PT corrects flaws, beats Trinity
Mother Nature wreaked havoc on the WPIAL baseball schedule this week with only a handful of local games being played. While some coaches saw the postponements as a detriment, Peters Township head coach Joe Maize saw it as an opportunity.
The Indians entered the season with high expectations, led by a high-powered offense, speed and infield defense, but a trip to Florida revealed defense as a potential weakness. In losses to Kenston and Medina, Peters Township committed four and five errors, respectively, in Vero Beach, Fla.
The defensive miscues came as a shock to Maize. A week of practice can iron out the wrinkles. The Indians spent this week fielding ground balls, short hops and line drives on the turf at Pleasant Valley Elementary School.
It served as perfect preparation for the Indians’ non-section game Saturday at Consol Energy Park. On the turf field in North Franklin Township, Peters Township flashed its defensive prowess, running down fly balls in the gap and cutting down potential singles with quick, back-handed stabs in the infield.
The Indians did not commit an error, converted three double plays and senior center fielder Frank Jezioro drove in two runs in a 7-2 victory over Trinity.
Peters Township (6-2) used five pitchers in the victory, allowing just four hits and two runs.
“The key was with our pitchers throwing the ball over the plate, making Trinity put the ball in play and we didn’t have any errors. Defensively, we did a nice job,” Maize said.
Jezioro, who was involved in two of the double plays, went 2-for-3 with a triple and a two-run inside-the-park home run in the second inning. Jezioro, batting left-handed, sent a ball into the gap in left-center field for a triple in the first inning. He scored on a fielder’s choice by senior first baseman Tim Swoope.
In his next at-bat, Jezioro hit a deep fly ball in right-center field, scoring senior third baseman Kyle Lewis, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, and sprinted all the way home for a home run to give the Indians a 4-1 lead.
“Frank is fun to watch because as soon as he gets the ball to the gap, he wants to go (to third base),” Maize said. “He gets around first and he just kicks into another gear. I love his intensity and his leadership. The rest of the guys are hitting well too and that’s very big for us.”
It was not always smooth. Trinity first baseman Dom Neff gave the Hillers (1-6) a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when he hit a solo home run over the fence in left field. Peters Township answered quickly with RBI singles by Phil Mary and Swoope in the bottom half of the inning.
Jezioro increased the lead in the third inning, and Trinity scored its final run in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by Evan McDaniel. Though the Hillers stranded just five runners on base, a double play crippled momentum in the second inning, and ended the fifth and seventh innings.
Trinity head coach Matt McCartney found a silver lining in the loss.
“I thought that was the most complete game we’ve played all year,” McCartney said. “We had quality at bats throughout. I thought (starting pitcher) Kyle Steele threw a really good game. He’s getting better every single time out.”
Peters Township put the game out of reach with a three-run fourth inning, which began with a single by Ethan Anderson. Shortstop Ryan Tassone, a George Mason recruit, hit an RBI double, designated hitter Tor Sehnert drove in Tassone with a triple and Mary gave the Indians a 7-2 lead with a fielder’s choice.
A non-section victory might not impact the WPIAL playoff picture, but Peters Township needs all the momentum it can get with a rigorous, four-game Section 5-AAAA schedule this week, which begins with Mt. Lebanon Monday.
“It feels good to get this win,” Jezioro said. “I feel like we’re going to do really well this week if we keep up having no errors and keep our heads in the game, no matter what happens.”