By Joe Sager

For the Mirror

HARMONY — One bad inning may not be a big deal during the regular season.

In the playoffs, however, it can spell doom.

Central experienced that Monday in a PIAA Class 3A baseball first round game at Seneca Valley High School. Avonworth’s bats came alive in the fourth and produced all the team’s runs in a 6-1 decision.

“Hitting is contagious and they strung a couple together that inning,” Central coach A.J. Hoenstine said. “I really thought that we had pretty good at-bats and hit the ball hard, sometimes right at them. They made plays that you have to make to win games like this and we didn’t make some plays. They are not easy plays, by any means, but plays you have to make.”

The Scarlet Dragons (16-8) struck first in the top of the third inning. Hunter Smith roped a two-out double to left. A wild pitch moved him to third and Griffin Snowberger plated him with a sharp single to right.

However, the lead lasted just an inning before the Antelopes (17-8) came alive. Central starting pitcher Mason Byler walked the leadoff batter and hit the next batter. Cooper Scharding followed with a run-scoring single to knot the game.

Carson Franc dealt the game’s biggest blow when he rocketed a double to the left-center gap that plated two runs. After a strikeout, Alex Rowe followed with a run-scoring single. Brandon Sapolsky singled and Jack Dolan smacked an RBI double. Ben Barnes reached on an error and Hunter Blackson capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly for a 6-1 advantage.

“Coming off a win over Riverside (in the WPIAL title game), I was worried about a letdown,” Avonworth coach Jeff Bywalski said. “Hat’s off to our guys because they stayed with it and, finally, in the fourth inning we were able to get to (Byler) and make some things happen.”

Central threatened in the final two innings. In the sixth, Smith was hit by a pitch to start the frame. After a flyout, Scharding coaxed a groundball for a sharp 4-6-3 double play. In the seventh, the Dragons had runners on first and second from a walk and hit batter from reliever Jacob Hanny, but he struck out the final two batters to end the game.

Scharding earned the win as he limited Central to three hits. He struck out four and did not issue a base on balls for the Antelopes, who meet Fairview, a 7-3 winner over Burrell, in Thursday’s quarterfinals.

“Cooper did his thing,” Bywalski said. “He has been a bulldog for us.”

Snowberger had two singles in the loss, while Smith had a double. The Dragons bid farewell to seniors Britton Marko, Baron Dionis, Zach Oakes, Smith and Snowberger.

“We have five seniors and they are great kids that have been part of a state championship and a lot of state runs,” Hoenstine said. “Two of them are going to play golf in college and the other three are going to play baseball, so we’re pretty proud of that. They have bright futures, but, more importantly, they are great kids.”

CENTRAL (1): Smith 1b 411, Snowberger ss 302, Dionis rf 300, McNichol dh 200, Loucks cf 000, Marko c 300, Black lf 200, Dilling 3b 300, Hoenstine 2b 200, Byler p 200, Harbaugh p 000. Totals – 22-1-3.

AVONWORTH (6): Sapolsky ss 312, Dolan 401, Barnes 401, Blackson 210, Metz 210, Scharding 301, Latore cr 010, Franc 1b 311, Zelinko dh 300, Ehrin 2b 000, Rowe rf 312. Totals – 27-6-8.

SCORE BY INNINGS

Central 001 000 1 — 3 1 2

Avonworth 000 600 X — 6 8 0

E–Hoenstine, Dilling. 2B–Smith, Dolan, Franc, Rowe. 3B–None. HR–None. RBI–Franc 2, Dolan, Blackson, Scharding, Rowe, Snowberger. WP–Scharding. LP–Byler. SO–Scharding 4, Byler 2. BB–Scharding 0, Byler 2.

Records: Central (16-8); Avonworth (17-8).