Boden Hilliard’s run-scoring single in the sixth inning snapped a scoreless tie and lifted Freedom Area to a 1-0 victory over Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Wednesday in the WPIAL Class 2A baseball championship game at EQT Park.
Hilliard’s base hit off Iseia Fields Schulz scored Nick Fessler, who reached base on an error to lead off the sixth inning.
Fessler advanced to third on Tommy Ward’s base hit, and after Schulz struck out Mason O’Donnell for the first out of the inning, Hilliard delivered what proved to be the game-winning hit.
OLSH, which managed just two hits in the game off Hilliard, did not threaten in either of the last two innings as Hilliard retired the final six batters he faced. Hilliard went the distance, walking two and striking out five.
“We knew he was a good pitcher,” OLSH coach Phil McCarren said of Hilliard. “He threw a nice curve and located well. He mixed things up.
“Iseia threw well, too. Unfortunately, things didn’t break for him today.”
The Chargers committed just one error in the game, but that proved costly.
“Overall we played pretty well defensively, but they capitalized on one of our mistakes,” McCarren said. “It was a good game for both teams. They played just a little better than we did.”
McCarren said the loss was a tough one, and his team reacted as one might expect.
“They really wanted to win today,” he said. “But I told them I’m proud of them. They accomplished something good – it’s only the second time in school history that an OLSH team made it to the WPIAL championship game, and they should be proud of it.”
The Chargers had a couple of opportunities early in the game but failed to capitalize. Hilliard walked the first two batters in the bottom of the first inning but induced the next batter to ground into a double play, leaving courtesy runner Wyatt Walsh at third with two outs.
Hilliard then struck out the final batter of the inning to end that threat.
OLSH’s only hits came in the second inning on Chad Minton’s one-out single and Gino Williams’ two-out triple in the third. Hilliard retired the next two hitters in succession after Minton’s single, and he struck out the next hitter after Williams’ triple to end that threat.
Schulz pitched an outstanding game in his own right, as he yielded just four hits and two walks while striking out 11 in his 5 2/3 innings of work.
Sean Hudac came on to pitch the final 1 1/3 innings, giving up a walk and striking out one.
As the second-place team in District 7, OLSH locked up a spot in the PIAA tournament, which will get underway Monday, June 2.
McCarren was already researching his team’s next opponent – Tussey Mountain, which won the District 5 tournament Tuesday as a No. 5 seed among six teams, beating Everett, 6-3.
“The big tournament is the PIAA tournament and we qualified for that,” McCarren said. “We’ll try to lick our wounds, regroup and get after it next week.”
Tussey Mountain upset the No. 1 seed in District 5, Conemaugh Township. “They must be a scrappy, tough team,” McCarren said of Tussey Mountain, which is located about 30 miles southeast of Altoona. “We’ll have our hands full.”
This marks the first time since 2013 that the Chargers have qualified for the PIAA tournament. They reached the quarterfinals in both 2012 and 2013 but haven’t been back since.
The OLSH-Tussey Mountain game is scheduled to be played Monday in District 5. The time and exact location will be announced later.
Quarterfinals are scheduled for Thursday, June 5, with the semifinals slated for Monday, June 9, and the finals Friday, June 13, at Medlar Field at Penn State University.
Photos by Mike Longo Jr.
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