Apr 25, 2017 4 min read

Gage Clark struck out 16 and did not allow a hit in Jefferson-Morgan’s 9-0 victory over Mapletown in a Section 2-A game and the second game of a doubleheader Tuesday. The Rockets downed Geibel 16-1 in a four-inning game earlier in the day.

Clark nearly had a perfect game but a two-out error ended those hopes. Jake Broadwater went 3-for-3 with four RBI, two runs and three stolen bases for J-M (6-0, 6-4). Eli Rafail doubled. The Rockets stole nine stolen bases in the game and 22 on the day. Austin Menear struck out five for the Maples (2-4, 3-7).

Against Geibel, Rafail and Joe Headlee each stole three bases and the Rockets had 13 stolen bases. Clark went 3-for-3 with two doubles and two runs. Winning pitcher Jake Broadwater struck out five, went 3-for-3 with a double, three RBI and three runs.

• Brandon Turcheck threw an odd no-hitter Tuesday, coming close to a perfect game, as Section 3-AAA leader Waynesburg won its sixth straight, 7-2, over Washington.

Turcheck struck out 11 and did not issue a walk. Washington (2-5, 4-7) scored both of its runs without the benefit of a hit in the bottom of the first inning. The Prexies’ Connor Bedillion reached on a three-base error and scored on a fielder’s choice that did not result in an out. Following a stolen base and groundout that moved Jordan Swart to third base, Steve Shallcross lofted a sacrifice fly that scored Swart and gave the Little Prexies a 2-0 lead.

Turcheck retired the last 21 batters he faced.

Waynesburg (6-0, 9-1), which leads the section by a half-game over Brownsville, tied the score in the top of the second, led 4-2 in the fourth and pulled away with a three-run seventh. The Raiders took advantage of eight walks by Washington pitchers. Trey Rohanna had a double and Luke Robinson.

• Carmichaels scored seven runs in the top of the seventh inning and pulled away for a 13-2 victory over Bentworth in the completion of a game suspended because of rain Monday.

Carmichaels led 2-1 when the game was stopped in the fourth inning. The Mikes (6-2, 8-3) led 6-2 after six inning and broke the game open with the seven-run seventh.

Hunter Phillips was 2-for-2 and drove in three runs to lead Carmichaels at the plate. Liam Shea had two hits, including a double, and drove in two runs. Joel Spishock was 2-for-4 with a double and RBI.

Logan Myhle, the second of three Carmichaels pitchers, was the winner.

Bentworth (3-5, 5-8) had 11 hits, including a double by Derek Richards.

• Avella and pitcher Dalton Simonelli won a pair of games in one afternoon against winless Clairton. For the latter, two wins in one day is hard to do with the PIAA’s new pitch-limit rules but Simonelli did it with the help of a suspended game.

Avella won the completion of a game suspended April 3, 7-3, then won the regularly scheduled game 8-1 at Clairton Park.

Simonelli struck out nine in the suspended game and then fired a three-hitter Tuesday, striking out four. The Eagles did much of their damage in the two games with singles and walks. A double by Garrett Geresti in the second game was the lone extra-base hit among the Eagles’ 13 hits over the two contests.

Avella improved its playoff chances in Section 3-A by moving to 2-4 and 4-5 overall.

• Frazier scored seven runs in the top of the seventh inning and rallied to defeat Beth-Center 8-4 in Section 1-AA.

Beth-Center (2-6, 2-8) led 3-0 in the fourth quarter and 4-1 after a solo home run by Hunter Bowen in the bottom of the sixth.

Frazier (3-5, 3-7) enhanced its playoff chances with the big seventh-inning comeback. Winning pitcher Trevor Hayes, who struck out seven, hit a double as did Logan Kulikoski.

• Joel Engstrom threw a one-hitter and Jordan Zilka hit a two-run homer as Belle Vernon defeated McGuffey 10-0 in a six-inning 3-AAAA game.

The win moves Belle Vernon (6-2, 8-3) into sole possession of second place in the section, a half-game ahead of Ringgold. Zilka, who had three RBI, gave Belle Vernon a 5-0 lead with his homer in the fifth inning. The Leopards tacked on five runs in the sixth.

Engstrom issued only one walk and struck out four. The lone hit for McGuffey (3-4, 5-7) was a single by Brayden Kay in the fourth inning.