Avella has Wright stuff in playoffs
UPPER ST. CLAIR – Home plate is 17 inches wide.
Avella pitcher Bryce Wright didn’t need all 17. The sophomore righthander was happy taking the three inches on the outside corner.
Wright pumped fastballs and curveballs over that tiny portion of the plate with remarkable precision for six dominant innings Tuesday.
Wright struck out 13 batters and took a shutout into the seventh inning as Avella won its first playoff game in 15 years, defeating Springdale, 5-3, in a Class A first-round game, the first in a tripleheader at Boyce Mayview Park.
In the other games, both in Class 3A, South Allegheny eliminated McGuffey and Neshannock defeated Waynesburg.
Sixth-seeded Avella (10-5) did all of its scoring in the first three innings and Wright made sure Springdale (5-10) didn’t threaten until the final frame. At one point, in the middle of the game, Wright struck out six consecutive Dynamos and 10 out of 12.
“For a sophomore, in his first playoff game, he was very good,” Avella coach Jason Fogg said.
Wright said he knew early that he had his good stuff, but he did make a change in his pitch selection.
“I knew before the game, when I stepped on the warmup mound, it was happening today,” Wright said. “I knew after the first inning that (Springdale) is a good hitting team, and that I was going to have to throw strikes. I threw mostly fastballs, which is different for me, but I was blowing it by them. I usually throw a lot of offspeed pitches.”
Wright also was key in the early scoring by Avella. In the first inning, he led off with a single and advanced all the way to third base on an infield groundout. He scored on Isaiah Bradick’s infield single. Westley Burchianti’s two-run single made it 3-0 in the first inning.
Wright singled again in the second inning, stole second base and scored on a Chas Rush single that made it 4-0.
Brian Martos drew a leadoff single in the third, advanced on a stolen base and passed ball, and scored on Hayden Gatewood’s single to right field.
Springdale began the seventh inning with a pair of singles. With Wright approaching the 105-pitch limit, Fogg replaced him with Rush, who has a sub-2.00 ERA. After a sacrifice fly, Springdale put four consecutive batters on base, closing to within 5-3, and prompting Fogg to make another pitching change, bringing in Bradick.
“I was going to bring in our left fielder (Cole Jaworowski), but Bradick said, ‘I’ve got this, coach,’ so I gave him the ball,” Fogg explained.
It was a good decision. Bradick ended the game with consecutive strikeouts.
The win sends Avella into the quarterfinals Monday against section rival and third-seeded Fort Cherry. The Eagles and Rangers split two league games.
“We know them and they know us,” Fogg said. “I’m sure they will want a little redemption from the last game. Bryce will be ready.”
South Allegheny, 7-0
Trenton Popovich fired a three-hitter with 13 strikeouts as South Allegheny won the first playoff game in school history, 7-0, over McGuffey.
Fourth-seeded South Allegheny (16-4) broke open a close game by sending nine batters to the plate in a five-run fourth inning that made the score 6-0.
McGuffey (6-9) hurt its cause by committing four errors and not getting an out during a fifth-inning rundown.
“We can’t be spotting ’em runs by not making plays,” said McGuffey coach George Linck, who announced his retirement following the game. “You’re not going to win many games when you do that.”
Neshannock, 5-1
Jake Rynd pitched six strong innings and Neshannock scored the go-ahead run on a suicide squeeze bunt as the 11th-seeded Lancers defeated Waynesburg, 5-1.
Waynesburg (13-4) scored the game’s first run in the opening inning when Trenton Zupper walked and Derek Turcheck’s deep fly ball landed just inside the left-field line for an RBI double.
Neshannock (12-9) tied the score in the fourth, then grabbed the lead in the fifth. A leadoff walk, line-drive single and two stolen bases put runners on second and third against Waynesburg starter Tyler Groves. Cole Hutchinson then dropped down a suicide squeeze bunt and another run scored on a groundout, giving Neshannock a 3-1 lead.
Waynesburg outhit Neshannock 8-4 but left 10 runners on base. Turcheck and Nicholas Willard each had two hits for the Raiders.