Cal bolts by Serra
Just a short distance away from Washington & Jefferson’s Ross Memorial Park, Western Beaver was playing against Our Lady of Sacred Heart for the WPIAL Class A baseball championship Wednesday at Consol Energy Park.
Don Hartman, head coach of the California Trojans, who were playing to keep their season alive in the consolation game, didn’t even want to acknowledge the ballpark next door.
“This is like being at Kiddieland looking over at the stinking Thunderbolt,” said Hartman. “I can’t even talk about that. That’s behind us now. We’re just trying to move forward and keep playing every day.”
The location wasn’t what Hartman hoped for at the start of the playoffs, but the result was.
California scored in every inning but one and knocked off top-seeded Serra Catholic, 10-6, to qualify for the PIAA playoffs. The Trojans (18-5) will play the District 9 champion Monday at a site and time to be determined.
The Trojans jumped on Serra (18-3) starter Chad Hazaga in the first inning when Jake Columbus followed a one-out walk to Michael Luketich with a run-scoring triple, then Columbus scored on Aaron Previsky’s groundout.
But it was the bottom of California’s order that did the most damage. Chris Swartz, Brian Fisher and Joey DeFranco combined to go 4-for-9 – with Swartz and DeFranco also reaching on errors to start rallies – scored five runs and drove in two.
“The bottom half really came through big today,” said Hartman. “We’re not a real power hitting team. We just hope to hit singles and be aggressive on the bases, and we were able to do that, and it worked out for us.”
After the Eagles scored two runs in the top of the second to tie the score, Serra’s defense faltered. California scored five unearned runs over the next four innings, and it was that bottom third that triggered the offense, scoring four of those runs.
Fisher (single) and DeFranco (error) reached after two outs in the third inning, then leadoff hitter Josh Luko singled to score Fisher in the third. DeFranco scored on another error.
Two innings later, DeFranco’s triple scored Fisher, then Luko followed with a sacrifice fly to plate DeFranco. In the fifth, Previsky singled, stole second, went to third on a throwing error on the play, then scored on Ronnie Baron’s sacrifice fly and California led, 7-3.
“We were able to make them pay today, and that wasn’t the case the other day,” said Hartman.
Fisher scattered eight hits over six innings to earn the win. He needed only five pitches to get out of the first inning but then struggled, allowing three runs over the next two.
Hartman admits that Fisher was on a short leash in the fourth inning, but Fisher was able to settle down and keep Serra off the scoreboard any further.
“It’s always the opposite,” said Hartman. “He always struggles in the first and gives up a couple runs and then settles down. When he had that five-pitch first inning, it was like, oh, it’s going to be the other way around.”
Fisher’s double to lead off the bottom of the sixth started a three-run inning for the Trojans to seemingly put the game out of reach, but the Eagles made things interesting by getting the first three batters to reach in the seventh, all coming around to score. But freshman Louden Conte, California’s closer, settled down to retire the side.
“It’s tough when a kid doesn’t have proper warmup time to come into the game, but Louden settled down and did his job there,” said Hartman. “I’m very happy for my kids. They get a taste of state baseball.”
Every member of the Trojans either scored a run or had an RBI.