Senior Julio Ermigiotti threw a perfect game in Central Bucks West’s 3-0 win over Wilson in Monday’s PIAA 6A opener. North Penn also notched a win. Check the recaps for all the games involving SOL squads. CB West/Wilson photos courtesy of Kim Supko Photography. Check back for a gallery of photos: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f12122253
PIAA 6A Opening Round
#1-1 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 3, #3-2 WILSON 0
80 pitches.
That’s all it took for Julio Ermigiotti to create a masterpiece in Monday’s opening round of the PIAA 6A State Tournament. The Lehigh University commit – arms raised above his head as rightfielder Will Hogenauer snagged a line drive for the game’s final out – was mobbed by ecstatic teammates, celebrating the hard-throwing righthander’s perfect game.
“That was just awesome,” Ermigiotti said. “It was like everything I worked for came together in one moment.
“Honestly, I’ve been thinking – ‘It would be cool to throw a no-hitter in my last high school season.’ I’ve been thinking about it lately, but I’m never mad if something like this doesn’t happen. I just want to get through the game and get our team a win.”
Ermigiotti retired all 21 batters he faced while striking out nine. Fifty-nine of his 80 pitches were strikes in a dominant effort on the mound.
“It’s such a pleasure catching him – you always know when he’s pitching he’s going to come out and throw strikes and do a great job,” senior catcher Max McGlone said. “But I was not expecting that in the first round of state playoffs.
“Our offense put a couple of runs up for him and made the plays behind him.”
McGlone acknowledged they did go away from the original game plan.
“Usually, his slider is his best pitch – that’s his out pitch,” the Bucks’ senior catcher said. “Today, I relied on his fast ball. First time through the lineup, I realized that’s what was getting outs, so I was just going to stick with that, although that wasn’t really our game plan. Our game plan was to do what we usually do with him, but you’ve got to change things up on the fly. He did a great job with it.”
Ermigiotti acknowledged that the fast ball was his money pitch on Monday.
“I knew through the game – ‘Okay, I’m just going to stick with the fast ball,” the Bucks’ senior pitcher said. “Prior to this, I was like, ‘All right, I’m going to have to work heavy fast ball, slider, maybe even mix in the changeup,’ but it was working well for me, so I’m like – just keeping throwing it, and good things happen. I noticed hitters were late on the fast ball, and that was the ticket through the game most of the way.”
Coach Brian Weaver had no doubts that Ermigiotti would give the Bucks a strong outing.
“But maybe our expectations weren’t quite this high,” the Bucks’ coach said. “Julio has been good all year, and him and Max have been executing the game plan.
“We’ve been scouting these guys all weekend, and we thought we had a chance to go after their lineup a little bit, but certainly nobody could have predicted that it would be this kind of day. A perfect game is great, 80 pitches is great, but none of it really makes sense in the moment right now. I could live another 50 years, and I still might not be able to comprehend what he did.”
The Bucks put together a rally in the bottom of the fourth inning. With one out, Alex Valdes and Quinn Illig hit back-to-back singles, and the bases were loaded when Matt Carr legged out a bunt single. Jack Hogenauer’s groundout plated Valdes, and with a pair of runners in scoring position, Kevin Bukowski lined a single to left that scored both runners, giving the Bucks a 3-0 lead that stood the rest of the way.
“Every time as a pitcher when you get those comfort runs and that room to work with, it’s always relaxing,” Ermigiotti said. “I knew my guys at some point were going to put up some runs for me with the way we’ve been playing, so it was awesome. A deep sigh of relief there when the inning happened.”
“Getting the hit was nice, but we didn’t even need it,” Bukowski said. “All we needed was one because he did his thing today.”
“It’s amazing. He did a fantastic job – it was the best performance I’ve ever seen in my life. It was a pleasure just watching him out there. It was very impressive.”
Bukowski acknowledged that the players started realizing around the fifth inning that Ermigiotti was onto something special.
“Then the dugout starts to get a little quiet,” he said. “Everyone doesn’t want to say anything.
“Going into the seventh, I knew it. I was out there – a little more nervous than usual because you don’t want to be ‘that guy.’ He did outstanding today.”
Ermigiotti struck out a pair in the sixth and collected the third out on a groundout. In the seventh, he coaxed a grounder to first for the inning’s first out and then struck out the next batter he faced, setting the stage for the final out to Hogenauer.
“I was very nervous in the last inning, and I knew when it got to the deeper innings – ‘Okay, I got this going for me,’” Ermigiotti said. “I knew I had to keep focusing on the next pitch. I didn’t want to focus on the end result. I just kept focusing on the next pitch and get what I needed to do done.”
The Bucks managed just six hits in the win – two by Bukowski.
“We watched a lot of film, and we knew they were going to lean heavy on the breaking ball in all counts,” Weaver said. “From the first inning or two when we started getting guys on base, that kind of gives you the confidence where – even if we’re not breaking through, it makes it look a little hittable, and it makes guys believe, ‘Okay, next at-bat that could be me.’”
