Union comes through in big moments to defeat Rochester 3-2 in WPIAL baseball Class 1A semifinals
NEW CASTLE, Pennsylvania - The moment wasn’t too big for Union’s baseball team on Monday at Neshannock High School, as the Scotties advanced to the WPIAL Class 1A final with a 3-2 win over Rochester.
The defending WPIAL Class 1A champions had to work for the win, however, as Rochester loaded the bases twice in the top of the sixth inning and looked poised to tie the game or take the lead.
Rochester trailed 3-1 entering the inning and got the bases loaded with one out on an error, a walk and a single. After Parker Lyons scored on a pitch that went to the backstop to make it 3-2, Union pitcher Tyler Staub came up with a strikeout for the second out.
Logan Lyons drew a walk to load the bases again, but it was Staub once again who came up with the big strikeout to end the inning and keep the Scotties ahead.
“Those strikeouts when there are bases loaded in a close game like this, you make up those moments in backyard when you’re playing wiffle ball,” Staub said. “I have been doing that my whole life. I was ready for the moment.”
Staub only had one hitter left due to his pitch count, and he took the ball to start the seventh inning. An infield single by Cayden Jacobs gave the Rams one more chance.
But Union coach Bill Sanders handed the ball to Shane Roper and he forced two groundouts and a pop fly to end the game.
“I know we have good fielders and I have trust in all the guys out there,” Roper said. “Just them hit it, that’s what I did.”
One player who had faith that Roper would get the job done was the hurler he took over for. Even though Staub wanted the ball to start the inning, it wasn’t because he didn’t think Roper would come though.
“Not that I didn’t have confidence in Shane, but I wanted to get that out,” Staub said. “I knew Shane was going to get those two outs. I told Shane before the inning ‘one out for me, two outs for you.’ He ended up getting three for us and I had full confidence in him.”
Union did all of its offensive damage in the third inning, when the Scotties trailed 1-0.
Staub led off the inning with a single and then Rocco Galmarini got a bunt hit over the glove of the charging third baseman to put runners at first and second.
Staub took third on a pickoff play where he got into a rundown and was able to advance and then he scored on a passed ball. Mike Gunn then drilled a single to left field to make it 2-1.
“I try to play every game like it is game seven, do the best I can,” Gunn said. “Put the team in front and put them on top. I knew I had to get a hit in play.”
After Gunn stole second, he scored on an RBI single by Mark Stanley. The inning was the kind of baseball Union likes to play.
“When we get guys on, we make teams work for outs,” Sanders said. “That’s been our philosophy all year long. We run, we bunt, we do what we have to do to score runs.”
After allowing an RBI double to Ethan Blair and a single to Adam Schurr in the first inning, Staub settled in and retired 14 of the next 15 hitters he faced, with the only baserunner a two-out walk in the fourth inning. He finished the game going 6+ innings, allowing two runs on four hits and struck out seven while walking three.
“After that first inning, the jitters get out,” Staub said. “I have been in this moment, I was ready.”
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