BASEBALL
D-10 Quarterfinals
Class 4A
• Meadville 6, Grove City 5 — Grove City couldn’t seal the deal on Tuesday.
Entering the game with a 4-1 record in games settled by 1-run or less this Spring, the 6th-seeded Eagles allowed 3rd-seeded Meadville to score 3 times in the bottom of the 7th to end the Grovers’ season in the District 10 Class 4A quarterfinals at Allegheny College’s Garby Yard.
“That’s not the way we drew it up,” Grove City coach Brandon Jones said. “We’ve played in a lot of one-run games and were in a playoff-like atmosphere quite a bit this year. Today, it seemed like the ball had eyes and everywhere we wanted it to go, it wouldn’t. Very, very sad way to end the season.”
Trailing 5-3 entering the bottom of the 7th, Meadville (14-6) quickly put the pressure on GC freshman reliever Layne Rider. Bradyn Miller and Brighton Anderson followed a hit by pitch with singles before a delayed double steal knotted the score at 5-all. The Eagles couldn’t field Henry DeSantis-Biggs’ comebacker cleanly to allow Anderson to allow the winning run to score.
“What an emotional ending, especially after having played a clean game,” Jones said. “The one inning we needed the most and the wheels came off … couldn’t get an out, couldn’t make a play.”
Grove City (11-7) couldn’t capitalize on momentum-grabbing runs in the first and fourth innings.
In the top of the first, Will Schell singled home Ethan Adams for an early 1-0 lead, but the Bulldogs countered with a single run in the bottom half of the inning.
With Bode Stevenson and Max Knouse singling to start the fourth, Grove City would take a 4-1 lead on Adams’ RBI single and a 2-run throwing error by Meadville. Again, the Bulldogs answered in the bottom half of the inning with 2 runs.
The Eagles extended their lead to 5-3 in the fifth without sending a ball out of the infield when Joey Hathaway’s infield single plated Nolan Renick.
With the chance to add to its cushion in the final two innings, Grove City went down in order both times – including strikeouts in 4-of-6 at bats.
“The first guy (A.J. Feleppa) was throwing a lot of offspeed pitches and I thought we handled him well, putting a lot of balls in play,” Jones said. “The second guy (Rocco Tartaglione) came in with a bit more velocity and he set a better tone for them. We just had a hard time adjusting to him.”
With the loss, Grove City is forced to say goodbye to seniors Adams, Hathaway, Kam Martin, Ethan Orr, Schell and Stevenson.
“The six seniors have been fantastic and all six of them contributed all season long,” Jones said. “They wanted this game so badly. They were focused and were dialed in. To see the looks on their faces as they walked off the field, I feel for them.”
Notes: The Bulldogs advance to Friday’s D-10 semifinals where they will meet Region 2 champion Sharon. … Hathaway was the lone Grove City player to register multiple hits with a single, a double and 2 RBIs. … Ben Fischer and Rider combined to yield 6 runs on 7 hits, while striking out 6 and walking 6. … Meadville stranded 8 runners to just 5 for GC. … The Bulldogs had 2 errors, while the Eagles committed 1. — By Corey J. Corbin, Herald sports correspondent.
• Gen. McLane 8, Slippery Rock 4 — At Northwestern High School in Albion, the season came to an end for the fifth-seeded Rockets (12-6) with the loss to the fourth-seeded Lancers (11-9) on Tuesday.
Gen. McLane took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning and Slippery Rock cut the lead to 3-1 in the top of the third. The Lancers answered with five runs in the bottom half of the third en route to the win.
Jordan Cannon shut down the Rockets’ offense. He struck out four hitters, walked four, and only allowed four runs on four hits in six innings. Jackson Kiser pitched the seventh inning. He had one strikeout, two walks, and gave up no hits.
Kiser led GM at the plate with two singles and two RBIs, Carter Swenson doubled, singled, and drove in a run, Cannon and Landon Roach each hit an RBI single, and Kellen Chelton and Ben Swanson had one RBI each.
Slippery Rock senior and Ohio State recruit Sal Mineo capped off his final high school baseball game with a solo home run and a double. Jacob Kunsman singled twice, Dylan Zandi singled and drove in a run, and Austin Kura singled for the Rockets.
Isaac McCandless suffered the mound loss for Slippery Rock. He fanned two hitters, issued three walks, and gave up six runs on five hits in 2 1/3 innings.Ryan Double entered in relief. He had four strikeouts, three walks, and surrendered two runs on two hits.
Slippery Rock’s seniors are Mineo, Zandi, Double, Nolan Darr, and Cade Bable.
Gen. McLane advances to Friday District 10 semifinals to play top-seeded Cathedral Prep.
SOFTBALL
District 10 Quarterfinals
Class 3A
• Ft. LeBoeuf 5, Jamestown 4 — At Allegheny College in Meadville, the Muskies (12-8) suffered a tough loss to the Bison (15-5) on Tuesday.
Both teams plated three runs in the first inning. No. 4 LeBoeuf tacked on two runs in the bottom of the third while No. 5 Jamestown was only able to manage one run in the seventh frame.
Madilyn Enterline opened the top of the seventh with a triple. Following a strikeout (Alayna Cadman), Miranda Biles grounded out to score Enterline. Gianna Solderich walked, but the game ended on a groundout to first base by Savannah Thurber.
Kerman Skelton fired a complete- game 4-hitter for LeBoeuf. She had six strikeouts and issued six walks.
Biles pitched for Jamestown. She fanned two batters, walked nine, and only allowed five hits.
Londyn Davis led the Bison at the plate with a home run, double, and three RBIs and Ryan Shields homered and drove in two runs.
Enterline tripled and singled for the Muskies, Gianna Solderich doubled and had two RBIs, Katie King singled and drove in a run, and Enterline tripled and singled.
Jamestown’s seniors are Madilyn and Emily Enterline, Thurber, King, and Brooke Wilkerson.
Ft. LeBoeuf advances to play Sharon in the D-10 semifinals on Thursday.
