ALTOONA – The Johnsonburg High School baseball team would’ve
preferred a do-over in the first inning as the Rams dropped a 4-1
decision to Minersville in the PIAA Class A championship game at
Blair County Ballpark on Friday.
The Rams suffered a severe case of the bends in the home of the
Altoona Curve when two first inning errors led to three unearned
runs and an insurmountable disadvantage.
“The first inning was terrible,” said Jeff Peterson, Johnsonburg
head coach. “Everybody was stiff and tight, and we were trying to
get the jitters out. After that we just didn’t hit. It was our
worst game all year and what a day for it to come.”
After Rams’ starter Calvin Grumley struck out the leadoff
batter, a fielding error, a walk and a dropped throw allowed Chris
Pozza to score the initial run of the contest.
Later in the frame Johnsonburg had Shane Ryan dead to rights in
a rundown between third and home, but Ryan eluded the tag at the
plate. Matt Rose then doubled to leftcenter to make it 3-0
Miners.
Grumley led off the bottom of the first with a five-pitch walk
and was sacrificed to second by Jesse Dennis, but the standout
senior was erased at third on a caught stealing and then
Minersville starter Zach Fritz whiffed the next batter to end the
inning.
“We wanted things to work out early,” Peterson recalled. “Calvin
Grumley got on, and whole idea was to bunt him down to second and
get a couple of hits. He got picked off and that put a dagger in
the whole inning with our big sticks coming up. Nothing went right
today.”
The District 11 champs (25-1) threatened in the second when a
walk and a two-bagger by Pozza placed Miners at second and third,
but Grumley registered one of his 10 strikeouts to quell the
threat.
Then on a 3-2 count in the home half, the next offering to Seth
Streich needed a ticket on the rollercoaster beyond the right field
fence as the J-burg sophomore launched a missile over the 375-foot
sign in rightcenter.
“Seth Streich hit a bomb,” Peterson declared. “I thought that
(home run) was going to be our pick-me-up.”
In the bottom of the third Vince Vavala walked, stole second and
continued another 90 feet when the catcher’s throw sailed into
centerfield. Fritz then marooned the Rams’ freshman at third with a
groundout to short.
In the fourth Grumley fanned the first two Miners, but then
walked two and beaned another before stranding the three runners
with a fly ball to left.
Johnsonburg’s big opportunity was in the fifth when Vavala laid
down a bunt single and swiped second, and Grumley reached on an
error and also pilfered a base. Once again Fritz rose to the
occasion with an inning-ending punchout.
“We had some situations and didn’t come through,” Peterson
enunciated. “We struggled in the clutch. That kid (Fritz) threw a
nice game, but you can’t take pitches that close. You have to
protect.”
In the top of the sixth Fritz was plunked by a pitch. Pinch
runner David White advanced to third on a throwing error and
crossed the plate on a wild pitch by reliever Seth Streich.
“Calvin threw a good game (three-hitter), but sometimes he gets
frustrated when guys don’t make plays so it was time to get him
out,” Peterson explained.
After rallying throughout the playoffs with repeated
sixth-inning heroics, this time the District 9 titlists went down
quietly as church mice on an infield popup, a strikeout and a
comebacker to Fritz.
“The sixth inning didn’t work for us today,” Peterson
admitted.
Fritz then capped off his three-hitter, the first state title
for eastern Pennsylvania’s Minersville and J-burg’s 22-2 season all
in one fell swoop with a perfect seventh inning.
“We just didn’t make the plays and gave them (Miners) four
unearned runs,” Peterson stated. “We did great to get here, but it
was a poor performance on our part. We are a lot better team and
didn’t show it today. To be in this position, I feel bad for the
kids. We lose three seniors (Grumley, Tobias Streich and Dennis),
but we have a real good group coming back.”