Monday’s win was the ninth in a row for the Bucks – their- third shutout in their last five games. The Bucks have allowed just two runs total in those five games.
“It starts with our pitching,” Bukowski said. “It starts with them giving us confidence and then all we need to score is a few, and our offense is getting it done. We’re playing small ball, getting everyone over and in. Just doing what we need to do. We’re playing very sound baseball right now.”
“Throughout the whole tournament prior to this, we’ve just been rolling,” Ermigiotti said. “I think that carried into this game.
“Making history every single day is what we’re doing. I can’t believe it, but I also can believe it because the way we’re working hard all season and we deserve this. All of our guys are doing what we need to do.
“It’s a team effort, it’s not just one guy. We all have trust in each other. No matter who’s at the plate or who’s pitching or who’s getting the ball in the field, everyone knows something good is going to happen.”
Ask McGlone about the remarkable postseason showing of West’s pitchers, and he pointed to the team’s confidence.
“Our confidence is just through the roof,” he said. “All the pitchers are through the roof, all our hitters too, and it’s just working out for us.
“No one is coming into the game thinking we’re going to lose, it’s not even a thought in our minds. (It’s) absolutely exciting. No one’s ever done this in school history. We didn’t think we were going to do this, but now that we’ve here, we’re going to keep doing our thing.”
Central Bucks West (20-6, 10-6 SOL) will face District 12 champion Father Judge in Thursday’s quarterfinal round at a time and location to be determined. Father Judge defeated Plymouth Whitemarsh 6-2 on Monday.
Wilson 000 000 0 0-0-2
Central Bucks West 000 300 x 3-6-0
#1-3 NORTH PENN 10, #2-1 HAZLETON 0 (5 innings)
It was a pivotal moment in Monday’s game.
The Knights had the bases loaded with two outs when James Mangine stepped to the plate to face Texas A&M commit Brett Antolick, whose fastball last month was clocked at a top speed of 95 mph.
“I was nervous because I know this kid is throwing really hard,” Mangine said. “We’ve seen good pitching all year, but I had a swing and miss and I’m thinking, ‘All right, this kid’s pumping.’ Then I had two strikes on me, and they called time, so I go down to talk to coach Manero.
“Jack Picozzi came up to me and said, ‘Stay relaxed, keep your bat on your shoulder, just do what you do.’ I just took a deep breath, I went in the box, and he hung one inside, so I hit it. The wind was blowing in pretty hard. I was rounding first, and I wasn’t really sure. I was staring at the ump, I saw him give the signal.”
Just like that, the Knights had a 4-0 lead before Hazleton had its first at-bat.
“That was pretty big – it definitely gave us a lot of momentum because we knew we had to get on him early,” Mangine said. “Like coach said – we didn’t want to be playing the catch-up game late in the game. We definitely wanted to jump on him early, and that did it right there, so we started collecting hits after that. Especially in the state playoffs, you’re thinking it’s going to be a close game.”
“That absolutely set the tone,” NP coach Kevin Manero said of Mangine’s grand slam. “We had first and second and nobody out, and we didn’t execute on a bunt. Then you have first and second with one out, and then you start to think – maybe this kid is going to get out of the inning, and we certainly don’t want to let him off the hook.
“When Mangine came up and cracked that ball over the fence, it was just a huge relief.”
Mangine’s blast was set up by a dropped third strike, a single by Picozzi and a hit batter.
“We knew their number one (pitcher) was very good,” Manero said. “He’s got a lot of life on his fast ball, and he’s got some tough off-speed stuff that he gets people on. He’s got a slider that breaks out of the zone, so we knew our hands were full with their pitching, but we prepared for that.
“Our guys – their approach to the plate and what they did with him was nothing short of impressive. We tried to lay off the off-speed stuff and hunt the fastball and just tried to stay short to the ball and really just try to hit the gaps and not try to come out of our legs and do too much. By doing that, we were able to get some barrels and force him to throw fast balls. I think our discipline just worked in our favor.”
Antolick’s fortunes didn’t improve in the second inning – he survived just 1 2/3 innings. Justin Egner led off the inning with a single, and Picozzi drew a walk. With two outs, Ben Farley lined a double to center, plating a pair, and that was followed by an RBI double by Mangine to put the Knights on top 7-0, and they weren’t finished yet.
In the third inning, Mario Sgro reached first on a one-out bunt single, and he scored when Egner doubled to center. With two outs, Henry Wetzel doubled home a run, and the Knights led 9-0.
The Knights added a run in the fifth when Brady Dolder, who led off the inning with a single, scored on Picozzi’s fielder’s choice. A 1-2-3 fifth inning by sophomore Trevor Lugara brought an early end to the game.
“Trevor had his good stuff on the mound, and when Trevor’s throwing the way he was today, four or five runs might be all you need in a game like this, and we were able to do a little better than that,” Manero said. “We didn’t have to use the bullpen, Trevor only threw 66 pitches, so it certainly keeps a lot of gas in the tank going forward.”
