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GAME SUMMARIES

TIGERS SHUTOUT CENTRAL CATHOLIC, 6-0

Tuesday night at North Allegheny High School, the Tigers defeated the visiting Vikings by a score of 6-0.  The Tigers used the long ball offensively with Cody Gaertner, Anthony Wolosik and Sean Fitzgerald all blasted home runs and drove in two runs apiece in the victory. On the mound, Chris Helkowski tossed five shutout innings for the victory.  The game lasted 5 innings due to lightning.

 With their season winding down this week, the Tigers conclude the section portion of the season Wednesday at North Hills.  Game time is scheduled for 4:00 pm. You can hear all the action live via the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 6  CENTRAL CATHOLIC - 0 
 

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SENECA VALLEY HOLDS OF TIGERS FOR IMPORTANT SECTION WIN

Playoff hopes were hanging on the line for both teams on Monday night and it was the Seneca Valley Raiders who inched themselves closer to a playoff spot with a 6-3 win over North Allegheny.  The loss, coupled with victories by Shaler and Butler on Monday, eliminates the Tigers from playoff contention.  Seneca Valley remains ½ game in front at Shaler for the final playoff spot.

All the run scoring came early as Seneca Valley struck first on an RBI double by Sam Fragale in the top of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead.  NA promptly answered back in the bottom of the first as Nick Sell drove the first pitch of the inning to right-center field for a lead off triple.  Moments later, Sell trotted home on a wild pitch by Raider starter Justin McCauley and the game was tied 1-1.  Later in the inning with Tanner Wilt at second base and Brice Nikithser at first, Jimmy Divosevic smacked an RBI single to score Wilt, and errant throw by Seneca Valley to third base brought home Nikithser, and Tigers held a 3-1 advantage.

The Raiders responded quickly in the top of the second inning.  Ben Murray drove in Austin Bream with an RBI single to cut the score to 3-2 and the Raiders threatened for more with the bases loaded and just one out.  North Allegheny starter Kevin Monper struck out Brad Gresock for the second out of the frame and it appeared the Tigers would escape the inning with no further damage.  Fragale followed and fouled off numerous full count pitches before eventually drawing a bases loaded walk to tie the score at 3-3.  With the bases still jammed and two outs, Kyle Gorniak came up with the biggest hit of the contest, a bases clearing triple to give SV a 6-3 lead. 

From that point on, the bullpens of both teams dominated.  Seneca Valley’s Steve Driscoll and Matt Smith combined for six scoreless innings, allowing just two hits.  North Allegheny’s combo of Divosevic and Wilt notched 5 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing only one hit.  Divosevic’s work out of the bullpen and his RBI single earned him the Wright Automotive Player of the Game award.  While the bullpens were terrific, it wasn’t relief pitching alone that kept zeros on the scoreboard as both teams put together some dazzling defensive plays.  North Allegheny’s top defensive effort came in the top of the third when Nikithser made a fully extended diving catch in right-center field to rob Austin Bream of a base hit.

With the Tigers unable to plate any runs over the final six innings of the game, NA found themselves on the short end of a 6-3 score.  Driscoll earned the win for the Raiders and Smith picked up the save.  Monper suffered his first loss of the season for the Tigers. 

North Allegheny continues action tonight with a non-section meeting against the Central Catholic Vikings.  Game-time is slated for 7:00 pm.    

GAME SUMMARY
SENECA VALLEY - 6  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 3   

WP - Steve Driscoll  LP - Kevin Monper (3-1)  S - Matt Smith

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TIGERS HAMMER FOX CHAPEL,

CONTINUE PLAYOFF PUSH

North Allegheny continued their ascent in the Section-1 standings with a 14-6 win at Fox Chapel on Friday afternoon.  Like the victory over Fox Chapel earlier in the season, the Tigers had to rally from behind to beat the Foxes.  Fox Chapel held a 5-0 lead before the Tigers scored four in the third inning to pull to within a run.  NA took the lead for good with three runs in the top of the fourth inning.  Shortstop Nick Sell posted a 4-for-5 day, driving in a pair of runs and scoring four.  Tanner Wilt knocked in three runs with a trio of hits and Brice Nikithser smacked a home run and four RBI's.   Anthony Wolosik continued his good season at the plate by stroking a pair of doubles for a total of three hits, three runs and two RBI's.

