The defending champs are back on top.
After a pair of losses in a six-day span, the top-ranked Indiana baseball team trailed No. 5 Valley by a game in the WPIAL Section 3-4A standings entering the section finale Tuesday.
One of those losses came a day earlier at home to the Vikings.
“There’s nothing wrong with a loss. We seem to respond well to them,” Indiana coach Dan Petroff said after Indiana’s 11-6 victory at Valley on Tuesday. “You can have three hits one day and 15 the next. Anybody can do it.”
In their latest victory, the Indians banged out 13 hits to earn a split of the two-game series with Valley after getting just four in a 4-1 setback to the Vikings on Monday.
Ethan Shank went 4 for 5, and Charlie Mazni had three hits for Indiana, the defending WPIAL and PIAA champion, which broke a tie with a five-run rally in the fifth inning and moved back into a first-place tie with Valley to earn a share of the section title.
“The kids were a little angry over that game Monday,” Petroff said. “They weren’t able to square up some pitches and just couldn’t get anything going offensively. But it helped to keep us in check and keep us hungry.”
Indiana (12-3, 8-2) will play four nonsection games to close out the regular season before WPIAL playoff pairings are revealed next week.
Valley (13-5, 8-2) plays the first of two remaining regular-season games Thursday against visiting Class 5A Kiski Area. The Vikings are enjoying a breakout season after winning just two section games a year ago.
“Now that we’re in the playoffs, the goal is to see how far we can go with this thing,” first-year Valley coach Jaron Minford said. “We definitely have the talent. We’re just excited to see what we can do.”
Indiana broke free from a 6-6 tie by scoring five runs in the top of the fifth. Dylan Shank, Chace Force and Ethan Shank singled to produce the go-ahead run, then the Indians scored four more times despite getting just one more hit.
Mazni’s RBI single made it 8-6, Brady Oakes walked to force in another run and Shane McHugh and Hunter Kunkle were hit by pitches to produce the final two.
“We were fortunate in that inning,” Petroff said. “We took some counts deeper and made their guys work.”
Both teams scored four times in the first inning.
Indiana started the game with five consecutive hits, highlighted by back-to-back leadoff doubles by Force and Ethan Shank.
Valley tied it in the bottom of the inning with four runs, capped by Brady Moore’s two-run homer.
Indiana went ahead 6-4 in the second on the strength of four walks and a hit batter. The Indians got just one hit during the rally.
Valley tied it 6-6 in the third, scoring twice with two outs on Dante Taliani’s single and Nikolas Heakins’ double.
“They’ve come a long way from last season,” Petroff said of Valley. “They can really hit the ball.”
The Vikings managed eights hits against Sully Van Hoose, who worked the first four innings for Indiana, and Mazni, who finished up without allowing a hit and struck out seven over the final three innings to get the win.
Minford was delighted with his team, despite the loss. A series split with the defending state champs, he said, was impressive.
“It’s definitely coming along,” Minford said. “The last two days is a good measuring stick on where we are and what we want to be.”