Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

Somerset and Bishop McCort Win District 6 Gold

May 31, 2013

By Jake Oswalt
Central PA Area Scout

District 6 AAA Championship:  Somerset 1, Hollidaysburg 0 (9 innings)


Somerset and Hollidaysburg have come to expect tight games when they play each other and Thursday was no different. Somerset scored the game’s only run in the bottom of the 9th inning to win 1-0 and move on to play District 7 champ South Park on Monday.

Somerset RHP Ian Stiffler and Hollidaysburg LHP Dom Viduya matched each other pitch-for-pitch for seven innings and change before turning things over to the bullpens. Stiffler went seven innings, giving up five hits, walking three and striking out eight. Viduya went 7.1 innings, scattering three hits and striking out four.

Hollidaysburg (15-6) left nine runners on base, seven in scoring position. The Golden Tigers were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Junior second baseman Trent Sipes led the offense going 3-for-4 with a double.

Alex DirienzoSomerset (18-4) loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the 9th. Ross Dirienzo and Drew Hemminger (3-for-4) got the inning started with back-to-back singles. After a groundout moving both runners up 90 feet, Mike Flyte was intentionally walked. Alex Dirienzo worked the count to 3-1 before grounding a pitch past the pitcher and the diving shortstop into center field for the winning run, driving in his twin brother Ross from third base.

Somerset won its’ fifth District 6 title in school history, also winning in 2011 and avenging last year’s loss to Hollidaysburg in the championship.

 

District 6 A championship:  Bishop McCort 7, Claysburg-Kimmel 6


Bishop McCort, the reigning state champions in Class A, showed their championship grit and toughness in the district title game. Facing a 5-1 deficit in the bottom of the 5th inning, McCort scored six runs in its last two at-bats to fend off the Claysburg-Kimmel (15-6), the No. 2 seed.

Claysburg-Kimmel scored in the top of the 1st inning on a Cameron Strayer RBI single to center field. McCort answered with a Brad Coleman run-scoring single to left field in the bottom half of the inning.

C-K took advantage of three bases-loaded walks and a wild pitch in the fifth to score four runs and mount a 5-1 lead. McCort (19-4) answered with four runs of its own to tie the game at five.

Luke WilliamsLuke Williams drove in a run with a single to left field, Nathan Neiderhiser came in on a wild pitch and Justin Vardian (2-for-3, 2 RBI) lined a single down the third base line to score two to tie the game.

McCort scored two more in the as Neiderhiser drove in a run with a single up the middle and Williams (3-for-4 with 2 RBI) blooped a double into right-center field for an insurance run.

C-K got a run in the 7th on an error, but couldn’t come up with the big hit with two runners on and two outs.

The District 6 championship was McCort's 2nd consecutive and the school's fourth overall. McCort will play District 5 champ North Star on Monday.

additional pa news: