Apr 3, 2023 4 min read

McDONALD – There are many appropriate synonymous for a home run.

“Dinger.”

“Blast.”

“Shot.”

“Bomb.”

“Tater.”

Another appropriate synonym is “jack.”

Peters Township got four of them in its 15-11 win at South Fayette Monday, and those accounted for nine of the 15 runs.

Players named Jack hit all four.

Jack Natili and Jack Lutte each hit two, with Lutte’s grand slam giving Peters a lead it wouldn’t give up.

Natili and Lutte are two of Peters’ nine seniors, and although coach Rocky Plassio doesn’t expect a combined four home runs from the two, he does expect them to be among the team’s leaders.

“Jack Natili, two years ago, was a first-team all-section catcher, and then he was hurt last year and Jack Lutte stepped in, and he became first-team all-section catcher,” Plassio said. “So, those two led the way for us hitting-wise, and they’ve been great for us. So, we’re very thankful to have them.”

Peters Township (1-0, 3-2) was especially thankful to have them on a day when the team gave up 11 runs.

Natili’s first home run set the tone for how things would go.

With one on and two out in the top of the first, Natili hit a deep fly ball that looked like an out.

The wind turned it into a two-run homer.

It was the first of six jacks on the afternoon, with four benefitting Peters Township.

South Fayette (0-1, 2-1) coach Ken Morgan wishes his team had been on the better end of the conditions but doesn’t use that as an alibi.

“It’s windy up here a lot of times,” Morgan said. “You have those kind of things happen. It’s no excuse. It’s a factor for us; it’s a factor for them.”

South Fayette used the long ball to its advantage in the bottom of the first. Chase Krewson tied the game with a two-run shot. The Lions grabbed the lead in their next at-bat and then added insurance in the bottom of the third The Lions added insurance in the bottom of the third on a solo shot by Christian Brandi.

After falling behind 5-2, Peters exploded for eight runs in the fourth off South Carolina commit Tyler Pitzer.

Walks by Steven Laurence and Joey Bedillion tied the game, and Lutte’s grand slam made it 9-5.

Lutte struck out his first time against Pitzer and kept it simple the second time.

“I got away from my plan (in the first at-bat), Lutte said. “So, I wanted to stay on the fastball the next at-bat, and I was able to adjust to a curveball and poke it out.”

Although both home runs were important, Lutte will remember his grand slam more fondly.

“My grand slam was probably the most clutch one,” he said. “That’s why I liked it the most.”

One batter later, with Pitzer no longer on the mound, Natili hit his second homer of the day to make it 10-5.

In contrast to Lutte, Natili liked his second one better.

“I hit my second one pretty well, I’d say,” he said.

South Fayette wouldn’t go away. The Lions scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth, the last coming in on an RBI single by Brandi. But that’s as close as the Lions would get. Peters added two insurance runs in the top of the sixth. South Fayette pulled to within three in its half of the sixth.

In the top of the seventh, Lutte’s second homer, a three-run jack, made it 15-9.

Peters may have won without the insurance, but Lutte going deep again made the last of the seventh a lot less tense.

“You have to keep your foot on the pedal because, especially with a team like that that has so much offense, you can’t let up.

South Fayette started to come back, scoring two runs but ended up falling well short.

The teams meet again Tuesday, with this game at Peters under the lights. First pitch is scheduled for 7.

Krewson is pitching for South Fayette, so Peters will have to face a second Power Five commit in as many days.

Plassio is expecting a tough ball game.

“They’re going to bring their very best effort to get after us tomorrow,” he said, “and we have to stay composed, and we have to do a better job of getting ahead on batters and making all the routine plays that we’re supposed to. And continue to have the same good, solid approach against another outstanding pitcher tomorrow. So, it doesn’t get any easier, that’s for sure.”