Right-hander Kevin Monper was again the star on the mound.  Entering the game in relief, Monper tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing only one hit to earn his third win of the year.  Jimmy Divosevic also pitched one scoreless frame of relief with a 1-2-3 inning. 

The victory pulls the Tigers to a half-game behind the last playoff spot, currently being held by Seneca Valley, and into a tie for fourth place with Shaler, although the Titans do own the tie-breaker with NA.  North Allegheny’s record now sits at 11-4 overall and 6-4 in the section.  The Tigers could pull themselves into third place with a victory over Seneca Valley, who visits NASH on Monday night.  The game will be carried live via the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network.  First Pitch is slated for 7:00 pm.

The mad scramble in Section-1 will look like this over the next few days.  NA hosts Seneca Valley on Monday and will visit North Hills on Wednesday.  After playing the Tigers on Monday night, the Raiders visit North Hills on Tuesday and host Butler on Wednesday.  Shaler hosts North Hills on Monday and visits Pine-Richland on Wednesday.  Butler, who has a leg up on the second playoff spot at this point, will host Fox Chapel on Monday and visit Seneca Valley on Wednesday.  Pine-Richland is the only team in the section to have clinched a playoff berth.      

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 14  FOX CHAPEL - 6   

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SELL, GAERTNER POWER TIGERS TO VICTORY
OVER BUTLER, 9-2

Clutch hits by Nick Sell and Cody Gaertner spurred North Allegheny to yet another important section win over the Butler Golden Tornado on Thursday night, 9-2.  Part of a three hit night for Gaertner, the Tigers catcher stroked a two run single in the bottom of the third that scored Sell and Anthony Wolosik to put NA on the board first at 2-0. 

The Tigers were threatening to strike again in the bottom of the fourth with the bases loaded and nobody out, but Butler pitcher Matt Baranchak induced a fielder’s choice ground ball from George Marsico to cut down the lead runner, Jimmy Divosevic, at home.  That set the stage for Sell who crushed a bases clearing double to deep center to give NA a 5-0 lead.  The Tigers weren’t finished in the inning.  With Sell at third following a wild pitch, Gaertner plated Sell with a two-out bloop single and the Tigers held a healthy 6-0 advantage.

Making his first start of the season, right-hander Tanner Wilt was dominant, striking out eight batters in five innings.  The Golden Tornado collected only one hit against Wilt in the game, but they did make it count.  After Wilt hit David Thompkins with a pitch to start the top of the fifth, Tyler Slepski slapped an opposite field home run over the left field fence to cut NA’s lead to 6-2.  The Slepski homer didn’t spoil a strong outing by Wilt who picked up his first win of the year.  Kevin Monper pitched two scoreless innings in relief to keep Butler off the board the rest of the game.   

The Tigers put the game away in the bottom of the sixth.  Wolosik drove in a run with a two-out RBI single to bring the score to 7-2, Tigers.  Following a walk by Gaertner, Wilt drove in Wolosik and Gaertner with a two-run single to expand the Tigers lead to 9-2.  That would be the game’s final score.   

Gaertner posted three RBI’s and reached base four times in the game, including three singles and a walk.  Sell also notched three RBI’s, reaching base three times by walking twice and crushing the game breaking double in the fourth inning.  For his efforts, Sell was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game. 

North Allegheny improves to 10-4 overall and 5-4 in Section-1.  Butler falls to 10-3 on the year and 6-3 in the section.  The Tigers will be back in action tonight with a visit to section foe Fox Chapel.  Game time is slated for 3:45 pm.       

