H.S. Baseball: Dallas can't cool off Firebirds, falls in PIAA Class 4A quarters
Jun. 8—CENTER VALLEY — Dallas finally solved Holy Ghost Prep lefty Justin Lucas in the sixth inning Friday.
The problem was Dallas pitchers couldn't figure out how to stop the hottest offense in the PIAA Class 4A baseball playoffs.
Holy Ghost Prep answered Dallas' four-run sixth with six runs in the bottom of the inning to eliminate the Mountaineers with a 14-6 victory in a quarterfinal game at DeSales University.
"They hit the ball hard all day," Dallas coach Mike Viglone said. "There was nothing we could have thrown at them. We tried everything, but they were just on the nose all day hitting lines. A lot of those balls you think are going foul are right inside the line. Things like that. It was just one of those days."
District 1 champion Holy Ghost Prep (14-8) will play District 4 champion Danville (19-4) in the semifinals on Monday. District 2 champion Dallas, which played in the state title game last season, ended its year at 20-5.
Dallas trailed 8-1 entering the sixth as Lucas held the Mountaineers to a pair of second-inning singles to that point.
Zach Paczewski started the sixth with a single, seemingly inconsequential considering the score. But Dylan Geskey and Connor Healey singled and Dom Zangardi hit a ground-rule double that bounced over the right-field fence to plate two runs.
Pinch hitter Zach Williams followed with a sacrifice fly and Jack Leandri brought home another run with a single.
Just like that, Dallas was within striking distance, trailing 8-5 going into the bottom of the inning.
And just like that, Dallas' three-run deficit turned into a nine-run hole entering the seventh.
Holy Ghost Prep, which scored 20 runs in its state opener, quickly dashed Dallas' comeback attempt.
The Firebirds sent 10 to the plate in the bottom of the sixth, banged out seven hits including three doubles and scored six times.
"It's about the team that gets the hottest at the right point," Holy Ghost Prep coach Greg Olenski said. "I think we've kind of caught lightning in a bottle and riding the wave at this point."
Holy Ghost Prep finished with 15 hits, including five doubles and two triples. Zangardi's double was Dallas' only extra-base hit.
Class 4A Quarterfinals
Holy Ghost Prep 14, Dallas 6
Dallas'AB'R'H'BI
Coyne cf'3'0'0'0
Paczewski p-ss'3'1'1'0
Adamski c'4'1'1'0
Geskey 1b'3'1'1'0
Sakulich ph'1'0'0'0
Healey ss-3b'4'2'2'0
Zangardi rf-p'3'1'2'2
Tinner dh'2'0'0'0
Williams ph'0'0'0'1
Dale 3b'0'0'0'0
Patton p'0'0'0'0
Tirpak rf'1'0'0'0
Rischawy lf'2'0'1'1
Leandri 2b'3'0'1'1
Totals'29'6'9'5
Holy Ghost Prep'AB'R'H'BI
Keaser ss'2'3'2'3
Rosado cf'3'2'3'2
Amati 1b'3'1'0'0
Bergkoetter lf'3'1'0'1
Davis 3b'3'1'1'2
Riendeau dh'4'2'3'3
Lucas p'0'0'0'0
McNab p'0'0'0'0
Freiband c'4'0'2'2
Farrell cr'0'1'0'0
Novak 2b'4'1'2'0
Evans rf'3'2'2'0
Totals'29'14'15'13
Dallas'010'004'0 — 6
Holy Ghost Prep'104'216 — 14
E — Dallas 1, HGP 1. LOB — Dallas 7, HGP 5. 2B — Riendeau 3, Evans, Keaser, Zangardi. 3B — Evans, Keaser. SB — Rosado 2, Zangardi, Healey. SAC — Evans. SF — Rischawy, Williams, Keaser, Davis, Rosado
Dallas'IP'H'R'ER'BB'SO
Paczewski (L)'2.2'4'5'5'2'3
Patton'2.1'6'5'5'0'1
Zangardi'1.0'5'4'3'0'0
Holy Ghost Prep'IP'H'R'ER'BB'SO
Lucas (W)'5.2'7'5'5'2'6
McNab (S)'1.1'2'1'0'1'0
HBP — Bergkoetter (by Paczewski)