Tag Archive for: Cougars

VERDI PILES UP FOUR HITS; WARRIORS MAKE IT 11 STRAIGHT

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BESSEMER, PA- A.J. Verdi was swinging hot yesterday, knocking four hits in as many at-bats to lead the Mohawk Warriors to a solid 14-4 rout over Blackhawk. Verdi started strong with a double in the first inning and just kept hitting, adding another double and two singles later in the game.

The Warriors kicked things off with a bang in the first inning, with Verdi’s double setting the tone before Mason Hopper grounded one in to get the first run on the board. Blackhawk didn’t just sit back though; they snatched the lead in the second with Saliba and Connor Welsh banging out some key hits to push three runs across.

But that lead didn’t stick for long. Mohawk came back in the same inning with Jay Wrona lifting a sac fly and Jack Andrews grounding out to edge ahead 4-3. They kept piling on from there, taking advantage of a Blackhawk error and a walk by Keigan Hopper to extend the lead.

The fifth inning was where the Warriors really broke it open. Vinny Pezzuolo ripped a three-run double, Verdi laced a two-run double, and Hopper chipped in with an RBI single, turning this game into a blowout.

On the mound, Cash Stratton handled the first three innings for Mohawk, letting up four hits and three runs. Blackhawk’s Sodergren, on the other hand, found himself in a bind, allowing six runs over three innings despite giving up just one hit.

J.J. Nail also had a good day with the bat, picking up a couple of hits. The Warriors showed some serious patience too, working 15 walks with Hopper and Wrona each grabbing four.

For Blackhawk, Carter Davis tried to spark something with two hits, but the team just couldn’t keep up with Mohawk’s pace. Welsh did his best, driving in two runs.

Next up, the Warriors are on the road to Riverside on Monday, looking to keep the momentum rolling.

SEBEK’S WALKOFF SEALS BOBCAT VICTORY

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BEAVER, PA- The Beaver Bobcats snatched a thrilling 6-5 walk-off victory over Blackhawk on Tuesday, capped by a clutch hit from RJ Sebek in the bottom of the eighth inning. The game, knotted at five, saw Sebek drive in the winning run with a decisive single.

The scoring started early for Beaver, with Maddox Tanner launching a two-run homer to center field in the first inning. But Blackhawk wasn’t down for long. They swung the momentum in their favor in the fifth when Dylan Smith blasted a grand slam to left field, putting them up 4-2.

Despite facing a deficit, the Bobcats clawed back into the game. An error by Blackhawk in the sixth allowed Beaver to tie things up at four. The seesaw battle continued into the eighth, with Blackhawk momentarily regaining the lead, thanks to Tyler Kisling inducing a fielder’s choice from Saliba that brought a run home.

Not to be outdone, the Bobcats fought back in the same inning. Tanner and Sebek each delivered a run-scoring single, turning the tables and setting the stage for the dramatic finish.

Kisling, who played a pivotal role in the eighth, earned the win for Beaver. Over two innings of work, he gave up one run and three hits while striking out two. On the flip side, Stephen Kanally shouldered the loss for Blackhawk, giving up two runs on three hits in his two innings on the mound.

Beaver’s pitchers held their own throughout the game. Corbin Sevcik started strong, allowing no runs and just one hit over two innings. Josh Derringer also contributed with two solid innings of relief, keeping Blackhawk at bay.

At the plate, Beaver was formidable, racking up 11 hits. Tanner was particularly impactful, driving in three runs and going 2-for-5. Sebek led the team in hits, going 3-for-4, while Brady Mayo also added two hits.

The Bobcats showed great discipline, drawing seven walks, with Ty Butler and Kisling each walking twice. Defensively, they were flawless, not committing a single error, with Kisling also leading with five defensive chances.

For Blackhawk, Smith was the standout, driving in four runs on a 3-for-4 hitting performance. Owen Kiester also had a multi-hit game, adding two hits.

COUGARS POUNCE ON LAKERS IN OHSAA PLAYOFFS

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Photo Credit: Kelly York Summers

Andover, OH- In a hard-fought sectional round matchup, the Pymatuning Valley Lakers faced off against the Lake Catholic Cougars in a game filled with intensity and determination. Despite a valiant effort from standout player Blake Krznaric, the Lakers were unable to secure the victory, ultimately falling short with a final score of 59-64.

