Pennsbury wins 6A state baseball title in bottom of the seventh
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Pennsbury withstood a rain delay of nearly 31/2 hours and the efforts of an up-and-coming sophomore pitcher to win its first state baseball championship on Friday.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Pennsbury withstood a rain delay of nearly 31/2 hours and the efforts of an up-and-coming sophomore pitcher to win its first state baseball championship on Friday.
Nick Price's single in the bottom of the seventh inning was the difference in the Falcons' 1-0 victory over District 3's Dallastown in the PIAA Class 6A final at Penn State.
After the Wildcats intentionally walked the preceding batter, Price made them pay for it by driving home Justin Massielo from second base. The third baseman was then mobbed by his ecstatic teammates.
Price's two-out hit was only Pennsbury's fourth of the night off Alex Weakland. He held Joe Pesci's squad to one hit through six innings.
The Falcons (22-6) recovered from a seventh-inning baserunning miscue to emerge on top and avoid extra innings.
Relief pitcher Billy Bethel led off with a double down the left-field line, but pinch-runner Justin Ward was snagged while straying too far off the bag.
Massielo picked up his teammate with a single in the same direction. After David Murphy's groundout and an intentional walk to Ryan McCarty, Price ended what was a long day for both squads.
"We always talk about picking up a teammate when he's down," McCarty said. "That's exactly what Justin Massielo did there."
Of waving Massielo home on Price's hit, Pesci said, "I said, 'If a ball goes to the the outfield, we're scoring.' I don't think Massielo was going to stop even I put my hand up to stop him."
Weakland, who came in with an 9-0 record and 0.99 ERA, was a hard-luck loser.
"He did a phenomenal job," said Pesci, who played at Pennsbury and Bloomsburg. "You tip your cap to a kid like that."
Pennsbury's first hit was McCarty's infield single in the fifth.
After walking Dallastown leadoff batter Joe Capobianco in the visiting sixth, Pennsbury starter McCarty gave way to fellow senior righthander Bethel.
"I said to Billy, 'Do what you do. This is it,' " Pesci said. "He's such an amazing kid. You rally around him."
Capobianco moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt, but Bethel escaped with a strikeout a 1-4-3 groundout.
McCarty, who arrived with a 3-0 record and a 1.36 ERA, allowed six hits, fanned six and gave up two walks in a solid outing.
Leading off the fourth, Pennsbury's Tyrone Hodges was plunked by a pitch. He advanced to third on Bethel's sacrifice bunt and a throwing error by the catcher. But Hodges was left stranded on a line drive to second base and a 6-4-3 double play.
Buoyed by the one-two pitching punch of McCarty and Bethel, the Falcons won their first District 1 championship since 1993. They defeated North Penn, 5-3, in the final at Immaculata University.
The squad's top hitters this season were McCarty, who doubled as an infielder, shortstop Massielo, third baseman and pitcher Price and designated hitter Murphy.
Pennsbury went 10-2 to beat out runner-up Neshaminy (9-3) for the Suburban One League National Conference title.
Dallastown, located about 30 miles southeast of Harrisburg, earned its first trip to the final with a 6-1 victory over District 6's State College.
Dallastown 000 000 0 - 0 7 1
Pennsbury 000 000 1 - 1 4 0
WP: Billy Bethel. LP: Alex Weakland. 2B: P-Bethel.