To listen to Randy Gore's interview with Tigers senior right-hander Kevin Monper prior to the game with Butler, click here!  You can find other player and coach interviews from NA athletics at the "audio vault" link at the top right of the web page. 

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 9  BUTLER - 2      

WP - Tanner Wilt (1-0)  LP - Matt Baranchak

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TIGERS STEAL THEIR WAY TO WIN OVER RAMS, SWEEP DOUBLE-HEADER

Behind strong pitching by starter Kevin Monper, ten stolen bases, and three big innings by the Tigers offense, North Allegheny pounded the Pine-Richland Rams 9-2 in game one of a double-header on Saturday afternoon.  North Allegheny followed up that win by pummeling Hempfield 12-2 in the night cap. 

Pine-Richland entered game one as the top team in Section-1, but Monper shut down the Rams by tossing a complete game, scattering eight hits and allowing only two runs.  In a must win game for the Tigers, Monper’s effort was huge as the right-hander used an exceptional curveball to keep the Rams batters off balance all day.  For his efforts, Monper was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

With Pine-Richland’s batting order left helpless, it was the Rams themselves that opened the door for a big hitting day for the Tigers.  In the top of the second inning, Rams starter Russell Clark walked Brice Nikithser, who promptly stole second base, and then walked Jimmy Divosevic to start the inning.  Nikithser and Divosevic both got huge jumps for back-to-back steals to put runners at second and third.  Justin Dattilo dropped a base hit just fair down the right field line to score Nikithser and the Tigers had an early 1-0 lead.  Not long after that, Divosevic scored from third on a wild pitch and it was 2-0, Tigers.  The lead increased to 3-0 when Nick Sell came through with a two-out RBI single to cap the scoring in second inning.

The Tigers' speed on the bases would be a factor all game long for Pine-Richland pitchers.  No matter which Rams hurler was on the mound, NA was 10-of-11 in stolen base attempts.  The trend started in the second inning with four stolen bases off of Clark and continued throughout the day as Divosevic and Nikithser led all Tigers with three pirated bases apiece. 

North Allegheny added three runs to their lead in the bottom of fourth.  With two outs in the frame and Rams reliever Marcus Collela in the game, Sell singled and moved to third on a base hit by Anthony Wolosik.  On what should’ve been the inning’s third out, Cody Gaertner struck out on a pitch in the dirt but extended the inning by beating out the throw to first base by Pine-Richland catcher Danne Barezo.  During the strikeout and wild pitch, Sell trotted home from third to give the Tigers a 4-0 lead.  Moments later, Tanner Wilt ripped a two-run double to bring the score to 6-0. 

In the fifth inning, North Allegheny ran wild again with a total of three stolen bases in the inning.  Will Oestreich drove in a run with an RBI single, Sell brought home another with an RBI triple, and Sell scored the Tigers ninth run of the game on another wild pitch by Collela.  NA held a commanding 9-0 advantage before Pine-Richland finally scored in the sixth inning on an RBI double by the Rams’ Shane Heim and a sacrifice fly RBI by Mike Wood.  That brought the score to 9-2, but Pine-Richland would come no closer. 

Clark took the loss for the Rams while Monper’s outstanding effort on the hill earned him his second win of the season.  The Tigers improve to 9-4 on the year with the double-header sweep, and with the win over Pine-Richland, jump to 4-4 in the section.  Pine-Richland drops to 9-3 overall and 6-2 in section play.  North Allegheny has another big section game on the horizon with a meeting with Butler on Wednesday night.  First pitch is at 7:00 pm and the game will be covered live via the internet on the North Allegheny Sports Network. 

To listen to Randy Gore's interview with Tigers head coach Andy Maddix prior to the game with Pine-Richland, click here!  You can find other player and coach interviews from NA athletics at the "audio vault" link at the top right of the web page. 

