Bishop McCort rolls past Moshannon Valley in 6-1A baseball semis
JOHNSTOWN, Pa – Postseason baseball can magnify every single moment and Bishop McCort Catholic sophomore second basemen Jonathan Delia had a huge spot in the bottom of the third inning in Friday’s District 6 Class A semifinal against Moshannon Valley.
At the time, the top-seeded Crimson Crushers were not only looking for their first run, but also their first hit. Delia took care of both with one swing of the bat.
His two-run double down the right field line opened the scoring for Bishop McCort and his team never looked back in an 11-2 triumph over the Black Knights.
“I was just really thinking put the ball in the opposite field with a two-strike approach and just trying to hit a gap,” Delia said of the hit that got his team started.
“I really think that sparked the fire for us.”
The Crimson Crushers slugged out 10 hits overall and produced 11 runs with two big innings to break the game open for the top seed. The win vaults Bishop McCort into Tuesday night’s District 6 title game opposite diocesan rival Bishop Carroll Catholic.
“He was able to poke it through and get two runs,” Bishop McCort coach Chris Pfeil said of Delia’s hit. “That was big and you could see the confidence level on our whole team rise we had the runs and we were able to keep going out and throwing zeroes.”
In the early stages of the game, it felt like the first team to break through offensively would ultimately take the game.
Both starting pitchers were sharp early on, but the Crimson Crushers were eventually able to get to Moshannon Valley’s big right-hander Landyn Evans, while Bishop McCort starter Mason Pfeil pitched another gem.
The Crimson Crushers’ star pitcher allowed a leadoff single to Zach Reifer to start the game, but the Black Knights could not muster another hit off of him after that. The Crushers’ senior ace went five scoreless innings, struck out eight, and walked only two.
“He shoves all the time,” Bishop McCort shortstop Adam Radkowski said of his teammate. “Every time he is on the mound, we know we can win the game.”
The Crimson Crushers defeated Claysburg-Kimmel 2-0 on Monday in the quarterfinal round, but provided a little more run support in Friday’s contest. Radkowski along with junior left fielder Eli Zasadni each produced multi-hit games.
“The bottom of our order really has been coming through for us,” Chris Pfeil said. “The guys at the top are struggling right now, and I have ton of faith in them that they are going to come out of it.”
Moshannon Valley found a little life once Mason Pfeil exited the game. The Black Knights notched two runs in the top of the sixth, highlighted by an RBI triple from Tanner Kephart, to cut into Bishop McCort’s lead at 5-2.
The Crimson Crushers emphatically responded with a six-run frame in the bottom half of the inning to put the game out of reach. Bishop McCort sent 10 batters to the plate with five of them recording hits.
Bishop McCort will now look to capture the program’s 10th District 6 title Tuesday.
“We have a lot of respect for Bishop Carroll,” Chris Pfeil said of his team’s next challenge.
“They have a group of competitors on that team and we’re expecting a battle. We’re going to enjoy tonight then we’re going to start preparing for Tuesday.”
