Tigers Top Raiders In Game One
By Randy Gore
The North Allegheny baseball team won its fifth consecutive game on Monday afternoon with a 7-3 triumph over the Seneca Valley Raiders. Entering the day in a three-way tie for first place with Seneca Valley and Butler, North Allegheny carried the momentum from last week’s sweep of Central Catholic into another Section 1-6A victory.
The visiting Raiders were also riding a winning streak heading into the series and had just swept North Hills last week. Seneca Valley struck first with an RBI single by Brandon Godleski in the top of the first for an immediate 1-0 lead. Followed by a two-run double from Quinn Carney, Seneca Valley seemed poised for more, but North Allegheny starting pitcher Liam Cooper shut the door by inducing a groundout of Nathan Garma to leave runners stranded at second and third.
The lead was short-lived for Seneca Valley as a result of an erratic performance from the Raiders’ pitching staff. On the day, the Raiders issued 13 free passes with 10 walks and three hit batsmen, and the Tigers capitalized on their opportunities.
In the bottom of the first, the Tigers tied the score without a single hit, taking advantage of two walks, a hit by pitch and two wild pitches. The second wild pitch of the inning by Seneca Valley starter Luis Torrenegra, allowed junior J.J. Mancuso to score from third base, knotting the score at 1-1.
Torrenegra continued to scuffle in the second inning, allowing a lead-off single to Grant Huskey, followed by walking Gavin Ust. An out later, Jake Fritz tripled home both Huskey and Ust to give North Allegheny a 3-1 lead. Later in the inning, Jake Fritz scored on a throwing error, increasing the Tigers’ advantage to 4-1.
North Allegheny tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, thanks to a sacrifice fly RBI by Christian Simons and a two-run single from Dominic Williamson for a 7-1 lead.
In stark contrast to Seneca Valley’s pitching staff, Cooper was the epitome of efficiency and worked 6.2 innings with eight strikeouts and no walks. The right-handed hurler had a chance at a complete game in the seventh, but back-to-back RBI triples from Mason Fisher and Danny Drennan chased Cooper from the ballgame. With NA’s lead trimmed to 7-3, reliever Jude Swartz entered the contest and collected the final out, a popout of Micah Olayer, to close out the game one victory.
Cooper improved to 3-2 on the season and earned Wright Automotive Player of the Game honors for his strong outing on the mound. Torrenegra lasted only two innings for the Raiders, allowing four runs, three earned and suffered the loss.
Winners of five in a row, North Allegheny leaps to 8-4 overall and 5-2 in the section, while Seneca Valley slips to 9-6 overall and 4-3 in Section 1-6A. These teams will match up again on Tuesday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. at Seneca Valley.
Baseball Summary vs. Seneca Valley, 4-20-26
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seneca Valley | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 2 |
| North Allegheny | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | X | 7 | 3 | 1 |
LP - Luis Torrenegra