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 9  PINE-RICHLAND - 2      

WP - Kevin Monper (2-0)  LP - Russell Clark

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NA OUTSLUGS FOX CHAPEL,
MONPER EARNS WIN IN RELIEF

For the second straight game, North Allegheny touched double-digits on the scoreboard by hammering Fox Chapel in a Section-1 contest on Thursday night, 12-7.  The Tigers fell behind 7-2 by the third inning, but rallied with a huge bottom of the fifth.  Down 7-3 at the time, NA came through with a nine run fifth to put the Tigers in front, 12-7.  Anthony Wolosik led the Tigers offensively with a 3-for-4, four RBI performance.  Wolosik also scored a pair of runs and smacked two doubles.  Mitch Machi and Justin Dattilo each scored three runs and drove home two runners.

The comeback was made possible by the relief pitching of Kevin Monper who entered the game in the third and settled things down for the Tigers.  Monper limited Fox Chapel to just two hits over the next 2 2/3 innings and earned his first win of the season, bringing his record to 1-0.  Tanner Wilt finished off the game by tossing two scoreless frames in the sixth and seventh innings.     

The Tigers even up their section record at 3-3 and improve to 6-3 overall.  North Allegheny has won five of their last six games.  The Foxes remain in last place in the section with an 0-5 record and 2-8 mark overall.  North Allegheny is back in action on Saturday afternoon for a non-section game against Hampton.  First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 pm. 

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 12  FOX CHAPEL - 7      

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TIGERS WHIP NORTH HILLS 15-5

To listen to an archived broadcast of the game, listen here!

Runs have been tough to come by at times for the Tigers this season, but there were no such troubles on Monday night as North Allegheny pummeled the North Hills Indians, 15-5.  The Tigers pounded out 15 hits and three home runs in the five inning win, capped by a walk-off three-run homer by Justin Dattilo that locked up the game with the 10-run rule.  North Allegheny has now won four of their last five games and two of their last three section contests. 

While the Tigers ended the game with a big blast, NA started the contest with a bang as well as Nick Sell crushed a solo home run on the first pitch of the bottom of the first inning to give NA a 1-0 lead.  On the second pitch of the bottom of the second, Jimmy Divosevic clubbed a solo home run off of North Hills starter Jake Euler to put North Allegheny ahead 2-0.  Later in the second inning with two outs and Dattilo at second base, Sell saw a steady diet of breaking pitches before sending one of those offerings into center field for an RBI single and a 3-0 lead.  Following an Anthony Wolosik walk, Cody Gaertner and Tanner Wilt came through with back-to-back RBI singles to increase the Tigers advantage to 5-0.

Making his first start of the year, senior Anton Constantino tossed three innings of one-hit ball.  The southpaw struck out five batters while walking just one.  Relief pitcher Chris Helkowski came on for a 1-2-3 top of the fourth before the Tigers added onto their lead in the bottom of half.

A one-out single by Wolosik was followed by a Gaertner walk to set the table for Wilt’s red hot bat.  The Coastal Carolina recruit smacked a double into the left-centerfield gap to plate both base-runners and balloon the NA lead to 7-0.  Wilt advanced to third on the throw to the plate but was left stranded to end the inning.

In the top of the fifth, the Indians not only cracked the scoreboard but put up a crooked number that brought them back into the ballgame.  With the bases loaded and one out, Taylor Schmidt was hit by a Helkowski pitch to drive in North Hills’ first run of the game.  With the bases still loaded, Bob Smith scored from third on a wild pitch to cut the score to 7-2.  NA’s Jimmy Divosevic relieved Helkowski, but fared no better with the next two batters. North Hills’ catcher Jeremy Gitzen smacked a double to drive in a run and Joel Laviere stroked a two-run double to trim the Tigers lead to 7-5.  Divosevic bounced out the next two batters to finally end the North Hills threat.

