NA capitalizes on Seneca Valley miscues, sets up rubber match
by: Brandon Rossi
After a rare three-game losing streak, the North Allegheny baseball team got back in the win column with an 8-1 win over Seneca Valley on Wednesday evening at North Allegheny High School.
After a silent first inning and a half, North Allegheny broke through in the bottom of the second. With a couple baserunners on and just one out, a base hit and a throwing error to first base allowed for the first run of the game to come in. Then an RBI fielder’s choice off the bat of Sean O’Donnell scored another to make it 2-0.
Lightning struck two more times in the fourth inning, mostly due to one swing of the bat. Miles Pealer obliterated a pitch to the outfield, which got past the diving Seneca Valley center fielder and bounced around at the wall. This drove in Mason Dratfinsky, and by the time Pealer was running to third base the throw was botched, allowing him to score on a little league home run.
In the fifth inning, NA blew the game wide open. An RBI double by Christian Simons, a two-RBI triple by JJ Mancuso, and a fielder’s choice by Dratfinsky all combined for a four-run frame, putting the score at 8-0. While Seneca Valley was able to respond in the top of the sixth with an RBI triple, it proved to be futile as the Tigers comfortably came away with the 8-1 win.
North Allegheny would have baserunners in every inning minus the first frame and were efficient in having those baserunners. They only left six runners aboard while 14 different plate appearances led to a baserunner.
Defensively, the Tigers got an outstanding performance on the mound by Nate Persinger, who was the Wright Automotive Player of the Game. Persinger struck out seven batters in a 101-pitch complete game performance, only allowing four hits in a stellar outing.
With North Allegheny salvaging game two and the series tied at 1-1, the three-game finale takes place tomorrow on the road, with the Tigers traveling to Seneca Valley for a 4:00 p.m. first pitch.
Baseball Summary at Seneca Valley, 4-23-25
| Score By Innings | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seneca Valley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| North Allegheny | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | X | 8 | 9 | 1 |
LP - Andrew Malichky
