and were looking to do the same with Semifinals. But once the Lady Panthers put their bats to work the Rams might as well started to warm their buses.

Multiple players put hits into the books for Riverside, making this an offensive win for the Panthers. Among those sluggers were Brooke Barker, Natalie Pritts, Kirsten Wilson, Nicole Mansfield, and Andrea Lippman. Riverside mercied Ligonier Valley at the end of five innings with a final score of 13-0. Is it even possible to mercy a team in the State Quarterfinals?

Wilson defended her post on the mound as usual, holding the Rams to zero runs and one hit. In five innings, she pitched seven strikeouts and no walks. The chemistry between Wilson and her catcher, fellow senior, Nicole Mansfield was undeniable. Mansfield has been a major part of Wilson’s pitching success throughout the season.

Riverside will play Philipsburg-Osceola today in the PIAA AA Semifinals. The game will be held at Brockway High School at 4:00 p.m. With just two more wins, Riverside will finish off their perfect season with a State Championship. If Panthers play anything like they did on Friday, the Lady Mounties should be fearful of this afternoon’s outcome.

Lawrence County Pony League:

Game 3: ESB 10 – Mohawk 5

Mitch “Meat” Fraser was dynamic Monday night, leading Ellwood City’s ESB to a Lawrence County League Victory Monday night.  Mitch was the winning pitcher, pitching five innings, scattering four hits, and allowing just three runs; offensively, Mitch was 3 for 3, scoring 4 runs, and stealing 5 bases.  Other offensive contributions were made by: Max Keally: 1hit, 1 run; Blaze Chambers: 1 hit 3 runs; Cole Guy: 2 hits, 1 run.  Also collecting a hit for ESB were: Steve Ketterer, Trey Houk, and Anthony Byers.  Tyler Alberts tossed the final two innings and struck out 5 while allowing just one hit and one run.

ESB is now 3-0 in Lawrence County Pony League.

Game 4: ESB 8 – New Castle Pride 3

Under the bright lights of Sanders Field, ESB shut down the New Castle Pride in Lawrence Pony League action.  ESB surrendered just three hits and cruised to the victory.  Offensively, Max Keally, Mitch Fraser, Anthony Agostinelli, and Tyler Alberts had multi-hit games and scored at least one run each.

On the hill, Blaze Chambers, Alberts, and Keally combined for five 1-2-3 innings, recording 15 of the 21 outs by strikeout.

Game 5: ESB 6 – Neshannock 5

On a hot, dry afternoon, great pitching, grit, and determination combined to give ESB a dramatic 6-5 come-from-behind victory over Neshannock.  On the hill, Blaze Chambers and Max Keally combined to yield just three hits, striking out 14 batters.  After ESB grabbed the lead 6-3 in the 6th inning, the home team plated a run in the 6th to set the stage for the intense ending.

Neshannock’s Billy Gray drew a walk and Eli Slinn got a single.  Keally got Michael Ball to chase an 0-2 curveball for strike three.  An error advanced the runners to second and third causing ESB to intentionally walk Daniel Foy.  A wild pitch scored Gray and advanced the winning run to scoring position.  DJ DiMuccio batted next and saw three straight balls before Keally delivered two consecutive strikes.  With the count now full,  DiMuccio fouled off the next FOUR pitches.  The next pitch was a fast ball low and away.  Dimuccio’s swing and miss ended the ball game.  ESB 6-Neshannock 5.

Collecting hits for ESB were: Keally (2), Chambers, Mitch Fraser (2), Anthony Agostinelli, Tyler Alberts, and Anthony Byers.

Game 6: ESB 8 – Hungarian Home 6

After the dramatics in Neshannock, ESB returned to the normally friendly confines of Sanders Field only to be engaged in a Lawrence County Pony League version of the Civil War.  Even though ESB took the lead in the top half of the second inning, Hungarian Home put pressure on in every inning, threatening to pull ahead.

On the hottest day of the year, during the hottest time of day, Blaze Chambers star shined brightest.  Blaze pitched the final four innings for ESB, yielding just two runs on two hits while striking out 8.  In the sixth inning with two outs and the score 6-5, the bases were loaded for Ryan Bartolomeo who already had two hits in the game.  On a 1-2 pitch, the ball was pounded into the ground towards Chambers.  Chambers stepped forward, calmly fielded the ball, sprinted towards home, and stepped on the plate to force the runner, ending the inning and the threat.

Collecting hits for ESB were: Max Keally (3), Chambers (2), Mitch Fraser (2), Anthony Agostinelli (2), and Trey Houk.

Hits for Hungarian Home: Luke Angelucci, Josh Bates, Anthony Roth, Ryan Bartolomeo (2), Vincent DeCaria, Luca Botti, and Mikey Hughes.