Homer-Center fends off Northern Cambria early to advance in District 6 Class 2A playoffs

HOMER CITY, Pa. – Although a steady rainfall and muddy infield didn’t make things any easier for Northern Cambria going into its District 6 Class 2A quarterfinal against Homer-Center Friday afternoon, it wasn’t the conditions alone that cost the Colts in a 6-2 loss to the Wildcats at First Commonwealth Field.

The eventual outcome was more due to the Colts leaving six runners on base, including five in scoring position, over the first four innings and failing to advance a runner past first base over the final three.

“We’ve had trouble leaving runners on base all year,” Northern Cambria coach Brian Bougher said. “It was the same thing today. We just didn’t get the timely hits that we needed.”

In the first frame, No. 2 seed Homer-Center manufactured three runs off Colts starter Reese Wagner. A single, a walk, a run-scoring double by Braden Dunn and an RBI groundout by Caleb Palmer spotted the Wildcats a three-run lead after the first inning.

“It was wet, and the ball was getting hard to grip, and I couldn’t get the control I wanted to throw early on,” Wagner said about dealing with the rain, “but they are a good team and hit the ball well.”

The weather didn’t help Wagner early on, but as the rain subsided, the left-hander settled in. He allowed one hit over the next three innings to keep the Colts close.

“When it started to dry up, I got the new baseballs and started to lock in,” Wagner said.

Offensively, Northern Cambria was able to reach base against Wildcats ace Owen Saiani early. In the top of the first, Shaun Gisler was left on second base, and Trey Pershing hit into a bases-loaded double play in the next inning, blanking on multiple scoring opportunities.

The Colts finally lit the scoreboard up in the top of the third. Gisler beat out an infield single, and Ben Messina, who lined a hit to left field, scored on separate Saiani wild pitches in the inning to cut Homer-Center’s advantage to one run.

Saiani eventually locked in by striking out Caleb Dolney with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Gisler and Messina combined for five of the Colts’ six base hits.

The field crew at the Homer City ballpark did their best to keep the action moving, sometimes even in pouring downfalls.

Saiani, who earned the victory, seemed to use the third inning as a boost. A Northern Cambria single in the top of the fifth was the only hit he allowed over his final three innings. Although the playoff pitch count limit is extended to 105 pitches, Saiani completed five innings, throwing 56 of his 100 pitches for strikes. He scattered six hits, allowed two runs and struck out four in his five innings.

Caleb Palmer, who won Monday in the Wildcats’ Heritage Conference title game over Conemaugh Township, finished the sixth and seventh innings without allowing a base runner.

“Owen (Saiani) and Reese (Wagner), they pitched in slop,” Homer-Center coach Scott Bauer said. “The field crew did a great job of keeping the field manageable, but Owen was a bulldog, and he was grinding out there. I told him that the field conditions aren’t ideal, but you have to be able to put that out of your mind and get a pitch when we need it. He was able to do that.”

Insurance runs were added in the bottom of the sixth. Saiani provided a two-out RBI single when Colts center fielder Brad Valeria closed in on Saiani’s fly ball, but couldn’t come up with the catch, allowing pinch-runner Collin Daugherty to score from second base. Nash Budner and Saiani followed Daugherty across the plate on Dunn’s two-RBI single down the third-base line.

Dunn went 2-for-3, scoring a run and driving in four RBIs. Budner and Sainai reached base three times and scored two runs each for Homer-Center.

The Wildcats (17-5) will host No. 3 seed West Branch Thursday.

Northern Cambria closed out its season with a 12-7 record.