Early mistakes, dominant pitching bring an end to Beaver's season
WASHINGTON — It was far from the ending Noah Medich and his team had envisioned for their 2022 season.
As the final out was recorded in Monday's WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal matchup at Washington & Jefferson's Ross Memorial Park, Laurel Highlands starting pitcher Joe Chambers turned toward the Beaver Area dugout and took a bow. Behind him was a scoreboard that read 3-1 in favor of the Mustangs.
"This was a tough one," Medich said following the loss. "We both fought all game long. Both pitchers had great games. We just couldn't land that knockout punch."
As it turned out, the Mustangs' knockout punch was delivered in the opening round.
Chambers, who struck out 11 in his complete-game victory, was able to feel comfortable on the mound early on thanks to a three-run cushion his teammates provided him with in the bottom of the first inning.
After recording a quick two outs to start his first frame, Bobcats ace Jack Ray allowed a single to Carson D'Amico, which would go on to spark a rally. The next two at-bats would result in an error and a walk to load the bases, leaving room for no mistakes, which unfortunately for No. 4 Beaver Area, would come.
A wild pitch brought home not only Laurel Highlands' first run, but a second as well, when catcher Wyatt Ringer's throw from the backstop fence to home plate smacked off the helmet of a sliding D'Amico, resulting in an awkward bounce that allowed both runners to move up another 90 feet.
Two pitches later, Braeden O'Brien singled home the Mustang's third run, providing Chambers with enough insurance to last him the entire contest.
"We set ourselves up poorly," Medich said. "We made some mistakes that really shot ourselves in the foot — that's what happened. We shot ourselves in the foot."
Ray regrouped, throwing three shutout innings before handing things off to Mitch Lang, who was perfect in the final two frames. Together, the pair limited Laurel Highlands to just a pair of base runners for the remainder of the contest.
Those strong efforts on the mound gave the Bobcats a chance to come back. Beaver Area had opportunities in both the third and fourth innings, where multiple batters reached base. However, an RBI single from Ray in the top of the third was all the scoring offense Medich's team could generate.
"We never stopped battling," Medich said. "We had opportunities but just couldn't come through when we needed to."
Following defeat, a teary-eyed Medich and his staff addressed their team outside the stadium as the bus back to Beaver awaited departure. After a first-round exit in 2021, the Bobcats went a step further this spring.
But in the end, they all couldn't help but to feel as if things had ended prematurely.
"I really thought this group had the ability to go deeper," Medich said. "But, I'm so proud of these guys; just the way they've battled and worked all year long."
Beaver Area will shift its focus to next year. While nine seniors from this year's team will be gone, five starters from Monday's lineup against Laurel Highlands will be back, looking to use the pain from their quarterfinal loss to go even further in 2023.
Contact Noah Hiles at nhiles@gannett.com. Follow him on twitter @_NoahHiles.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Early mistakes, dominant pitching bring an end to Beaver's season
