What propelled Fairview baseball to a successful District 10 title defense in Class 3A?
Seven worthy contenders stood between the Fairview Tigers and a successful title defense.
They were the top seed in the Class 3A playoffs, but in perhaps District 10’s deepest baseball classification, that title felt like a formality.
No. 7 North East (10-12) entered Monday’s Class 3A final as the darling of the D-10 playoffs. No one told that to Fairview (17-2).
Colin Bolla shined again on the pitcher’s mound and Fairview’s offense gave him ample breathing room. The Tigers claimed a 6-3 victory at Mercyhurst University, successfully defending their district title with the same dominant pitching that made them a force this season in Region 4.
“We pitched our way to the championship, and we scored some runs (Monday),” said Fairview head coach Joe Spinelli. “Six is a lot for us. We’re glad we did that, but our pitching was the key to what we did in this tournament.”
Fairview led the whole way in Monday’s championship.
Aari Fox got the Tigers on the board with a first-inning solo home run. Bolla added a sacrifice fly in the third before Ed Dolansky’s RBI single, and after adding three more runs in the fourth, they enjoyed a five-run lead.
Adam Skelly finished 2-for-2 at the plate with a walk and two runs scored. Bolla, meanwhile, struck out 10 North East batters in five innings pitched, scattering two hits and two walks while adding a single of his own.
Bolla pitched 15⅔ innings in Fairview’s three D-10 playoff games, surrendering just two earned runs. After the thrill of he and Fox’s combined perfect game in the quarterfinals, the senior left-hander said Monday was equally as nerve-wrecking.
More: 21 up, 21 down. How Fairview's pitchers were perfect in the District 10 baseball playoffs
“Winning a D-10 championship, it’s one of the best feelings you can get as a team, as a person,” Bolla said. “I’m over the moon right now that we were able to come out and do this. Everybody contributed today.”
North East scored once in the fourth inning on an RBI groundout by Jacob Babo and, despite trailing by five, mustered a rally in the seventh. With the tying run in the on-deck circle and the top of the Grape Picker lineup due up, however, sophomore right-hander Vinny Campoli logged back-to-back strikeouts to close the game.
“It’s really just about trusting my guys back there and trusting (Dolansky) behind the plate to call an awesome game because he always does,” Bolla said. “I know I have seven guys behind my back and one behind the dish who are going to help me out any way they can.”
Fairview's a champion, but what's next?
Fairview won its third D-10 championship in eight seasons, also making its fourth finals appearance in that stretch. Bolla headlines the pitching staff, but the Tigers have several young stars who have continued to build upon the program’s recent success.
“We lost a lot of guys from last year, a lot of really good guys,” said Skelly, a senior outfielder. “But we stay together as a team. Every practice counts. Young guys are coming up and stepping up. They really help us out.”
Also see: Inside D-10 softball, baseball playoff brackets and title matchups
D-10’s lone representative in the PIAA Class 3A tournament, Fairview will play June 5 against the fourth-place finisher from District 7. In their bid to return to the state quarterfinals, the Tigers will likely turn to a familiar arm in Bolla.
“We played a lot of close games and played a lot of really good teams up here,” Bolla said. “Our region was fantastic and the D-10 playoffs were fantastic. We know that we’re able to compete against really good teams, we just need to grind it out sometimes.”
Contact Jeff Uveino at juveino@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter@realjuveino.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Fairview baseball rides pitching to another D-10 Class 3A title
