Published: June 09, 2009 09:24 am      

PIAA baseball: Bishop McCort falls just short of title game

HOMER CITY — The wrong play at the right time by Serra Catholic ended Bishop McCort’s dream of playing for a state baseball title Monday at First Commonwealth Field.

The Eagles completed a bang-bang play from center field, gunning down the potential tying run at home plate in the seventh to end the Crimson Crushers’ season, 5-4 in the PIAA ;Class A semifinal.

“When the ball is hit to center field, I’m thinking ‘Hit the cut-off man and don’t let the guy get to second base,’ ” Serra coach Brian Dzurenda said. “It was completely wrong. It was non-fundamental baseball, if you will.”

The throw also wasn’t a perfect one.

“It was high,” Dzurenda said. “It was a rainbow. But it got there and got the job done. It was an ill-advised throw. I’d have rather he throw it to second base. It was the wrong throw entirely, and we ended up getting the guy at the plate. Game over.”

Bishop McCort’s Zach Freeman singled with one out in the top of the seventh and went to second on a ground out.

Joe Hrbal blasted a ball to the outfield and Serra center fielder Tyler Kugler knew it was going to be a critical play.

“I didn’t think I was going to be able to field the ball correctly,” Kugler said. “The ball was real slippery, so that’s why it kind of floated like that. I’m just glad it got to the plate.”

It was a close call at home.

“He hit my foot, but my hand was already on the plate,” Freeman said about the tag. “That’s the way it works. Baseball is a game of inches.”

Added Bishop McCort coach Denny Altimore: “I couldn’t tell. I had (a bad) angle here. It looked like it was bang-bang. I think it could have gone either way. They got the call. That’s it.”

The Crimson Crushers got on the scoreboard in the first as Matt Kastelic was hit by a pitch, stole second and went to third on a single by Eric Lowry. Jesse Cooper’s single plated Kastelic.

Serra evened the game in the bottom of the first.

Kastelic’s solo homer in the third returned the lead to the Crushers, who also scored another run on a Colin Harrington single, a Lowry double and a sacrifice fly by Zach Vignero for a 3-1 edge that chased starting pitcher Chris Miller, who gave way to Brandon Sandusky.

Sandusky worked his way out of the inning and McCort left the bases loaded.

Right after the Eagles tacked on a run in the third, the game was delayed nearly two hours when a thunderstorm rolled through the area.

“I wanted to come back (Tuesday),” Dzurenda said. “I did not want to play today after that rain delay. I hate those situations. I just think it breaks the entire flow of the game. I asked the umpire several times, ‘Please, let’s come back tomorrow and finish the game.’ It’s tough to keep the kids focused at that point. They’re eating their hot dogs and hamburgers. You’ve got two kids out here kissing their girlfriends.”

But the grounds crew got the field back in shape and play continued.

Bishop McCort’s starting pitcher, Braxton Ferre, was relieved by Sean Lenhart in the fifth. The first batter Lenhart faced, Alain Girman, blasted a solo home run over the right-field fence to even the game.

McCort regained the lead in the sixth.

Harrington was issued an intentional walk with two outs and nobody on base.

Lowry then blasted a double to deep right field and Harrington came home.

The Eagles went ahead for good in the sixth, aided by an error, a pair of walks, a bunt single and a sacrifice.

“In a game like this, the team that makes the least amount of mistakes usually wins,” Altimore said. “We made enough mistakes to probably have lost worse than we did lose. Some missed opportunities – some errors, a double-play ball we didn’t turn when we should have turned it. It just came down to that one play. They just made one more play than we did.

“In three of the first five innings we had bases loaded, but we couldn’t get the big hit. We missed opportunities, and mistakes ended up doing us in at the end.”

Added Dzurenda: “They left a lot of men on base, as did we. The double play against them (in the fifth inning) I thought that was a pivotal moment in the game.

“They’re a great team. I give them all the credit in the world. It was a shame somebody had to lose this game, to be honest with you.”

Serra will take on Camp Hill, which defeated Old Forge 18-5 in six innings in the other Class A semifinal on Monday.

The championship game will be played at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Blair County Ballpark.