In a defensive battle on the baseball diamond, one swing of the bat can be the difference in the game.
In the PIAA Class 2A semifinals Monday, Hayden Spencer provided that one swing.
The Mercyhurst Prep junior golfed an 0-1 pitch deep over the left field fence with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning to plate the game’s only run, as the Lakers defeated Neshannock, 1-0, at Slippery Rock University’s Jack Critchfield Park.
“It’s everyone’s dream,” Spencer said of his home run. “I walked into the batter’s box with two outs just trying to put the ball in play and do my job and get on base. It was a perfect pitch, curve ball that was middle. We worked on it all week. It could not be any better.”
The win advances Mercyhurst Prep to the state championship game for the first time in program history. The Lakers were defeated by Freedom, 2-0, in last year’s semifinals at the same field.
“To see this group to get back here and get over this hump, man, it feels great,” Laker coach Randy Durkoske said. “It was our pitching and our defense. We live by it. We live for these situations, and we came through.”
Mercyhurst Prep threatened early. Spencer drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the first inning and stole second and third. After Lancer starter Ryan Cameron hit a batter, he was able to induce a flyout to end the threat.
Jack Stoker led off the bottom of the second with a double and advanced to third when Jack Natemeier reached on a bunt single. After Natemeier’s courtesy runner stole second base, the Lakers had two runners in scoring position with nobody out. Cameron was able to get Mike Manedo to strike out for the first out of the inning.
Prep then attempted to suicide squeeze with its No. 9 batter, Mike Schloss. He could not get the bunt down. Stoker, who missed the last three games due to injury, was tagged out at the plate. Schloss struck out to end the inning.
Neshannock (22-3) also had major opportunities to push a run across in the middle three innings. In the third, fourth, and fifth, the Lancers got a runner to third base but were unable to finish the job.
“It’s gritty. It’s a one-run game that didn’t go our way,” Lancer coach John Quahliero said. “I couldn’t ask anything more of our players and our coaches throughout this whole run. It was magical. They competed their tails off against an extremely talented Mercyhurst Prep team.”
Cole Hutchison reached base in both the first and third innings and stole second in both times on base. He advanced to third on a groundout in both instances, but each time, the Lakers got out of a jam.
In the fourth inning, Cameron drove a 1-2 pitch over the head of Mercyhurst Prep’s shortstop Zack Kruszewski. The ball rolled all the way to the fence for a one-out triple. Two pitches later, Cameron was gunned out at the plate on a ground ball to Kruszewski. The Pitt-Bradford commit made eight outs defensively in the game.
Neshannock went to Denny Joseph on the mound in the fifth inning. The LaRoche commit had started each of the previous four playoff games for the Lancers. He retired the first five batters he faced before Spencer’s solo home run.
“We went back to Denny again, and I know he’s going to be thinking about that one,” Quahliero said. “But that kid’s a next-level hitter. He threw 161 pitches last week. I wasn’t going to have Denny go 75-100 pitches today.”
Cameron struck out four batters in his four innings of work, giving up four hits and surrendering just one walk. It was his team-high 13th appearance on the season, but only his second start. His previous start came April 8 against Freedom, coindicentally the last time that Mercyhurst Prep lost a game.
The one run proved to be enough for Laker pitcher Hunter Krahe. The Charleston Southern commit threw a complete-game shutout, giving up just three hits with seven strikeouts and just one walk allowed.
“That kid’s phenomenal on the mound,” Quahliero said. “He controlled the game. Our kids competed in the box. He just took care of business”
It was the fifth consecutive postseason start for Krahe (11-1), who will now not be eligible to pitch in the finals on Thursday due to pitch count rules. The senior threw 99 pitches in the game.
Joseph (7-2) took the loss for Neshannock, giving up only the one hit in his two innings of relief.
“We were not going to put (Spencer) on base with two outs,” Quahliero said after the game about the consideration to intentionally walk one of the top Laker hitters. “We weren’t going to put the winning run on base. In a park like this, he has to hit a ball like that. Tip your cap. He hit the pitch. It was a major league shot.”
Mercyhurst Prep will face District 4 runner-up Southern Columbia in the Class 2A state championship game at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Penn State’s Lubrano Park. The Tigers defeated Halifax, 2-0, in their semifinal.
Neshannock was previously 4-0 in the state semifinals but came up one game short in its attempt to return to State College to play for a PIAA title. The Lancers graduate nine seniors: Anthony Eakin, Michael DeSanti, Hutchison, Lucas Walzer, Robbie Bailey, Gregory Measel, Hayden Tatterson, Joseph and Joey Veronesi.
“What a magical run by a bunch of kids that nobody believed in,” Quahliero said. “This is going to hurt. This is going to sting. But I think at the end of the day, they realize they won 21 games and a WPIAL championship, might make it a little less painful. They’ve joined this history of Neshannock baseball.”