Underdog Central Cambria captures first D6 baseball title
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By Michael Boytim
mboytim@altoonamirror.com
CRESSON -- Central Cambria's high school baseball team was off to a modest 3-3 start this season when the Red Devils found themselves on the verge of falling victim to a mercy-rule loss to Somerset.
Coach Dan Beyer gathered his team and told them it was time for a turning point.
What started that day, and in retrospect even back to last fall, culminated Thursday afternoon at Mount Aloysius when the Red Devils captured the first District 6 baseball championship in school history with a 9-6 win over 3A powerhouse Central.
"We were losing 8-0 against Somerset in the third inning," Beyer said. "We grabbed everybody, and we told them this is where it was going to change, and we came back to win 9-8. Everyone from that point on understood they were a hell of baseball (team), and this team had a chance of doing something. It was from that point on that we really started to shine."
Central Cambria went just 4-12 a year ago in Beyer's first season with many of the same players, but Thursday's win upped the Red Devils' record to 15-8 this season, including a pair of wins over Forest Hills, which entered the postseason as the top seed in 3A before the Devils knocked the Rangers off in the semifinals.
"It started with getting the players to believe in themselves," Beyer said. "Central Cambria has never been a baseball school, so we started offseason practices in August. Everyone that bought in is right here part of this group. It started there and it finished today with everyone day in and day out putting in the work of lifting, pitchers showing up getting their arms in shape, and we had four pitchers that you could have put it at any time. We used three today. Owen Harringer to Alex Wingard to Logan Black, all of them really came through today. Our defense was spot on and our hitting delivered."
Harringer started and kept Central off balance for most of the first four innings.
"We knew their lefty pitcher (Harringer) was going to throw slow, slower and slowest," Central coach A.J. Hoenstine said. "That is by no means an insult on him. He is an excellent high school pitcher, and he did a good job against us until we got him out in the fifth."
Central picked up two runs in the fifth inning off Harringer on a two-run single by Britton Marko, but by that point Central Cambria had already put seven runs on the board.
"They got some timely hits," Hoenstine said. "I thought they had a real good approach at the plate and didn't swing at bad pitches. (Central starting pitcher Mason Sparks) threw a lot of close pitches, especially offspeed, that they didn't offer at. Hats off to them for that."
Black and Joe Iacono each had two-run singles for the Red Devils.
"It started with believing in each other and having confidence and the commitment to the brotherhood we have created," Iacono said. "We have been friends since elementary school. We trust each other. We have the pitching down, we play defense together and we kept scoring insurance runs on offense. It all came together."
After Central cut it to 7-4, senior Jack Washko extended the lead back to five with a two-run double.
"The seniors on this team have so much enthusiasm and love for the game," Beyer said. "Every one of them has been a leader throughout the year. Whenever someone was down, they were able to pick them up. That leadership is going to be hard to replace."
The extra runs proved to be valuable as Central got a leadoff triple from Griffin Snowberger in the bottom of the seventh inning followed by an RBI double by Baron Dionis. Wyatt Dilling's RBI two-out single made it 9-6 and brought the tying run to the plate, but Jay Hoenstine grounded out to end the game.
Hoenstine was involved in a controversial play earlier in the game that stifled a potential Dragons rally. With runners on first and second and one out in the bottom of the fourth inning, Hoenstine put his bat out as if he was about to bunt before pulling it back because the pitch was a ball. Home plate umpire Cody Cogan called him out due to batter's interference when he made contact with Central Cambria catcher Brayden Blasko.
"He said he brought the bat back through the catcher when he was pulling the bat back to not make a bunt attempt," Hoenstine said. "He said he hit the catcher's glove when he pulled it back, which I'm not sure I have seen that called before. I have seen it called with catcher's interference, but he called what he called. I have seen batter's interference when you come around on a back swing with a guy stealing, but I've never seen it called in that situation. But that wasn't the game."
One pitch later, Mason Byler lined out to end the inning with no runs scored.
"We tried to treat it like it was any other game," Central Cambria senior Connor Serenko said. "But emotions started to get high, and we stuck together, just like we have all season. We pulled the game out."
Central will play WPIAL champion Avonworth on the road Monday at 4 p.m. in the first round of the state playoffs. Avonworth, the No. 7 seed in District 7, upset top-seeded and defending PIAA champion Riverside, 4-3, in 14 innings in the district final.
"We're never happy losing, but we've won state championships before after losing district championships," Hoenstine said. "You have to find a way to win four games. It's a tricky time of year with graduation and school ending, but we have been fortunate that our kids have stayed focused through that. We have our hands full, but I like our team and like our chances."
Central Cambria will play South Allegheny at home on Monday.
"It's surreal," Beyer said. "Coming in last year for my first year after helping out at the Mount for four years when the program started and then getting a chance to really develop these kids is surreal. It's going to take a couple days for it to really settle in that what we did is going to be on banners in the high school gym for an eternity. It's a very special moment."
Grady Snyder and Washko each had two hits and first baseman Blake Coposky had three hits, including a double.
"I think it's 100 percent a different mentality this season," Serenko said. "I feel like last year, maybe not everyone wanted to be there giving our full effort, but this year it's a complete change with full effort every single game."
CENTRAL CAMBRIA (9): Snyder ss 422, Lo. Black 2b-p 411, Iacono cf 311, Coposky 1b 403, McConnell pr 010, Blasko c 100, Muldoon cr 010, Washko lf 312, Harringer p 000, Wingard p 000, Kirsch 2b 000, Russell dh 301, Howard rf 300, Serenko 3b 220. Totals -- 27-9-10.
CENTRAL (6): Smith 1b 321, Snowberger ss 322, Dionis rf 402, Moushlian pr 010, Sparks p 000, Loucks cr-cf 000, McNichol dh 310, Marko c 402, Oakes cr 000, Lu. Black cf-lf 201, Dilling 3b 201, Hoenstine 2b 400, Byler lf-p 300. Totals -- 28-6-9.
SCORE BY INNINGS
Central Cambria 002 412 0--9 10 1
Central 011 020 2--6 9 1
E--Serenko, Marko. 2B--Coposky, Snyder, Washko, Dionis 2. 3B--Snowberger. RBI--Iacono 2, Washko 2, Howard, Dionis 2, Marko 2, Dilling 2.
PITCHING
Central Cambria: Harringer (W)–4 2/3IP, 6H, 4BB, 1K, 1HBP, 4R, 3ER, 85 pitches; Wingard--2IP, 3H, 0BB, 2K, 1HBP, 2R, 2ER, 37 pitches; Lo. Black--1/3IP, 0H, 0BB, 0K, 0R, 0ER, 7 pitches.
Central: Sparks (L)–4IP, 7H, 6BB, 3K, 7R, 5ER, 98 pitches; Byler--3IP, 3H, 1BB, 1HBP, 1K, 2R, 2ER, 47 pitches.
Umpires: Plate--Cody Cogan. Bases--Michael Kresovich, Gerald Zollars, Jeff Holter.
Records: Central Cambria (15-8); Central (16-7).