There was no comeback for Latrobe this time. Senior pitcher Dom Delio and his Penn-Trafford teammates made sure of it, finishing what they started to earn a series split.
Less than 24 hours after Penn-Trafford blew an eight-run lead and lost in extra innings, the Warriors put up an early lead again, then added to it, handling undefeated Latrobe, 9-3, in the finale of their two-game Section 1-5A baseball series Tuesday in chilly Harrison City.
“After that loss, we didn’t really talk too much about it,” Delio said. “We didn’t do well with first-pitch strikes. We changed that up today. I think we are going to be a pretty good hitting team.”
Delio worked 62⁄3 innings, allowing four hits, striking out four and walking three as he moved to 2-0.
“Dom pulled a rib muscle, and we weren’t sure if he’d be ready to go until (Tuesday) afternoon,” Penn-Trafford coach Lou Cortazzo said. “He didn’t want to come out of the game, but he got to 100 pitches. He is grinding every day to get better. We are all working every day and taking baby steps.”
Penn-Trafford (3-1, 1-1) had eight hits, including two each by senior Bryce Ruby and sophomore Tanner DeStefano, the latter of whom doubled and drove in two runs.
Junior Aiden Drotos added a two-run homer for the Warriors, who led 7-1 after four innings.
Senior catcher Colton Tyburski doubled and added two RBIs.
In Monday’s frozen section opener at Latrobe, the Warriors built a 10-2 lead after three innings before the Wildcats (4-1, 1-1) roared back and won 13-12 on a walk-off single by sophomore Grady Ruffner in the eighth.
“It wasn’t as cold today,” Delio said. “Yesterday, it was insane. We were freezing. It felt like 20 degrees. I was literally shaking.”
The Warriors didn’t shake from the weather or nerves in the rematch.
A four-run second inning saw Ruby rip an RBI single before three more runs came in via a passed ball, a wild pitch and a bases-loaded walk.
Latrobe’s hard-throwing sophomore Aaron Gaskey, who took the loss, threw 52 pitches in the inning.
“We had a couple opportunities, but we didn’t cash in,” Latrobe coach Matt Basciano said. “(Delio) pitched a great game, and they hit the ball. We’re a young team, and we’re learning. We needed (Monday’s rally) to carry over, but it didn’t. We came out a little flat.”
A two-run double to the fence in center by DeStefano was followed immediately by another deep, run-scoring double by Tyburski to make it 7-1 in the fourth.
The third and fourth runs in the frame came with two outs.
“We made a lot of mistakes (in Game 1) and had a ton of walks,” Cortazzo said. “We needed to minimize runners today, and we did that. (Latrobe) had to earn bases.”
Delio settled in after a slow start.
“The first two innings I came out and threw 40 pitches,” he said. “That is not acceptable. The next five, I threw about that many. That boosted my confidence.”
Latrobe scored twice in the fifth, one run via an error, the other on an RBI single to left by senior Cole Short, who had four hits and drove in four in the first game.
But Penn-Trafford wasn’t finished scoring. In the sixth, DeStefano led off with a single and stole second. Two batters later, Drotos launched a homer over the fence in right center for a 9-3 lead.
Senior reliever Anthony Marrow came on with two outs in the seventh. Despite two walks, he finally got Short to fly out to end it.
The second out was a highlight catch in center by Warriors senior center fielder Nico Casciato, who ran under a carrying drive and made a diving grab near the fence. Casciato on Monday finished a single shy of the cycle and drove in four.
Latrobe led 1-0 after a groundout RBI by junior Noah Noel, who went 4 for 5 with a double in Game 1.
“Our kids are learning,” Basciano said. “There are two lessons they can take from this series. The first is, from yesterday, never quit. The other, from today, is cash in on your opportunities.”