At the home of the Washington Wild Things, one team took advantage of an opponent’s wildness while the other missed a golden opportunity that has them going home with silver again.
Indiana blanked Elizabeth Forward, 4-0, on Tuesday evening in the 2026 WPIAL Class 4A baseball championship game at EQT Park.
It marked the second straight year the Little Indians beat the Warriors in the 4A title game.
“In ’24, we had a really good team. We were here and lost, and it put a bad taste in our mouth,” Indiana coach Dan Petroff said. “In ’25, we won it but we had the best roster to win it. This year, winning back-to-back is incredibly hard, but these kids grinded the whole way through and there was never a doubt they’d win. There were some doubts for me because I know how hard it is.”
This year’s title run lacked the drama of the 2025 finals in which Charlie Manzi hit a two-run walk off homer in the 11th inning to give Indiana its first district crown with a 4-2 win.
“I love playing here, that’s for sure,” Manzi said.
It was a repeat performance in which Indiana gave up nothing.
The Little Indians had three WPIAL playoff victories over Knoch, Derry and Elizabeth Forward by a combined score of 6-0.
Indiana has not allowed a run in the last 23 innings it has played.
Two half-innings filled with walks turned out to be the difference in this well-pitched game on both sides.
In the top of the second, Indiana starter Brady Oakes walked the first three Elizabeth Forward batters: Nate Grimm, Daniel Spence and Nick Hartung.
Petroff made the decision to pull Oakes and bring in Manzi.
“It’s a one-game tournament,” Petroff said. “He walked the first kid, walked the second kid, and I already had it in my mind if the next kid gets on, I’m going to Charlie. I wasn’t going to use Charlie until the fourth or fifth inning, but as a coach, you have to stay ahead of it.”
Manzi got Kameron Little to hit into a 1-2-3 double play and then he struck out Braden Kollar to keep EF scoreless.
“I knew I had to be ready at all times because you never know what’s going to happen,” Manzi said. “I knew I just had to trust my defense and throw strikes, and they’ll make plays for me. It turned out great.”
Even though the game was scoreless, it felt like a game-changing miss by the Warriors.
“That was huge,” Elizabeth Forward coach Frank Champ said. “Bases loaded and no outs, you need something there. I really think that would have been a huge momentum swing for us. We just needed a timely hit.”
Indiana got that timely hit in the bottom of the fourth inning when Chace Force and Oakes led off with walks against EF starter J.B. Crovak.
Ethan Shank then singled to right where the Warriors’ Kollar had a chance to get Force at the plate with a strong throw, but this throw was cut off as the Little Indians took the lead.
“I did not have a chance to talk to my catcher,” Champ said. “I have no idea why we cut that ball off to be honest with you.”
Manzi then hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Oakes and put Indiana up, 2-0.
The Little Indians added on in the bottom of the sixth inning when Oakes singled and was sacrificed to second on a bunt by Shank. Back-to-back doubles by Manzi and Sully VanHoose upped the Little Indians’ lead to 4-0.
Manzi was the star for a second straight 4A title game against EF.
He was 1 for 3 with two RBIs at the plate to going along with his masterful performance on the mound in which he threw six innings of relief, allowing one hit, two walks and eight strikeouts for his second win of the playoffs to go with a postseason save.
“Two years ago, we were here, we lost to North Catholic, and that was one of the worst days of my life,” Manzi said. “I was on deck for the last out, and I said that was never going to happen again. To come back and win back-to-back championships means the world.”
Crovak suffered a tough-luck loss for the Warriors, throwing six innings, allowing four earned runs on five hits with three walks and nine Ks.
“I feel like J.B. got a little tired near the end there, giving up a couple runs, but I’m extremely proud of him,” Champ said. “He’s carried us to this point, him and Nate Grimm. We can’t win any games when we can’t score runs.”
The lone Warriors’ hit was a flare single to left center in the fourth inning by Daniel Spence.
Elizabeth Forward (16-6) takes home silver for a second straight year. The Warriors will face District 6 champion Bellefonte on Monday.
VanHoose led the way for the Little Indians with two hits and an RBI while Oakes scored twice for the champs.
Indiana (18-4) will open the defense of its PIAA title in the first round Monday at home against District 5 champion Somerset.