LOCAL SPORTS: The Stangs Winning Ways Continue Against Central

by Jake DeLuca

On Saturday, the Worthington/Kittanning Stangs (15/16 year old team) went up against Central in a double header that started at noon.

Heading into the game against Central, the W/K Stangs hadn’t lost a game in over a month, carrying with them a 15-game-win-streak. Their record before the double header was 16-1.

In the first game the Stangs were able to get on the board early. In the first inning Michael Lhote grounded out to short stop, allowing Nash Matson to reach home giving the Stangs a 1-0 lead. The Stangs success would continue in the second inning in a big way. They were able to load the bases thanks to a clutch bunt from Josh Hepler, as he was able to reach first safely while advancing the two baserunners. The Stangs would score four runs in the second, thanks to two walks and two RBI singles by Matson and Lhote.

Even with an early lead the Stangs kept their foot on the gas pedal, adding another nine runs, highlighted by two triples in the 5th inning by Donovan Wichowski and JP Parisi. At the end of the fifth the score was 13-5. That proved to be too much for Central to overcome and the Stangs were able to take the first game of the double header by a final score of 14-5.

The second game of the double header, however, would prove to be a much tougher task for the Stangs.

In this game Central looked more comfortable, in particular their starting pitcher, Magraw. Central was able to seize the early lead in this game, earning a 1-0 lead after the first inning. They would hold on to that lead, until the top of the third inning.

In the top of the third, the Stangs were finally able to get on the board with a little bit of luck. Josh Hepler reached first base on an error by Central second baseman Donatelli. Hepler made the most of his opportunity though, stealing second before reaching home to tie the game on a line drive by Donovan Wichowski.

The score would go back and forth between the two teams for the next few innings, before the Stangs jumped out to the largest lead of the game in the fifth inning. With the score tied 2-2 and a runner on second, Lhote singled to left field to score Matson and make the score 3-2. Later in the inning Lhote would score on an error by Central to make the score 4-2 heading to the bottom of the fifth.

Central was unable to make anything happen in the fifth, but they put together a three run sixth inning to take the lead 5-4. Good plate discipline helped Central get the lead, but the Stangs were not ready for their winning streak to end.

In the top of the seventh, the Stangs had one last chance to tie the game and send it to extra innings and Kyle Lazaroff was able to do just that. With his first hit in the game, Lazaroff was able to rip an RBI single into center field to score JP Parisi and tie the game at 5-5.

Central was unable to make anything happen in the bottom of the seventh, so the game went to extra innings.

The story for the next four innings Central and the W/K Stangs were locked in a pitching battle, but eventually something had to give.

All either team needed was one big hit, that’s what it seemed like everyone was waiting for. In the eleventh inning Michael Lhote was able to deliver one BIG hit with a three run home-run to give the Stangs the lead and what would eventually be the game.

The final score after the eleventh inning was 8-5 and the W/K Stangs winning streak now extends to seventeen and their record improves to 18-1.