The Knights pounded out 12 hits in the abbreviated contest.
Mangine’s 2-for-3 with a home run, double, five RBIs and run scored led the Knights. Egner was 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and two runs scored out of the leadoff spot. Wetzel was 2-for-4 with a double, RBI and run, and Dolder was 2-for-3 with a run scored.
“This was one of the most impressive performances I’ve seen a team have from any team I’ve ever coached,” Manero said. “They just did everything right today, they were so locked in. This time of year, there’s not a lot of margin for error, so you have to bring your best, and they did that today.”
The Knights have rebounded since falling to CB West in the district semifinals.
“We were disappointed,” Mangine said. “We had a good week before, and losing that game, it’s like, ‘All right, now we’re playing for third or fourth.’
“We looked up at the fence, and we saw that (North Penn) teams that have won the state championship in the past actually never won a district championship, so we still had that hope. We never gave up.
“Even before this game, we were saying, ‘We’ve got one game – not four games. We have to win one at a time because it’s win or go home. We’re trying to win each game and be the one celebrating by the time the game’s over.”
North Penn (20-5, 13-3 SOL) will face District 11 champion Liberty in Thursday’s quarterfinal round at a site and time to be determined. Liberty edged Avon Grove 6-5 on Monday.
North Penn 432 01 10-12-1
Hazleton 000 00 0-4-0
#12-1 FATHER JUDGE 6, #1-4 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 2
The Crusaders scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning and led wire to wire in Monday’s state opener.
“Unfortunately, we came out today and just couldn’t put everything together when we needed to,” PW coach Chris Manero said. “Judge made very few mistakes, and their pitcher filled up the strike zone all day. It was tough to get something going most of the day.
“I know that this group never feels like they are out of a game and never lets the moment get too big. Lincoln (Sharpe) settled things down for us on the mound and kept us in the game. We put some hits together and scored two big runs in the sixth inning after our bats were quiet for much of the previous five. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t enough today.”
Sharpe relieved starter Dylan Robinson in the fourth inning, but by that time, the Crusaders had a 4-0 lead.
In the top of the sixth, the Colonials’ offense came to life, and put a pair of runs on the board. Gabe Caucci and Luke Gartland collected back-to-back singles. Caucci scored on an error, and a second run crossed the plate when Gavin Rocks doubled to right field.
The Crusaders answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning, and that score stood the rest of the way.
Luke Gartland was 2-for-3 in a contest that saw the Colonials collect six hits.
“We are so proud of the season these guys put together,” Manero said. “There were so many big moments and accomplishments along the way, and there we were on June 5th, a week away from graduation and still playing baseball.
“State playoff appearances don’t happen by luck, and this group earned every inning of every game they got to play over the last few weeks.
“High school baseball provides these young men with memories they will take with them forever, and once the dust settles from today, they will be able to look back with a ton of pride for what they put together on the field over their last four years.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh closed out its season with a 16-9 record. The Colonials were 12-4 in the SOL.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 000 002 0 2-6-2
Father Judge 301 002 x 6-13-1
#3-1 CEDAR CLIFF 9, #1-6 ABINGTON 0
Cedar Cliff rode its fifth seed to a District 3 6A title, and the Colts continued their impressive run in Monday’s opening round of the district tournament. They took a 2-0 lead in the second and upped that lead to 6-0 after four innings before closing out the scoring with three more runs in the sixth.
The Ghost managed just three hits off a pair of Cedar Cliff pitchers.
Abington closed out its season with a 15-9 record, 12-4 SOL.
Abington 000 000 0 0-3-3
Cedar Cliff 021 303 x 9-9-0
District 1 5A Opening Round
#11-1 POCONO MOUNTAIN EAST 4, #1-2 UPPER DUBLIN 2
Upper Dublin took an early lead, but it was short-lived.
The Cardinals put a run on the board in the top of the first when Jared Levis, who led off the inning with a single, scored on Leo Soriano’s groundout.
Pocono Mountain answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning and took that lead into the fifth when the Cardinals evened the score. Jared Levis – who had two of his team’s four hits – singled and stole second. Eric Berman’s two-out single brought Levis home.
Pocono Mountain – benefitting from three walks and a single – scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth and won by that 4-2 margin.
In a game of limited offense, both teams managed just four
“This was a pitcher’s duel,” Coach Ed Wall said. “(Aidan) McCarthy vs Horvath who’s committed to JMU. He went toe to toe with him and gave up only four hits and struck out six. We couldn’t have asked for more of his bounce-back effort.
“Our defense had a few uncharacteristic miscues that set us back. We battled for all seven innings and just couldn’t find that clutch hit to spark another rally.
“We are so proud of this team. It was another amazing season.”
Upper Dublin closed out its season with a 14-2 SOL record and a 16-7 record overall.
Upper Dublin 100 010 0 2-4-2
Pocono Mountain East 200 020 x 4-4-2
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