Josh Hoover, Blue Mountain baseball

Pottsville, Williams Valley, Schuylkill Haven, Marian follow with big wins

FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — Blue Mountain waited for its moment, then broke it wide open in a hurry.

Blue Mountain pulled away for a 13-2 win over North Schuylkill in a Schuylkill League Division I baseball game Tuesday night under the lights at Robert Wetzel Field, using a massive sixth inning to run away with the game.

Aiden Finn led the charge for the Eagles, going 3-for-3 with three RBIs, while Riley Sebastian added two hits and reached base multiple times. Cohen Kirby, Brady Strause and Josh Hoover all contributed as Blue Mountain totaled eight hits and consistently pressured with patience at the plate, drawing 10 walks.

The Eagles built a 3-0 lead through the first two innings behind RBI singles from Finn and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch.

North Schuylkill cut into the deficit with a pair of runs in the middle innings, getting contributions from Landen Smith and Dylan Cairo to make it a two-run game and keep things within reach.

That changed quickly in the sixth. Blue Mountain sent a parade to the plate, scoring eight runs despite recording just one hit in the inning. Strause delivered a key two-run double, while the Eagles took advantage of walks, an error and productive outs to break the game open.

Evan Setlock earned the win, allowing two runs (one earned) over five innings while striking out five. Frankie Russo finished things off in relief for the Eagles.

North Schuylkill managed six hits, with Stephen Minahan leading the way with two, but defensive miscues and the sixth-inning surge proved too much to overcome.

Setlock, Russo (6) and Sebastian; Slotcavage, Monahan (5), Meskunas (6), Butler (6) and Rollenhagen. W — Setlock (5-1). L — Slotcavage (3-1).

HITS: Blue Mountain — Sebastian 2, Finn 3, Kirby, Strause, Hoover. North Schuylkill — Brayford, Rogers, Minahan 2, Smith, Cairo.

2B — Strause.

Tamaqua 5, Pine Grove 4

TAMAQUA — Jake Yenser struck out seven and helped his own cause as Tamaqua edged Pine Grove in a Division I game.

Yenser earned the win on the mound, working into the seventh while allowing just three hits, and Quinn Coleman led the offense with two hits. Gavin Shannon and Landon Kamant each drove in a run as the Blue Raiders totaled seven hits and stayed aggressive on the bases.

Tamaqua built its lead in the middle innings, scoring in the first before adding two more in the third and another pair in the fourth to take control. The Blue Raiders created pressure with speed, swiping seven bases and capitalizing on Pine Grove erros.

Pine Grove made things interesting late when Wyatt Snyder launched a three-run homer in the sixth, but the Cardinals couldn’t complete the comeback. Snyder accounted for three RBIs, while Ian Brown and Jake Hatter added hits in the loss.

Miller, Brucker (4) and Dixon; Yenser, Kamant (7) and Witkowski. W — Yenser (2-3). L — Miller (1-1).

HITS: Pine Grove — Brown, Hatter, Snyder. Tamaqua — Yenser, Kamant, Shannon, Witkowski, Coleman 2, Montero.

2B — Montero. HR — Snyder.

Tri-Valley 8, Panther Valley 1

Wehr, Shirer (4) and Koerbler; Doyle, Miller (4), Klock (7) and Troutman. W — Doyle (5-2). L — Wehr (2-4).

HITS: Panther Valley — Wehr 2, Lazar. Tri-Valley — Wehry 2, Stewart, Doyle, Miller, Schley 2, Bruso.

2B — Schley.

Williams Valley 10, Shenandoah Valley 0, 6 inn.

TOWER CITY — Cayden Witmer tossed a shutout and helped lead the way at the plate as Williams Valley rolled past Shenandoah Valley in a Division II game.

Witmer was sharp from the start, striking out nine over six scoreless innings while allowing just three hits. He also added two hits offensively, joining Fletcher Thompson and John Rautzahn as key contributors in a balanced attack. Thompson led the way with three hits and drove in runs as the Vikings finished with nine hits.

Williams Valley struck early and kept adding on, plating runs in the first and third before pulling away with a steady offensive push in the middle innings. The Vikings took advantage of patience at the plate and defensive miscues, drawing walks and applying pressure throughout.

