By Greg Williams
PA Director of Scouting

Jerry Uht Park, the home of the Eastern League's Erie Seawolves, played host to three first round PIAA playoff games pitting teams from District 10 against District 7 Monday. When the dust settled, District 7 teams had a three game sweep of game action.

our lady of the sacred heart 1, cochranton 0

Cochranton senior RHP Ryan Northcott was very effective allowing just six hits (two of the infield variety) and one unearned run on the afternoon. Unfortunately for Northcott and his Cochranton teammates, OLSH RHP Preston Falascino was just a little bit better.

Falascino, a Slippery Rock recruit, used a fastball that sat 83-85 and touched 86 mph, along with a 69 mph curveball to twirl a complete game shutout with 10 strikeouts. He gave up a leadoff single to Cardinals' 2B Joel Mowris in the first inning but used two strikeouts to get out of the inning unharmed. He gave up a leadoff walk followed by an infield single in the 2nd inning, but stuck out the next three hitters to escape damage. He went on to retire 15 of the final 16 hitters he faced to complete a dominant two-hit performance.

OLSH scored its lone run in the top of the first inning when Falascino doubled and came home on catcher Jason Lanoy's RBI single. Northcott kept OLSH off the scoreboard the rest of the way registering seven strikeouts of his own.

OLSH moves on to the PIAA Class A quarterfinals and will play WPIAL No. 3 seed California on Thursday.

Keystone oaks 4, Slippery rock 0

The second game of the day provided a pitching performance that was even better than the first. Keystone Oaks LHP Jard Skolnicki continued his impressive season with a no-hitter that included 11 strikeouts. Skolnicki allowed three base runners, working around three walks on the afternoon, two of which came in the 1st inning. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound Kent State recruit sat 83-85 all afternoon touching 86 mph several times. His fastball had significant arm side run and he was able to command a 70 mph 1/7 breaking curveball in the later innings for strikes as well.

Skolnicki was the lone hitter to register multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. Catcher Ryan Ribeau's sacrifice fly in the first inning scored shortstop Ryan Rosato with what turned out to be the game winning run.

Quaker Valley 6, Saegertown 5

On paper, the Quaker Valley (No. 2 in PBR Class AA rankings) and Saegertown (No. 6 in PBR Class AA rankings) match-up appeared to be a toss up going in. In the end Quaker Valley was able to fend off a furious 7th inning rally from the Panthers to win and advance to the quarterfinal round of state competition.

The Quakers got on the board first when RHP Tyler Garbee's sacrifice fly scored courtesy runner Roberto Gibson for a 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning. Saegertown answered with single runs in the 3rd and 4th to take a 2-1 lead to the 5th inning and appeared to be in good shape.

With two outs and nobody on in the top of the 5th inning a low scoring pitcher's duel changed dramatically. Panthers' RHP Luke Carter had breezed through the Quakers order twice over 4.2 innings of work yielding just three hits. The third time through the order didn't go quite as well.

Quaker Valley went 8-for-9 their third time through the order plating three runs with two outs in the 5th. LHP Matt Thompson came on for Saegertown in the 6th inning and the Quakers continued their torrid hitting plating two insurance runs to carry a 6-2 lead to the bottom of the 7th.

Saegertown got singles from Kyle Wise and Mitchell Wood, sandwiched around a walk to Drew Durasa and a Stephen Sada triple (his second of the game) to pull within 6-5 with nobody out. Four pitches later the game was over.

Wood got hung up between first and second on an attempted sacrifice bunt for the first out. Austin Scere then flew out and catcher Tyler Walters grounded to third on the next three pitches to end the Panthers' rally.

Quaker Valley advances to the Class AA quarterfinals to play Shady Side in a battle of WPIAL teams on Thursday.

See the Pennsylvania Scouting Blog for more detailed notes and measureables.

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