District 11 Baseball: Minersville downs Marian in Class AA quarterfinal
Minersville's Easton Schultz dives back into first base as Marian's Rocco Griguoli checks during a District 11 Class AA quarterfinal baseball game at Robert Wetzel Field. The Battlin' Miners defeated the Colts 5-3 (photo by Kelly Wiley).
FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — It felt like Minersville and Marian were putting it all out there.
The Battlin’ Miners scratched out runs in four straight innings and held off a late push to beat the Colts 5-3 Friday in a District 11 Class AA quarterfinal baseball game at Robert Wetzel Field.
Logan Hutsko tossed 6.1 strong innings with seven strikeouts and Nolan Plesnarski recorded the final two outs for the save as the Battlin’ Miners advanced to Sunday’s semifinal doubleheader at Blue Mountain High School.
Jimmy Cannon put the Colts ahead 1-0 with an RBI single in the top of the second inning before Plesnarski gapped an RBI double in the top of the third to tie things 1-1.
Plesnarski went 2-for-3 at the plate with a sac fly and two RBIs in the game. Logan Rizzardi added an RBI triple to put Minersville on top 2-1 in the bottom half of the fourth.
A.J. Halford finished 2-for-2 with an insurance RBI for the Battlin’ Miners, while Hutsko chipped in a hit, walk, and run scored to help his own cause. Owen Fortna also added an RBI on a fielder’s choice.
Minersville (13-9) scored single runs in the third, fourth and fifth before adding two more in the sixth. Marian (10-11) put up 10 hits and brought the tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh, but a charging putout to first base by Garrett Sukeena at shortstop for the Battlin’ Miners ended the contest.
Cole DeFrancisco went 3-for-4 with an RBI to lead the Colts, while Noah Bauder and Alex Diaz each added two hits. DeFrancisco took the loss on the mound, allowing four runs in five innings with five walks.
Minversville takes on Schuylkill Haven in the second game of Sunday’s D-11 Class AA semifinals doubleheader at Allen Greenawalt Field scheduled for roughly 7:30 p.m. Tri-Valley and Shenandoah Valley meet in the first semifinal game at 5 p.m.