Just as quickly as the Indians climbed back into the game, North Allegheny blew open the lead and the game with an eight run bottom of the fifth.  North Hills helped the Tigers by throwing the ball around for a pair of errors in the frame.  The big inning was highlighted by a Gaertner RBI single, a Wilt RBI double, a Divosevic RBI single and the Dattilo three-run walk-off homer that sent the Tigers faithful home early and happy, celebrating a 15-5 win.  Dattilo finished with a 3-for-4 night, three runs scored and three RBI’s.  The sophomore was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game by the North Allegheny Sports Network.  Wilt was also impressive with a 3-for-4 game, posting two doubles and four RBI’s. Constantino earned the win thanks to the 10-run rule victory.

North Allegheny improves to 5-3 overall and 2-3 in Section-1.  North Hills drops to 5-3 overall and 1-3 in the section.  The Tigers will try for another section win with a home game against Fox Chapel Tuesday night.  First pitch is slated for 7:00 pm.

To hear a pre-game interview with NA head coach Andy Maddix prior to the North Hills game, check out the audio vault link at the top right of the webpage or click here!       

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 15  NORTH HILLS - 5      

WP - Anton Constantino (1-0)  LP - Jake Euler

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SENECA VALLEY RALLIES FROM FIVE RUNS DOWN
TO BEAT TIGERS 8-6
 

by Lee Mohn

A tough loss for North Allegheny on Friday night as the Seneca Valley Raiders rallied from a 5-1 deficit for an 8-6 victory.   Seneca Valley scored seven runs in the fifth and six innings in the comeback win.  Things started off good for the Tigers in the first inning when Anthony Wolosik walked with two outs. Tanner Wilt followed with a single that got past SV left fielder John Dorogy which allowed Wolosik to score from first to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. 

Brice Nikithser led off the second inning with a single, reached third on an errant pick off attempt, and then came home on a suicide squeeze play an another error on Raiders pitcher Zach Spangler and the Tigers led 2-0.  Seneca Valley would cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the second.  After consecutive singles by John Stanger and Brad Gresokand, a balk which moved the runners up a base.  Then Austin Bream hit a sacrifice fly to Nikithser but the Tigers outfielder made a perfect throw to third baseman Will Oestreich for the third out.  Stanger scored just ahead of the tag.  The Tigers opened up their lead with three runs in the fifth.  Wilt started with a double and Nikithser followed with a one out single.  With two outs in the inning, Ben Matthews singled and another SV error allowed Nikisther to score.  Soon after, Nick Sell singled for a 5-1 Tigers lead. 

In the bottom of the fifth, Seneca Valley would score three runs of their own with the big blow coming on a Tigers throwing error that allowed two runs to score, cutting the NA lead to 5-4.  The Tigers opened the sixth inning with three straight singles, the third of which being an RBI by Jimmy Divosevic to increase the North Allegheny lead to 6-4. 

The bottom of the sixth was all Raiders. With one out Kyle Gorniak hit a one out home run to make it 6-5.  Stanger followed with a single and Brad Gresok doubled.  Tigers relief pitcher Cory Fultz picked up a huge strikeout for the second out, but then Jack Graham hit a single up the middle and Nikithser's throw was just late from center field.  Gresok made a terrific head first slide to avoid the tag and to give the Raiders the lead at 7-6.  Dennis Krevokich followed with an RBI single to put the Raiders up by two at the end of six innings.  The Tigers would not threaten in the seventh and NA would end up going down in defeat. 

The Raiders won this game despite committing six errors.  The Tigers left 11 runners on base, failing to blow open the game in the early innings.  For the day Wilt collected a double and two singles, Sell had three singles and an RBI, and Nikithser had two singles and an RBI, and the outfield assist.  The winning pitcher was Jason Martin and the losing pitcher was Fultz.  Starting pitcher Kevin Monper pitched well for the Tigers giving up the four runs but only two earned on five hits in five innings of work.  The Tigers fall to 4-3 overall and 1-3 in section play.  North Allegheny plays at home Monday against rival North Hills a game which you can hear live on the Tigers Sports Network.