QUARTER SCORES
Pymatuning Valley Lakers: 16 | 6 | 16 | 21 = 59
Lake Catholic Cougars: 15 | 10 | 18 | 21 = 64

Pymatuning Valley Lakers Total Points:

  • Blake Krznaric: 20
  • Caydence Wiser: 7
  • Zane Neczporenko: 10
  • Seth Bryan: 6
  • Trevor Clute: 3
  • Brady Tisch: 2
  • Ryan Croston: 11

Lake Catholic Cougars Total Points:

  • Peterlin: 24
  • Pellecchia: 15
  • Budrys-Rini: 14
  • Nimmo: 4
  • Rozman: 4
  • Trinetti: 3

Despite facing a tough opponent, the Lakers showcased their resilience throughout the game, led by Blake Krznaric with an impressive 20 points. Krznaric’s leadership and scoring prowess were instrumental in keeping the Lakers competitive against the Cougars.

However, the Cougars proved to be a formidable adversary, with standout performances from Peterlin, who led the team with 24 points, and Pellecchia, who contributed 15 points. Despite the Lakers’ efforts, they were unable to contain the Cougars’ offensive firepower in the final moments of the game.

With this loss, the Pymatuning Valley Lakers conclude their season with a final record of 17-6. Despite the disappointment of the defeat, the Lakers can take pride in their successful season, which included notable victories and the milestone achievement of Blake Krznaric reaching 1,000 career points as a Laker.

As for the Lake Catholic Cougars, they advance to the next round of the OHSAA playoffs, where they will face the Campbell Memorial Red Devils in the sectional final on 3/1/24. With their hard-fought victory over the Lakers, the Cougars look to carry their momentum forward and continue their postseason journey.

Although the outcome may not have been what the Lakers had hoped for, they showcased determination and resilience throughout the game, leaving everything on the court in their pursuit of victory. As they reflect on their season, the Lakers will look to build upon their successes and lessons learned, setting the stage for future achievements on the basketball court.

REBELS RUN ENDS IN REGIONALS

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BARBERTON OH- Crestview knew how hard the task was I front of them on Thursday night in Barberton. This region has never been easy to get out of, and that didn’t change. It has been a good bet in the past that the winner of the Barberton regional would punch their ticket to a state championship game, and if not win it get pretty close.  This year the region featured two teams coming off a season where they went to the state championship game. Crestview’s opponent Mentor Lake Catholic we’re the state runner ups last season in Division II, and Independence found their way back to Barberton after losing in 5 sets in last year’s Division III state title. Crestview had to contend with Lake Catholic, and the number one ranked team in the state proved why they are in that spot. They swept the Rebels out of regionals to end their season. (25-14 25-16 25-14)

Abbey Emch still was able to get her swings. She finished the night with a team high 13 kills, and she also gathered 5 blocks. Grace Auer ended the year with yet another double double finishing with 10 assists, and 22 digs.  She also had 3 of the Rebels 5 aces.  Lainy Auer led the team in assists with 12.

It was Lake Catholic’s balance on offense that was too much for Crestview to handle. They could come at them from anywhere on the court, and that showed in their numbers.  Natalya Bergant led the way for the Cougars with a game-high 14 kills. Two more of her teammates joined her in double figures as Katie Sowko had 11, and Claire Duricky finished with 10.

Crestview ends their season with a 24-3 record and held their fourth consecutive district championship. The most conservative district trophies won by any sport at the school.

MOONEY DEFENSE DENIES COUGARS

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MINERAL RIDGE OH- The Cardinal Mooney Cardinals, coming off a heartbreaking defeat to The Boardman Spartans in week one by a score of 10-7, were looking to right the ship for week two. On a rare Saturday night game, The Cardinals welcomed in The Cougars from Mentor Lake Catholic. Both teams went into the evening looking for their first win, and both looked primed to be tough defenses to crack.

An opening drive fumble from The Cougars allowed Mooney to take over on their own side of the field, as Mentor Lake Catholic was driving into enemy territory. Adyn Paige broke open the scoring for Mooney, gaining a touchdown with his legs, allowing Mooney to take a 7-0 lead after the made PAT by Pregibon. A response touchdown from The Cougars and a missed PAT kept it 7-6 Mooney until the final minutes of the first half. A touchdown pass from Ashton O’Brien to Alec DelSignore extended The Cardinal lead; however, Fitzgerald became a huge target for The Cougars. Grabbing a third down conversion catch, a touchdown and a 2pt conversion on the next drive, Trinetti found Fitzgerald to even the game up 14-14. 

Mooney took the short clock as a challenge, getting some big plays to set themselves up for the 2 for 1, as Pregibon kicked a field goal to put The Cardinals up going into halftime. Out of the half, Mooney had the opening kickoff. The first two Mooney drives were met with an interception and a punt, both of which gave Mentor Lake Catholic field position on The Cardinals side of the field. But the defense of The 8-Time State Champions showed up in a big way, pushing them out of field goal range both times and shutting out The Cougars offense in the second half. A phenomenal pass from O’Brien to Ty Reali of Mooney set up another touchdown, before going right back to the house on an Ashton O’Brien faker, giving Mooney a 31-14 lead and a win. 

