Scott Huff previews the Council Rock South and Hatboro-Horsham PIAA Class AAAA semifinal games on Monday.
By Scott Huff
Final destination – Medlar Field @ Lubrano Park @ Penn State University – Friday 1 pm.
Council Rock South and Hatboro-Horsham each have one critical stop before either the Golden Hawks or the Hatters can possibly reach the prestigious PIAA Quad-A state baseball championship game. The Suburban One League/District One teams each cleared quarterfinal hurdles last week, and each must clear an even more difficult hurdle this week in the semifinals.
Rock South and Hatboro-Horsham could possibly meet in the state finals as each is bracketed in different ‘regions’ of the 16-team tournament field. Both the Golden Hawks (1-2) and the Hatters (1-3) lost to District One champion Central Bucks South (1-1) in the district tournament. Rock South was placed into the ‘western’ bracket, while Hatboro-Horsham was positioned in the ‘eastern’ bracket.
The tournament resumes play Monday with the semifinals and concludes Friday with the finals. It is a stretch of days that did not exist earlier in the tournament – and the four remaining teams should be able to use their respective aces in both games. As a result, the best teams should be able to put their best players on the field in the championship games.
Let the games begin.
Council Rock South Golden Hawks (1-2) vs. Altoona Mountain Lions (6-1)
@ Hershey High School – Monday – Noon
Council Rock Southfinished the season as the Suburban One League National Conference champion and stormed its way to the District One final before losing to Central Bucks South in the district final – 2-0. The Golden Hawks soared by North Penn (4-1), Coatesville (10-0), and Upper Dublin (6-5) before its setback to the Titans in the finals.
Council Rock South opened state play with a 6-2 victory over Frankford (12-2) in a game played at Spring-Ford High School. The Golden Hawks returned to Spring-Ford and experienced the same success with a 5-1 victory over Coatesville (1-5). Bret DeStefano threw a gem for the Hawks in that win, while Zach Fitzgerald and Jeff Miller each collected two RBI.
Council Rock South has had two superior pitchers in the post season in DeStefano and Brian Donnelly. Coach Greg Young may have a tough decision to make as to who gets the ball against Altoona, but whoever is chosen is a great choice. Dan Callahan has been a rock behind home plate, and the infield of Michael Chaykin, Zak Gross, and Fitzgerald has been terrific. Kane Price and Miller have been clutch both in the field and at the plate.
Council Rock South head coach Greg Young says– “All season long the players have said we still have some unfinished business. We need to continue to have a good approach at the plate, play good defense, be aggressive on the bases, and get timely hitting. We are a focused group, and we will be ready.”
Altoona finished had a championship run through the District Six tournament. The Mountain Lions defeated Bald Eagle (5-3), Dubois (8-5), and Central Mountain (2-1).
Altoona opened state play with a 7-4 victory over District Seven champion Seneca Valley. The Mountain Lions followed with a state quarterfinal victory over Mount Lebanon (7-2) – 6-3. Ace pitcher Ben Wyland picked up the win for Altoona and will most likely get the starting nod against Council Rock South.
Altoona showcases the talents of Ian Happ, Christian Hensel, Anthony Lombardo, Alec Lytle, Shea Stayer, Colby Fink, and Chris Sinisi.
Hatboro-Horsham Hatters (1-3) vs. La Salle Explorers (12-1)
@ Spring-Ford High School – Monday – noon
Hatboro-Horsham finished the season as the Suburban One League Continental Conference champion and earned the third position from District One. The Hatters opened district play with a 5-4 win over West Chester Rustin and followed with an 8-7 victory over Downingtown West. Hatboro-Horsham lost a 6-5 contest to eventual district champion Central Bucks South, but captured the third seed from the district with a playback win over Upper Dublin.
Hatboro-Horsham opened state play with a 5-4 victory over District 11 champion Nazareth in a game played at Parkland High School. The Hatters returned to Parkland for their second round game with the same successful results with a 2-0 quarterfinal victory over District Two champion Wyoming Valley West.
Casey O’Donnell has emerged as the ace of the pitching staff – a staff that is both deep and talented. Zach Crim, Tyler Zingle, and Zach Prendergast are among the pitching core and all play a part on the field when not on the mound. Conner Crookham – still another pitcher – Casey Saverio, Chris Hens, Kyle Scannell, and Ryan Kelly provide offensive punch.
Hatboro-Horsham head coach Peter Moore says– “Off the record, on the record, Casey O’Donnell is going to be the starter in our next game. This is a team that simply refuses to believe that they are going to lose. We have been in a lot of one-run games – won a lot of one-run games, and they knows how to perform under pressure.”
La Salle finished the season as the runner-up in the Philadelphia Catholic League as the Explorers lost in that title game to Neuman-Goretti in eight innings – 5-4. La Salle bounced back from that defeat to win the District 12 title with a convincing 14-1 victory over Public League champion Frankford.
The Explorers opened state play with a 10-1 victory over Upper Dublin (1-4) in a contest played at La Salle University and followed with a come-from-behind 7-6 win over Central Dauphin (3-3) in a game played at Muhlenberg High School. La Salle trailed 5-3 going into the bottom of the sixth inning before it staged its comeback.
Kevin Long has been the ace of the Explorer staff and will most likely earn the start against Hatboro-Horsham. The La Salle offense has been generated by Corey Baiada, Dominic Cuoci, Mike Piscopo, Ryan Otis, Jimmy Herron, Colin Pyne, and Tyler Kozeniewski.
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