Pennridge edged in 8 by Cumberland Valley in PIAA AAAA first round

EAST WHITELAND >> Needing two runs to keep its season alive, Ian Kacergis said the Pennridge baseball team was certain it could still pull through.

“Even up until the last pitch, we thought we had this in the bag,” he said. “We were going to push those two runs across and get that third run in somehow.”

But the key hits that helped propel the Rams to their first District 1 title since 1987 did not continue Monday afternoon at Immaculata University.

After seven scoreless innings in the PIAA Class AAAA first round matchup, Cumberland Valley finally broke the stalemate in the top of the eight as Mitch Hoon’s two-out triple plated a pair of runs.

Pennridge began its half of the frame with back-to-back walks and had runners at the corners with no outs, but could not find a way to score as the Rams’ postseason came to an end with a 2-0 loss to the Eagles.

“You can say a little bit of letdown,” Pennridge coach Tom Nuneviller said. “You had all kinds of excitement last Thursday (in winning the district title) and you got to celebrate as a team and then coming out first time, the first game after that is an excuse, but you still got to be ready to play,

“Still good group of guys and guys that battled the entire season, so, just come up on the short end.”

The Rams (18-8) had just three hits off Cumberland Valley’s Joseph Cuomo and Austin Wacker – all singles with the last by Riley Hager with one out in the fifth. The Eagles, meanwhile, twice came up empty with the bases loaded and stranded 10 before Hoon’s hit produced the game’s two runs.

“We had too many strikeouts,” Nuneviller said. “We got to put the ball in play on some (plays). You got to give the kid (Cuomo) credit, he came out and went after us and we took too many fastballs, first pitch fastballs. We hit a couple of first pitch outs, but kid’s going to throw fastball, you should be able to hit a fastball, a high school fastball.”

Adam Overcash went 2-for-3 with a run scored while James Barber and Beck Way each finished 2-for-4 for District 3 3rd seed Cumberland Valley, which in its first state appearance since 2007 advance to the quarters to take on District 11 champ Easton Thursday in the quarterfinals. Easton beat Downingtown West 1-0 at Lehigh University Monday.

Neither Kacergis nor Cuomo factored in the pitching decision, but the starters traded holding the other side to zero until both came off the mound in the seventh.

Kacergis allowed seven hits in 6 2/3 innings, the right-hander striking out seven and walking two.

“Just try to focus on one pitch at a time, not try to look too far ahead,” Kacergis said. “Focus on the batter at-hand, the pitch at-hand, when I was doing that I think I was doing fine. But if I was looking too far ahead, I was getting a little in trouble and then just clear my mind.”

PIAA #BASEBALL: Mitch Hoon's 2-RBI triple gives @CVSDeagles a 2-0 lead over Pennridge T8. CV went on to win 2-0. pic.twitter.com/7SFWzfOZO7

— Mike Cabrey (@mpcabrey) June 7, 2016

Cuomo gave up three hits in 6 1/3 innings, striking out seven and walking just one.

Austin Wanker picked up the win for the Eagles. He did not allow a hit, struck out two and walked three in 1 2/3 innings. Dan Long took the loss for Pennridge, giving up two earned runs on one hit, walked three and struck out two in 1 1/3 innings.

Pennridge had won its last eight games coming into Monday, the last five against higher-seeded teams as the No. 17 Rams claimed the District 1-AAAA.

With the loss, the District 1 champ has not won the PIAA title in baseball’s largest class since Plymouth Whitemarsh took AAA in 1994.

Despite the lack of hits Monday, Pennridge put itself in position for a walk-off win in the seventh. Joe Robinson led off with a walk and a Kyle Yoder sacrifice bunt moved his courtesy runner, Chase Bifolco to second. After Walker took the mound for starter Cuomo, CV elected to intentionally walk Andrew Horne.

Hager hit a liner on the next at-bat only for shortstop Zach Belansek to snag it and easily double up Bifolco at second, who had slipped trying to get back to the bag.

In the top of the eighth, Taylor Zampelli and Overcash drew consecutive one-out walks against Long – who had come in for Kacergis with two outs and a runner on second in the seventh. Ryan Carney struck out swinging, but Hoon, in his first at-bat, tripled to right field corner to score Ridge Bachman – pinch running for Zampelli – and Overcash.

“First two pitches were fastballs. First one I missed, but the second one I tagged it,” Hoon said.

The bottom of the eighth began with back-to-back walks by Luke Nuneviller and Jason Souder with Nuneviller stealing third on a Mitch McLeod bunt attempt. That gave Pennridge runners on first and third with no outs, yet Wanker struck out McLeod and Long and Souder was forced out at second on an Andrew Fantaskey fielder’s choice to secure the Eagles’ win.

In the bottom of the first, Fantaskey and Robinson hit one-out single before Cuomo ended the threat by getting Yoder to hit into a 6-4-3 double play.

Cumberland Valley loaded the bases with two out in the top of the second only for Kacergis to strike out Cuomo to keep things 0-0.

In the third, Barber singled with one out then took second on a wild pitch. With two outs, Way singled to left, but a strong throw by left fielder Hager kept Barber at third. Wacker grounded out the next at-bat.

The Eagles again packed the base paths after an Overcash single, Carney walk and Cuomo bunt single put three on with one out. Kacergis, however, struck out Belansek and got a force out on a Barber fielder’s choice.

Long came in or Kacergis after a two-out single and error put Barber on second. After Barber went to third on a wild pitch, Drew Baughman was intentionally walked for Way, who grounded out to third.