Spartans sneak past Jaguars to take No. 3 seed

Both Thomas Jefferson and Montour had their spots already reserved for the PIAA Class 4A baseball playoffs next week, as the top four teams in the WPIAL advanced to the state postseason.

But don’t tell that to either of those two teams Tuesday night in the third place consolation contest at Washington & Jefferson’s Ross Memorial Park.

Both teams battled for 11 innings, as Montour outlasted TJ, 3-2, for a thrilling victory after Matteo Weber scored off an RBI groundout by Jason George in the top of the 11th to break the deadlock.

“This is a tough game to play in,” TJ coach Tim Vickers said. “You hear all the crowd noise from the other game (referring to the championship games being held at neighboring Wild Things Park). To be that close to that atmosphere, and all the pomp and circumstance with the finals is hard. It’s tough on both teams. We were a little flat to start and our overall energy was down in those first couple of innings.”

Weber started off the top of the 11th with a double and stole third base before coming into score what proved to the game-winning run. Weber also picked up the win for the Spartans (16-7), pitching the final five innings.

Down to their final three outs in the seventh, Kirsch and Brady Hodge worked walks for the Jaguars (19-4) and then advanced a base after a wild pitch by Weber.

Brady McGough dropped down a perfect bunt back to the pitcher, but Matteo couldn’t make the throw to first base and Kirsch scored from third base. After a fly out to right, Noah Kaszar smashed an RBI single that scored Hodge, but on the play Kaszar was tagged out at second base.

Weber induced a pop out to second base to grab the final out in the seventh and send the game into extra innings.

“They went up 2-0 early and we could not get that hit with runners in scoring position,” Vickers said. “We’ve been a good hitting team the whole season, but the last couple of games we’ve struggled with the bats. That bunt really got us going and we grabbed the momentum. It would have been nice to get another run for the win because that lefty was tough.”

Elias Lippincott was tagged with the loss for the Jaguars in relief, throwing four innings and allowing a run off four hits with three strikeouts and seven walks (four intentional).

The teams combined for 17 hits, but left 24 runners on base. The squads also issued 17 combined walks in the extra- inning affair.

After JJ Siemon only needed seven pitches to get through the top of the first for TJ, the senior righty got into some trouble in the second when Jonathan Cecil blasted a oneout triple to left-center.

Cecil scored off an RBI hit by Zachary Ciamacco for the game’s first run, but the Jaguars and Siemon were able to escape the jam as they turned a 1-6-3 double play.

In the bottom of the second, Lippincott drew a free pass after falling behind 0-2 and advanced to second base after a single by Carter Kirsch. The Spartans returned the favor in the next at-bat, as they turned a 6-4-3 double play to end the threat.

The Spartans extended their lead to 2-0 in the top of the third when Joshua Peremba began the inning with a single, advanced to second on a balk and then moved to third after a fly out to centerfield. With two outs, Peremba scored after Siemon uncorked a wild pitch.

The Jaguars had a chance to crack the scoreboard in the bottom of the third when Ethan Steinmetz hammered a one-out single. Steinmetz was awarded second base after a balk and then took third on a fly out to center.

Steinmetz was left stranded at third when Montour’s Cyprian Slifkey induced a deep fly out to end the inning.

Slifkey exited the game in the bottom of the fourth after back-to-back walks and 54 pitches. Reliever Thomas Butts only needed one pitch to get out of the jam after a fielder’s choice to shortstop.

Butts held TJ scoreless the next two innings before a wild bottom of the seventh.

Siemon threw 92 pitchers over seven innings and allowed two runs off six hits with four strikeouts and two free passes.

“He was outstanding for us,” Vickers said. “He competed the whole game and was effective when he needed to be. He didn’t have any long at-bats and he attacked hitters. I’m sure he will tell you he did not have this best stuff, but he just flat out competes. He kept us in the game.”

The Jaguars will play the District 3 champion East Pennsboro Monday in the first round of the PIAA playoffs.

“You just have to hit the reset button real fast,” Vickers said. “You have to try to forget about this one and move onto the state playoffs. This is a resilient bunch of kids, and I know this group will be mentally ready to go next week.”