DALLAS TWP. — No need for a comeback or for any late-inning dramatics this time around; Back Mountain National simply blasted its way into the Section 5 championship.
Back Mountain National hit the ball all over the yard and ended things early on Sunday, beating Township 16-1 in three innings to advance to the Section 5 8-10 Baseball championship.
A day after holding on for a very tense one-run victory over Valley View to open up sectionals, Back Mountain put together a great performance at the plate to make this game much more comfortable.
“The boys wanted a day off, and they’re getting a well-deserved day off,” Back Mountain National manager Brian Wielgosz said.
Sporting an 8-1 lead heading into the bottom of the third, Back Mountain batted around the order, scoring eight times on five hits (three of those hits going for extra bases) to end the game by mercy rule.
As has been the case all along in the All-Star season, Back Mountain’s activity on the basepaths also came in handy: several of their runs were scored on wild pitches, including the winning run.
Oliver Bross, fresh off an RBI double that hit the base of the wall in left-center field, took third on a wild pitch and then scored easily on another wild pitch to score his team’s 16th and final run of the day.
Bross had three hits and scored three times from the second spot in the order for Back Mountain. In front of him, leadoff man Ethan Wielgosz had two hits, both two-run doubles, and scored all three times he came to bat.
From down in the bottom half of the Back Mountain order, Mac Hanson had two hits, including a long two-run triple, and Parker Page had two hits and scored twice.
All but one of Back Mountain’s 12-man lineup reached safely at least once against Township’s pitching.
“Our boys were ready to hit today, and they knew what was on the line,” coach Wielgosz said. “I think everybody, top to bottom, was hitting the ball…offensively, we were as good as we could be.”
Back Mountain scored four times in the first inning and four more times in the second, taking an 8-0 lead over Township through two innings.
Township would score their only run of the game in the top of the third, on a bases-loaded walk drawn by Justin Oliveri.
All of Township’s baserunners reached on free passes; the Back Mountain pitching duo of Bross and Hanson combined for three no-hit innings, but walked a combined eight batters.
Back Mountain National will get Monday off and come back Tuesday in the Section 5 8-10 Baseball championship, facing the winner of Monday’s contest between Township and Valley View.
Back Mountain, as the lone remaining undefeated team in the field, would need to be beaten twice by either Township or Valley View in the championship round.
Section 5 8-10 Baseball
Back Mountain National 16, Township 1 (3 inn.)
Township`AB`R`H`BI
Skula p`1`0`0`0
Argento ss`1`0`0`0
Henries 2b`1`0`0`0
Oliveri 1b`0`0`0`1
Sperazza c`2`0`0`0
Rossi 3b`1`0`0`0
Martinez eh`1`0`0`0
Yonki cf`0`0`0`0
Rynkiewicz lf`0`0`0`0
Talerico rf`1`0`0`0
Collins eh`1`0`0`0
Stamm eh`0`1`0`0
Totals`9`1`0`1
Back Mountain`AB`R`H`BI
Wielgosz 2b`3`3`2`4
Bross p`3`3`3`2
Knowles 1b`2`1`1`1
Katyl ss`2`1`1`0
Wycallis c`2`1`0`0
Tribendis lf`1`1`0`0
Hanson cf`2`1`2`2
Salko 3b`2`0`0`1
Page eh`2`2`2`0
Kovach eh`1`1`0`0
Rollins rf`2`1`1`0
Dennis eh`2`1`0`1
Totals`24`16`12`12
Township`001 — 1
Back Mountain`448 — 16
2B — Wielgosz 2, Bross. 3B — Hanson.
Back Mountain`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Bross`2.1`0`1`1`5`4
Hanson`0.2`0`0`0`3`2
Valley View`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Skula`1.2`7`8`5`0`2
Martinez`1`5`8`8`2`0