Mt. Carmel keeps on rewriting its history
THROOP — Mount Carmel was in an unfamiliar position — playing in the state playoffs for the first time in program history.
But the Red Tornadoes never looked out of place. Instead, they got solid pitching from Drew Yagodzinskie, timely hitting from Johnny Morgante and Gavin Lasko and all-around solid defensive play to defeat Mid-Valley, 4-1, in the opening round of the PIAA Class 3A baseball playoffs Monday afternoon — all while the District 2 champion Spartans held homefield advantage.
Mount Carmel (15-5) plays Trinity, which won 4-3 in nine innings over Saucon Valley, on Thursday in the state quarterfinals at a site and time to be announced.
Yagodzinskie got behind early when opposing pitcher Nick Mills squared up on a fastball, the pitch Yagodzinskie said was working best all afternoon, and launched it into the woods beyond centerfield. Coach Brenton Eades says that was Yagodzinskie's first career home run given up. It didn't faze the hurler as he retired the next 10 batters, recording four of his eight strikeouts in that span.
"I just had to stay calm and knew that my team had my back," Yagodzinskie said. "I had to throw strikes, that's it. ... I just had to be like, 'I own this mound.'"
Mount Carmel catcher Lasko takes responsibility for calling a fastball in that situation but says he saw a different side of Yagodzinskie after serving up the round-tripper.
"He kept his speed going while keeping his offspeed pitches moving," Lasko said. "I was impressed with how good he handled that situation after giving up the home run. He just shut them down after that."
In the meantime, the Red Tornadoes couldn't get anything going against Mills. They finally broke through in the fourth because of a bizarre mental lapse. With Hunter Boblick on third, pinch running for Yagodzinskie who worked a walk, Lucas Carpenter took off for second. The Spartans didn't attempt a throwdown and because Carpenter didn't hear a peep from his coaches or teammates, he assumed batter Bennett Williams fouled the ball off. Carpenter started walking back to first despite being safe at second and Mills threw over for the force out only to throw it into centerfield, allowing Boblick to score the game-tying run.
"It worked out for us, but that was not a designed play," Eades said. "That was him clearly believing he had to go back to first base. We were just fortunate they committed an error."
That also woke up the offense to start the fifth. Jonas Bettleyon led things off with an infield single, beating Anthony Balashaitis' throw. The shortstop didn't charge the slow roller, allowing Bettleyon to reach. He advanced into scoring position on a fielder's choice and came around to score when Morgante hit a double down the left field line to break Mount Carmel's 0-for-4 streak with runners in scoring position up to that point.
Morgante proceeded to steal third, which paid dividends as the next batter, Brayden Brinkash, reached on a dropped third strike because Spartans catcher Jeremy Cali didn't want to risk having Morgante score on the put-out to first. The Tornadoes stayed aggressive on the basepaths, having Brinkash steal second to set the table for No. 3 hitter Lasko.
"We had to get something going and I feel we have kids that can run," Eades said of the aggressive base running. "We took our shots and it worked out for us. We put some hits together in that one inning and those steals helped us immensely."
No hit was bigger than when Lasko ripped a liner to left field to drive in both Morgante and Brinkash. As he pulled into second base, Lasko made a foul gesture that had officials warning Mount Carmel's bench. He was later hit by a pitch by reliever Cooper Lukasavage, but no warnings were given to the Spartans.
"We were trying to get into better at-bats and see better pitches. Our coach said before the game, 'It only takes one inning to blow a game up,'" Lasko said. "That's what we did."
All the Tornadoes' damage was done to Mills, who allowed it to be done on four walks and four hits while throwing 92 pitches in five innings. He also struck out five.
The Red Tornadoes, meanwhile, sent Yagodzinskie out to finish what he started. He didn't disappoint, throwing 101 pitches in a complete shutout. He struck out eight and walked one, facing the three-ball count only four times.
His performance has him etched as the program's first winning pitcher in state playoff history, but he is quick to give credit to the guys behind him. And with good reason as Mount Carmel didn't commit a single error on the turf, playing the bounces perfectly. Second baseman Brody Brinkash also made four spectacular plays behind him, two sliding with throws coming from both his knees and butt and two well within right field.
"It's awesome and something I will remember," Yagodzinskie said. "It's not just my name, though, it's everybody's name."
Even after the historic win, the team is far from satisfied.
"We play with a chip on our shoulder and know what we're playing for," Lasko said. "We know we're the first team to ever make it to the state tournament and now the first team to win here, but our work isn't done."
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