LOCAL SPORTS: West Armstrong Athletics 9/10 Capture the Championship

by Jake DeLuca

The undefeated West Armstrong Athletics 9/10 year old team had their toughest task to date against Ford City in the Allegheny River League (ARL) Mustang Division Championship.

This game had everything a spectator could ask for in a baseball game. Both teams came to win and it showed by how they played. This game was a back and forth ball game with great pitching, hitting, and defense.

West Armstrong was able to jump out to an early lead after Ford City scored a run in the top of the first inning. West Armstrong responded in the bottom of the first with three runs, highlighted by an RBI triple by Braden Landgraf.

The rest of the game was really a defensive showdown, both infields were “like a brick wall” according to West Armstrong Manager, Gabe Lash after the game.

Ford City kept at it, chipping away at the 3-1 lead one run at a time. In the third inning, Ford City was able to score one run to draw within one of West Armstrong. In the fourth inning, Ford City tied the game, and set it up for one dramatic ending.

The fifth and sixth innings were uneventful for Ford City on the offensive side, as the score was 3-3 entering the bottom of the sixth and final inning.

West Armstrong had a chance to walk off with the championship and really put a bow on their undefeated season. Adam Hooks would lead off the final inning with a single to shallow left field to give West Armstrong the go ahead run on base. The next batter up would strike out, but with one out and the go-ahead run on first base, Braden Landgraf stepped up to the plate in more than one sense of the phrase. Braden was able to hit the ball deep into the outfield, and that would be enough for Adam Hooks to run across home plate for the win.

West Armstrong’s manager Gabe Lash went on to explain how this really was a team win.

“There isn’t one kid I can single out for something great. Braden Landgraf walked in there knowing he had a runner on first base, knowing he had to put the ball in the outfield, and he did just that. Their infield was as solid as a wall, I would like to think ours was too, and the only way we were going to win that game was with a hit to the outfield. Braden walked in there very calm and had a wonderful hit and gave us the ability to turn Adam Hooks in for the walk off. That’s really the game, we had solid plays at every position. We had a play at third base where Carter Lash got the tag on a kid who was trying to go (to home plate), our shortstops made plays, our second baseman Carson Franceschi made five plays on defense. It was really a team effort,” Lash said.

This really was a great game played by two great teams and Gabe Lash had nothing but kind words to say about the Ford City organization after the game.

“I can’t say enough about the Ford City organization, I think they brought a great team and a great group of kids. Coaches will always fight for what we think is right, but at the end of the day they were good sportsmen and so were we. I’m very proud to play Ford City and I’m very proud to say that this game is what it should be a 4-3 victory in six innings with excellent offense and defense by both teams. These two teams came to play and it was just who had the day. I tell my kids to give me 100%, I want 100% and in fact that’s what our t-shirts say. They say “From the first pitch to the last bat 100%,” Lash said.

Next year, Lash expects all his boys to be back as they move up to the Bronco (11/12 year old) division and they try to repeat their success this season.