The South Park baseball team saw its run to a WPIAL title last year come to a sudden halt at Plum High School with a 2-1, nine-inning loss to eventual WPIAL champ Riverside in a Class 3A semifinal classic.
There was no such heartbreak when the Eagles returned to Plum on Tuesday for a WPIAL quarterfinal contest against Freeport.
South Park, the No. 5 seed, scored twice in the first and third innings, and pitchers Cooper Hochendoner and Robert Lenzi helped limited the No. 4 Yellowjackets to one run in a 4-1 victory.
“I’ve been telling people that when we got off the field last year, these guys were ready and focused to get back to May-June baseball,” said Eagles coach Corey Fischer, who saw his team improve to 16-5 on the season.
“These guys realized how close they were last year. They did a nice job putting themselves back in position to play quality playoff baseball.”
South Park’s 3-0 first-round win over Keystone Oaks and Tuesday’s triumph pushed it back into the semifinals and a Thursday matchup with No. 1 Avonworth at a site and time to be determined. The Antelopes walked off Charleroi, 7-6, on Tuesday at Ross Memorial Park in Washington.
Freeport’s season comes to a sudden end, and the loss was the only one against a team from Class 3A. The Yellowjackets’ only other loss came against Class 4A power Valley in the final game of the regular season.
“That was the hardest (final game speech) I’ve ever had to give,” said Freeport coach Ed Carr, whose team finished 18-2.
“These guys have so much pride, and they worked so hard. That is the definition of a team right here. Seeing the tears and how much they hurt, it is because they care so much. When you are in a one-game (scenario), anything is possible. I feel like in a series, we got a chance to beat anybody. Today, South Park was just a tad better. I tip my cap to them.”
Hochendoner, who allowed just one walk in a no-hitter against Keystone Oaks, retired nine of the first 10 Freeport batters with six strikeouts and just one walk before Yellowjackets second baseman Gavin Tola delivered a two-out single to right in the bottom of the third.
South Park right fielder Aiden Hays made an attempt but was not able to get to the ball before it fell to the turf.
But Tola was caught stealing for the third out to end the Freeport scoring threat.
Fischer decided to take out Hochendoner after three innings and 44 pitches, preserving some of his availability for Thursday.
Robert Lenzi came in and gave up a single to Ashton Bricker and a walk to Luke Whitfield in the bottom of the fourth, but he stranded those two batters with a pair of groundouts to second and a popout to second to quell the threat.
Lenzi retired the side in the fifth with the help of two strikeouts before Freeport challenged him again in the bottom of the sixth.
The Yellowjackets collected three hits and a walk off Lenzi in the sixth, scored one run on a Bricker single to make it 4-1, and had the bases loaded with one out.
But Lenzi struck out both Freeport pitcher Gage Blystone and pinch hitter Marco Wolfe to end the threat and preserve the three-run lead.
“I don’t think Robert looks to do it, but I think he sent a message to everyone in the stadium, including his teammates and coaches, that he is a good pitcher and can hold his own,” Fischer said.
Lenzi then retired Freeport in order in the bottom of the seventh to seal the win. In four innings, Lenzi gave up four hits and two walks while striking out five.
“We are getting accustomed to seeing Cooper dominate, and for Robert to come in and do what he did against a really good hitting team, I am very proud,” Fischer said. “They both did an amazing job keeping Freeport to one run. It’s hard to win a game with only one run.”
Carr said his team had its chances.
“We had the bases loaded, and all year, we came up with the clutch hit,” he said. “We just didn’t this time. That’s how it goes sometimes.”
South Park got all the runs it would need in the top of the first.
Talan Glowa led off the game with a walk, and Hochendoner helped himself with a ball that reached the right-field wall for a triple against Blystone.
Ryan Spitznagel then hit a fly ball to center, and Hochendoner raced home to beat the tag at the plate for a 2-0 South Park lead.
Andrew Mittleider doubled the Eagles’ lead in the top of the third with a one-out single to right.
But Blystone settled in after that and retired the final 11 batters he faced, striking out four in that stretch including the final two before giving way to Owen Wesendorf in the seventh. Blystone gave up four hits and two walks while striking out seven.
“Gage did a hell of a job,” Carr said. “We out-hit them. You aren’t going to go walk-less in a game, but they made us pay for the two walks.”
Wesendorf struck out two and didn’t allow a hit in his one inning of relief.
Tola and Bricker each had two hits to lead Freeport, while Hochendoner finished 2 for 3 for South Park.
“We have just two seniors on this team (center fielder Kason Barker and designated hitter Jeffrey Coller), and that’s the one thing everyone needs to remember, including us. But we are not going anywhere. We’re going to be back, and with any luck, we’re going to be even better.”