The Cougars (0-2) will now look to bounce back in week three, as they are set to face Akron Buchtel (0-2) in another battle of teams looking for win #1! Mooney will renew their old Youngstown rivalry once again, as they host The Chaney Cowboys (2-0) on Friday, September 2nd in what looks to be nothing short of hard hitting.

*Contributed By YSN’s Ty Bartell.

FLY THE Y! PENGUINS EVEN SERIES WITH HOUSTON

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*Courtesy of ysusports.com

Houston, Texas – Steven D’Eusanio’s three-run home run in the top of the 11th inning lifted the Youngstown State baseball team to a 6-3 victory over Houston on Saturday night at Darryl & Lori Schroeder Park.

The Penguins improve to 1-1 on the season while the Cougars fall to 1-1.

In the top of the 11th inning, Jeff Wehler drew a leadoff walk, stole second and reached third on a wild pitch. After Blaze Glenn walked, D’Eusanio sent a pitch from Houston’s Carter Henry over the wall in left field to send the Penguins to their first win of the season. It was D’Eusanio’s second home run of the contest as he also hit a two a two-run inside-the-park home run as part of YSU’s three-run sixth inning.

The Cougars threatened in the home half of the 11th as they got two runners aboard with one out. Chad Coles came out of the bullpen to strike out Brad Burckel before Joel Hake came on and got Ryan Hernandez swinging to end the game.

Hake earned the save while Gary Clift Jr. was awarded the victory after allowing just one run on one hit and striking out five over 3.1 innings of relief. Clift Jr. retired nine straight batters at one point and retired the Cougars in order in the ninth and 10th innings. Four Youngstown State pitchers limited Houston’s offense to just three solo home runs, and registered a total of 15 strikeouts.

The Cougars jumped ahead with a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning before the Penguins plated three runs in the top of the sixth. Houston also hit solo shots in the sixth and seventh innings to force the game into extra innings. Eight of the game’s nine runs were the result of home runs.

Youngstown State outhit Houston 8-3 as five different Penguins recorded a hit. D’Eusanio went 3-for-5 with a single, two homers, two runs scored and a career-high five RBIs. It was also the first-multi-homer game of the sophomore’s career. Phillip Glasser notched a pair of singles while Glenn and Wehler each had a hit and scored two runs.

In his first start since May 5, 2018, Collin Floyd delivered an impressive performance for the Penguins. The senior, who missed all of last season with an injury, allowed only two runs on two solo home runs and struck out eight over seven innings of work. Floyd retired 18 of the first 20 hitters he faced and 21 of 24 overall while sitting down the Cougars in order in four different frames.

YSU got leadoff singles and a runner in scoring position with less than two outs in each of the first two innings, but were unable to capitalize. The Penguins had a great scoring opportunity in the top of the first as Turner Grau and Glasser reached on back-to-back infield singles to begin the game. However, Houston starter Clay Aguilar got Wehler to bounce into a 6-4-3 double play and Glenn to fly out to avoid any damage.

After Floyd retired the first five hitters he faced, Houston’s Blake Way hit a solo home run to left field in the bottom of the second inning to give the Cougars a 1-0 edge.

The score remained the same until the top the top of the sixth inning. After Wehler reached with a two-out single, Glenn hit a fly ball to right field that was misplayed by Way, allowing Wehler to score and tie the game at a run apiece. D’Eusanio then hit a sinking line drive to right center field that got by a diving Johnathon Turner and rolled all the way to wall. D’Eusanio was able to race all the way home for the two-run inside-the-park home run that gave YSU a 3-1 advantage.

After Floyd had retired seven batters in a row, Hernandez sent a solo home run to left center to begin the bottom of the seventh inning and pull the Cougars within a run. Kobe Hyland then hit a one-out sole homer to right center off Clift Jr. in the bottom of the eighth to even the contest at 3-3 and eventually force extra innings.

Henry was saddled with the loss for Houston after surrendering the deciding three runs in the 11th. Tristen Bayless allowed just one hit and fanned eight over 4.1 innings of scoreless relief, and Aguilar was responsible for three unearned runs on six hits over 5.2 innings. Isaiah Blaylock also worked a scoreless inning out of the bullpen for the Cougars.

The Penguins and Cougars will play the rubber match of their three-game series tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live at UHCougars.com and YSNLive.com.