GAME SUMMARY
SENECA VALLEY - 8  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 6      

WP - Jason Martin  LP - Cory Fultz

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NA PITCHING QUIETS GOLDEN TORNADO, TIGERS EARN FIRST SECTION WIN

With an important early-season section game at hand, North Allegheny’s pitching shut down the high scoring Butler Golden Tornado on Thursday night for a 4-2 win on the road.  The win was big for the Tigers as it gave the Golden Tornado their first loss on the year and lifted North Allegheny to their first win in section play.  Before NA’s pitching began making its mark in the game, the Tigers bats grabbed the lead in the top of the first inning.  After two outs Brice Nikithser was hit by a pitch and quickly scored on an RBI double by first baseman Tanner Wilt that dropped in fair territory deep along the right field line to give NA a 1-0 lead.

Nikithser got the start on the mound and held down a Butler team that raced to a 6-0 record thanks in large part to their outstanding hitting.  However, the Golden Tornado found hits hard to come by on this night as Nikithser scattered four hits and blanked Butler through the first six innings.  For his effort on the hill, and also scoring two runs offensively, Nikithser was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game by the North Allegheny Sports Network. 

With the Tigers still leading 1-0 in the fifth inning, Butler pitcher Tyler Slepski finally started to show signs of slowing down.  The Golden Tornado’s southpaw walked Justin Dattilo and allowed a single to Will Oestreich two batters later.  With two on and one out, NA shortstop Nick Sell delivered an RBI single to score pinch runner George Marsico and the Tigers’ lead grew to 2-0.  Slepski did a nice job of allowing just one run in the fifth.  Following the Sell single, Anthony Wolosik walked to load the bases with still only one out and the Tigers’ three and four hitters due up.  Slepski then induced a fielder’s choice ground ball by Nikithser to erase the lead runner at the plate and completely worked out of the jam on a ground ball to short from Wilt.   

In the bottom of the fifth, it was Nikithser who had to work out of danger.  Butler’s Dalton Koebler started the inning with a single and Slepski walked to move Koebler to second.  With Anthony Graziani serving as a courtesy runner for Slepski, designated hitter Dante Darcy hit a one hopper right back to Nikithser.  The NA pitcher slipped a bit fielding the ball and double clutched his throw to second base with Sell covering the bag.  Sell collected the ball to erase the middle base runner and was taken out on a hard, but illegal slide by Graziani.  The obstruction call on Graziani turned the tables on what could have been a promising inning for Butler.  Nikithser seized the moment by striking out Alex Zeigler to end the Golden Tornado’s threat, and keeping the score at 2-0.

NA added on in the sixth inning when Oestreich drove in Jimmy Divosevic on an RBI ground out to swell the Tigers lead to 3-0.  In the seventh, the Tigers collected an insurance run on an RBI single by Wilt to score Nikithser for a 4-0 advantage.  With Nikithser mowing down Butler batters, the right-hander stayed in the game for the bottom of the seventh.  Nikithser struck out David Thompkins to start the inning, but a two-base error on the Tigers put a runner aboard for Butler.  Back-to-back RBI doubles by Slepski and Darcy cut the NA lead in half at 4-2 and forced head coach Andy Maddix to the bullpen.  Flame throwing right-hander Tanner Wilt came out of the pen and promptly smoked a high heater past Zeigler for a strike out and the second out of the inning.  However, an infield single by Williamson moved Darcy to third, but more importantly put the game tying run on the bases.  Wilt shook off the infield hit by Williamson and ended the game on a pop fly to shallow left field by Mickey Fennell and the Tigers claimed a huge 4-2 section victory on the road. 

Nikithser struck out six batters in 6 1/3 innings for his first win of the season.  Wilt picked up his first save of the season to help the Tigers improve to 4-2 overall and 1-2 in section play.  Butler suffered their first loss of the year, falling to 6-1 and 2-1 in section play.  NA hopes to claim another section victory as the Tigers visit Seneca Valley this afternoon.

