Avella’s landmark season comes to end

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Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter Avella catcher Brayden Fuller denies Eden Christian's Jacob Janicki on the attempt to score from third in the fifth inning of the PIAA playoff game at Ross Memorial Park on June 6.

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Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter Avella's Cole Jaworowski scores the first run for the Eagles in the third inning of the June 6 PIAA playoff game against Eden Christian at Ross Memorial Park.

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Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter Avella's Isaiah Bradick scores from third in the sixth inning, notching the third run for the Eagles in their June 6 PIAA playoff game against Eden Christian at Ross Memorial Park.

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Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter Avella's Isaiah Bradick (9) congratulates teammate Cam Ullom (21) after Ullom scored for the Eagles in the bottom of the seventh inning of the JUne 6 PIAA playoff game against Eden Christian at Ross Memorial Park.

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Mark Marietta/For the Observer-Reporter Avella head coach Jason Fogg congratulates his team on their effort and accomplishments despite the loss to Eden Christian in the PIAA playoff game at Ross Memorial Park on June 6.

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By Joe Tuscano

For the Observer-Reporter

newsrooom@observer-reporter.com

The storybook ending to the baseball season did not go the way Avella wanted.

The Eagles, third-place finishers in the WPIAL tournament, saw the season come to an end in an 11-4 loss to Eden Christian Thursday at Ross Memorial Park.

The Eagles finished the season with a 13-7 record and was the last team from the area to be eliminated. Eden Christian moves to 18-5 and will advance to the PIAA Class A semifinals Monday against Saegertown at a site and time to be determined.

“We won a game here to get to the state playoff,” said Avella head coach Josh Fogg. “There’s been some good memories and some bad ones.”

This was the second time these teams have met in the baseball postseason. Eden Christian defeated Avella 11-2 in the WPIAL semifinals.

Eden Christian scored in each inning this time but hurt Avella most by scoring four runs in the third and two more in the sixth. Avella scored single runs in the third, fifth, sixth, and seventh innings.

Things started poorly for Avella and starting pitcher Bryce Wright. First baseman Noah Emswiler started the game with a single. Then Wright was called for three consecutive balks to score Emswiler and give Eden Christian a 1-0 lead. Fogg pointed out that Eden Christian starter Brady Hull was not touching the rubber with his foot but got no relief.

“I addressed that with the umpires and his response was, ‘Your guy was not stepping on the rubber either so we’re going to call it even,” Fogg said.

“I knew we had to hit with them to keep up with them. But they got 15 and we got only five.”

Aidyn Helsley hurt Avella in the four-run third with a two-run single to right field. Avella helped Eden Christian with a pair of walks from Wright, who finished with five walks and five strikeouts.

“They had the better offense today,” Fogg said. “If we had the offense we had against West Middlesex, then it might have been a different game.”

Hull, who is the third pitcher in Eden Christian’s arsenal, struck out 11 batters and walked two.

“We weren’t complacent at all,” said Eden Christian head coach Mark Feldman. “It was a new game, a totally different game. WPIALs versus states, totally different,”

Brett Feldman had an inside-the-park home run in the sixth inning.

“All those hits make me very happy,” said Mark Feldman. “We’ve been saying this a lot. We’re not done. They put their big-boy pants on and have gone after it.”