Shenandoah Valley was limited offensively, with Dylan Getz collecting two hits and Jostin Lajara adding another.

McCole, Jw. Lajara (4), Kechula (6) and Jt. Lajara; Witmer and Thompson. W — Witmer (4-0). L — McCole (2-2).

HITS: Shenandoah Valley — Jt. Lajara, Getz 2. Williams Valley — Thompson 3, Witmer 2, Rautzahn 2, Schaeffer, Berger.

2B — Thompson.

Schuylkill Haven 15, Mahanoy Area 0, 5 inn.

MAHANOY CITY — Chase Yoder did it all, leading Schuylkill Haven on the mound and at the plate in a Division II victory over Mahanoy Area.

Yoder struck out nine over five shutout innings and went 3-for-4 with five RBIs to pace the Hurricanes, while Alan Evans also collected three hits. Wyatt Gerber added two hits, including a home run, and Michael Terefencko chipped in a pair as Schuylkill Haven piled up 15 hits.

The Hurricanes took control early, scoring twice in the first and adding four more in the second behind a string of RBI singles. They continued to build the lead throughout, breaking things open with a five-run fifth inning highlighted by Gerber’s homer and a trail of run-scoring hits.

Mahanoy Area was limited to two hits from Derek Alvarado and Brady Noraka. The Golden Bears struggled to keep pace as Schuylkill Haven applied constant pressure, including an aggressive effort on the bases that resulted in 12 bags swiped.

Yoder and Diehl; Price, Zilker (5), Alvarado (5) and Gambone. W — Yoder (2-2). L — Price (1-1).

HITS: Schuylkill Haven — Evans 3, Gerber 2, Yoder 3, Hinnershitz, Terefencko 2, Bayer, Neith, Diehl, Trostle. Mahanoy Area — Alvarado, Noraka.

2B — Neith. 3B — Yoder. HR — Gerber.

Marian 15, Weatherly 0, 4 inn.

HOMETOWN — Marian wasted no time taking control and never let Weatherly settle in during a Division II game.

Noah Bauder picked up the win on the mound and worked with a comfortable cushion as the Colts limited the Wreckers to zero hits.

Jason Ashfield collecting two hits and multiple players contributing in a nine-hit effort as the Colts struck early with two runs in the first, added four more in the second and then broke the game open with a nine-run fourth inning. Extra-base hits from Cole Jordan and Ashfield, along with a triple by Nolan Marsch, helped fuel the surge.

Weatherly was unable to generate offense, finishing without a hit, while Marian continued to apply pressure throughout to secure the shortened victory.

Montz, Perez (4) and Suarez; Bauder and Reaman. W — Bauder (1-0). L — Montz (0-4).

HITS: Weatherly — None. Marian — McGinley, Jordan, Cannon, Ashfield 2, Marsch, Derr, Diaz, Defrancisco.

2B — Jordan, Ashfield. 3B — Marsch.

Non-League Baseball

Pottsville 5, Conrad Weiser 0

POTTSVILLE — Landon Trout set the tone on the mound and Pottsville did the rest in a non-league victory over Conrad Weiser.

Trout fired a one-hit shutout, keeping the Scouts off balance all afternoon while allowing just a lone hit and controlling the tempo from the first inning on. He got plenty of early support as the Crimson Tide offense went to work right away.

Pottsville broke things open with four runs in the first inning, highlighted by RBI hits from Max Clews and Brody Hess and a two-run double by Andrew Allen. The Tide added another run later and finished with seven hits, with Dom Rynard and Christian Alvarez each collecting two.

Conrad Weiser managed just one hit in the game, while Pottsville played clean behind Trout and never allowed the visitors to build any sort of momentum. The victory clinched a District 11 Class 5A playoff berth for the Crimson Tide.

Giffing and Woellner; Trout and Ciavarella. W — Trout (2-2). L — Giffing.

HITS: Conrad Weiser — Ackerman. Pottsville — Rynard 2, Clews, Hess, Allen, Alvarez 2.

2B — Ackerman, Allen. 3B — Rynard.