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 4  BUTLER - 2      

WP - Brice Nikithser (1-1)  LP - Tyler Slepski  S - Tanner Wilt (1)

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NA BASEBALL SWEEPS SATURDAY GAMES

After losing two games earlier in the week, North Allegheny bounced back Saturday, winning contests over Penn Hills and Gateway, 3-1 and 5-4, respectively.

In the game one victory over Penn Hills, the Tigers drove in runs in the second, fourth, and sixth innings.  Jimmy Divosevic drove in two runs for North Allegheny, including a solo home run, his first of the year.  Tanner Wilt tallied an RBI as well.  On the mound, Chris Helowski tossed six innings allowing only three hits and one run for the victory.  Corey Fultz picked up the save in relief.

Gateway had held a 2-0 lead over North Allegheny in game two, until a five run outburst in the bottom of the fifth gave the Tigers the lead for good.  Anthony Wolosik drove in a pair of runs, while NA's Brice Nikithser, and Justin Dattilo added an RBI each.  Pitcher Ken Stanosolovich earned the win in relief for the Tigers   

The wins give the Tigers a 3-2 record, heading into their showdown Monday at Butler.  The Golden Tornado defeated Pine-Richland 7-6 on Saturday, taking sole possession of first place in Section 1.  Be sure to catch all the action of Monday's game at Butler on the North Allegheny Sports Network.  First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 pm.

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NA UPENDED BY PINE-RICHLAND, 6-1

The Tigers baseball squad dropped their second straight game on Thursday by falling to the Pine-Richland Rams, 6-1.  The Rams jumped on NA starting pitcher Ken Stanasolovich in the first inning, plating three runs.  Tigers reliever Kevin Monper settled things down with 5 1/3 solid innings in relief, but Pine-Richland was able to tack on two runs in the third and one run in the fifth to take a 6-0 lead.  North Allegheny  scored their only run in the sixth inning when Ben Mathews smacked a solo home run, part of a 2-for-2 day. 

The early season loss brings North Allegheny’s record to 1-2 on the year and 0-2 in section play.  Pine-Richland jumps their record to 3-0 and 1-0 in the section.  North Allegheny will try to rebound with a home game on Friday night against Gateway.  First pitch is slated for 7:00 pm. 

GAME SUMMARY
PINE-RICHLAND - 6  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 1      

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SHALER EDGES TIGERS IN
SECTION OPENER 3-2

In the Section-1 opener in class Quad-A, the Shaler Titans edged the North Allegheny Tigers, 3-2, on Wednesday afternoon.  Shaler was led by right-handed pitcher Matt Klena, who earned a complete game victory by keeping NA batters off balance much of the game.  Klena finished allowed two runs on six hits and struck out six batters in the game.

Klena’s mound opponent was North Allegheny’s Brice Nikithser.  The tall right-hander pitched well, limiting the Titans to three runs, two earned, in over five innings of work.  The one unearned run against Nikithser crossed the plate in the first inning for Shaler.  The Titans began the frame with singles by Matt Ciesinski and Ryan Mincher.  Nikithser induced a picture perfect double-play ball from Ben Mulig and the 6-4-3 DP moved Ciesinski to third base with two outs in the inning.  Nikithser drew a ground ball from clean-up hitter Zack Schramm that found its way through Tigers third baseman George Marsico and Ciesinski scored to give the Titans a 1-0 lead.

Shaler later added two runs in the third inning.  With Mincher at second base and two outs, Schramm smacked a double to drive in a run and increase the Titans advantage to 2-0.  Moments later, Derek Sullivan scored Schramm on an RBI single to swell the lead to 3-0. 

North Allegheny’s comeback bid began in the fourth inning with a lead-off double by Nick Sell.  After a pair of fly-ball outs, designated hitter Tanner Wilt came through with a clutch two strike RBI single to trim the Shaler lead to 3-1.  Wilt stole second base to get into scoring position for Ben Mathews, who blooped in an RBI single to score Wilt and cut the deficit to 3-2.  Wilt finished with a two-hit day and was named the Wright Automotive Player of the Game.

