Jason Bush didn’t think it could get much better after he watched his Ligonier Valley baseball team score twice in the bottom of the seventh inning last week to walk off Burrell, 3-2.
But that was only the beginning.
The Rams (6-7) have shown a propensity for late-game thrills. They also posted one-run games in four of their next five games, including two more walk-offs – in extra innings — giving them three in eight days.
Owen Smith provided the game-winning hit in wins over Deer Lakes, 5-4 in eight innings, and Yough, 8-7 in 11 innings.
It’s good to be a Smith at Ligonier Valley. Tyler Smith had two singles against Burrell and two doubles in the Deer Lakes win, Owen Smith had two hits against Deer Lakes, and Miles Smith tossed six shutout innings when the Rams edged Yough.
Owen and Miles are twin brothers.
The Rams swept Yough with another nail-biter, a 9-8 win on the road.
Bush said his players use their friendship and past experiences to hang around in games, somewhere they might not be expected to.
“Our team is very close knit,” Bush said. “And we play with passion, heart and guts. Sometimes, a team has to learn how to win. They feel they are never out of a game.”
Norwin No. 2
The hottest team in 6A heading into the week was Norwin, which pieced together an eight-game winning streak and climbed to No. 2 in the TribLive rankings. But, more importantly, the Knights moved into a second-place tie with Mt. Lebanon in Section 2 with four games to play.
The Knights (11-6, 7-3) took two of three from first-place Canon-McMillan, swept Woodland Hills and won two tough nonsection games against Latrobe and North Hills.
Tight race
The top four teams in each WPIAL section make the playoffs. In Section 1-5A, the top four are chasing a section title.
It is one of the tightest races in the league with two weeks remaining in the regular season.
Plum was on top at 7-1, followed by Latrobe, Franklin Regional and Penn-Trafford at 6-2.
Playoffs approaching
County teams that have qualified for the playoffs so far include Norwin and Hempfield in 6A; Franklin Regional, Latrobe and Penn-Trafford in 5A; Belle Vernon, Derry and Greensburg Salem in 4A; and Greensburg Central Catholic in A.
The WPIAL will announce playoff seedings and pairings May 9.
Extra bases
Greensburg Central Catholic’s Anthony Grippo, a Penn State commit, was leading the WPIAL with a .667 batting average (20 for 30). … Belle Vernon pitcher Parker Lind was nearly untouchable in Monday’s 10-0, run-ruled win over Albert Gallatin. The 6-foot-2 left-hander struck out 16 in six innings. … Luke Nipar-Smith is back in the lineup for Latrobe and delivered a 3-for-3 effort with a double, triple and four RBIs in a 9-4 win over Armstrong. … Mt. Pleasant stretched its winning streak to six. … Knoch’s 7-foot ace Zane Pacek pitched all nine innings of a 2-1 win over Derry, taking the victory in extras.