The Titans nearly added onto their lead in the sixth inning.  After Nikithser retired eight batters in-a-row, Shaler’s Jake Hetz stroked a one-out double and Alex Conway walked.  NA head coach Andy Maddix then went to the bullpen and brought in reliever Corey Fultz. The right-hander collected an out on a sacrifice bunt from Mike Logan that moved runners to second and third with two outs.  Taylor Colemarino hammered a shot up the third base line that Tigers third-baseman George Marsico made a tremendous diving stop on and then fired across the diamond to first base for the final out of the inning to keep North Allegheny within reach at 3-2. 

Klena retired the first two batters with ease in the seventh, but walked Jimmy Divosevic and Anthony Wolosik back-to-back to put the game tying and go ahead runs on the base paths.  Klena had to go through Sell for the final out, who hit Klena hard in his previous two at bats.  However, Sell bounced out to short to end the ball game and Shaler held on for the victory.

The loss drops North Allegheny to 1-1 on the season and 0-1 in the section.  Shaler improves to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in section play.  The Tigers will try to rebound on Thursday against the defending WPIAL champions, Pine-Richland.  First pitch is slated for 4:00 pm.    

GAME SUMMARY
SHALER - 3  NORTH ALLEGHENY - 2

WP - Matt Klena  LP - Brice Nikithser (0-1)

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TIGERS OPEN SEASON WITH 4-2 WIN

North Allegheny had to work extra innings but the Tigers earned a 4-2 victory in their season opener over the Latrobe Wildcats.  The Tigers struck first in the second inning when Cody Gartner scored from third base on a passed ball to give NA a 1-0 lead.  In the bottom of the third, Latrobe answered back for a pair of runs to grab a 2-1 advantage. 

The Wildcats lead didn't last long though as Latrobe pitching set the table for NA by walking the bases loaded to start the inning.  Tanner Wilt, Ben Mathews and Dave Steinbeck all reached on free passes with nobody out.  While the Wildcats pitched themselves into danger, they nearly pitched their way out of it.  Justin Dattilo hit a ground ball on the infield that retired Wilt at the plate to keep the bases loaded with one out.  Jimmy Divosevic drove a fly ball to right field for a sacrifice fly that scored Mathews from third and the Tigers tied the game at 2-2.  To their credit, Latrobe limited the damage to just one run in a big threat for  North Allegheny.

Good pitching on both sides forced extra innings and kept the game squared up at 2-2 until the top of the ninth.  With one out in the inning, Anthony Wolosik drew a walk and moved to third on a single by Nick Sell.  After a Brice Nikithser walk loaded the bases, Gartner drove in Woloszyk and Sell with a two-run double to give North Allegheny a 4-2 lead.  Tigers pitcher Cory Fultz, who pitched two scoreless innings in relief, made sure that the lead would stand up in the bottom of the ninth and North Allegheny claimed the opening day victory.  Latrobe's Matt Shoemaker took the loss.

The nine inning win at Latrobe gives the Tigers a 1-0 record to start the year while the Wildcats falls to 0-2 on the season.  North Allegheny is back in action on Wednesday afternoon with a road game against Mt. Lebanon.  First pitch is slated for 4:15. 

GAME SUMMARY
NORTH ALLEGHENY - 4  LATROBE - 2

WP - Cory Fultz (1-0)  LP - Matt Shoemaker

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NA BASEBALL PLAYERS SIGN LETTERS OF INTENT

(11/10/10) This morning, three Tiger baseball players signed letters of intent right at home plate of the baseball field at North Allegheny Senior High School.  Pitcher Tanner Wilt was the first to sign, committing to Coastal Carolina.  He plans to major in Athletic Administration and Communications.  Additionally, catcher Cody Gaertner and pitcher/outfielder Brice Nikithser both signed letters of intent with Ohio University.  Nikithser plans to major in physical education, while Gaertner is undecided at the current time. 

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Any questions or comments should be directed to Athletic Director Bob
 Bozzuto at:  bbozzuto@northallegheny.org