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Hopewell HS Baseball

Hopewell JV Baseball Suffers Walk-Off Loss to Avonworth

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

AVONWORTH– After having long periods of inactivity this season, the Hopewell JV baseball team was busy this week. After taking on Hampton in a 2-game series, Hopewell traveled to Avonworth on Thursday for a non-section game.

Because the varsity team was off, sophomore Collin Davis was able to suit up for the JV squad and get his first start of the season. This was game allowed Davis to get some time on the mound, which is important considering he’s likely to figure into the varsity’s pitching plans in 2027.

Despite having obvious rust, Davis had an outstanding outing as he was in command for much of the game and showed a glimpse of what he will be able to provide next season.

The sophomore right-hander went 5.2 innings, allowing 5 runs, although only 3 of which were earned and struck out 5 batters.

Hopewell took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the 5th inning, which is when Avonworth scored 3 runs, 2 of those were unearned.

The Vikings trailed 4-3 heading to the 6th inning when they tied the game back up at 4 all. The Lopes scored a run in the bottom of the 6th to go back up by 1 only to see Hopewell come back and tie the game up in the top of the 7th inning. Unfortunately, Avonworth was able to score one more time in the bottom of the 7th to come away with a 6-5 victory.

Despite it ending with a loss, it was the best performance and most exciting game for the JV squad this season.

GAME-HIGHLIGHTS:
-Freshman outfielder Josh Gill stayed hot at the plate, going 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs. Although they haven’t always resulted, Gill has looked really comfortable at the plate all week, making solid contact and doing a nice job going the other way for hits.

-Freshman first baseman Andrew Arzberger went 1-for-4 and like Gill, had a nice week hitting as he went 4-for-10 with 3 runs scored.

-Freshman catcher Luke Vukovcan had a really solid week. Yesterday, Vukovcan went 2-for-3 with 2 runs scored and 2 stolen bases. For the week, he went 4-for-6 with a walk, RBI and 2 doubles.

-Freshman second baseman Ethan Adams went 1-for-2 with a hard RBI single in the second inning.

-Freshman shortstop Jaxsen Covalt picked up a walk and RBI but more importantly played a solid game defensively, as did sophomore 3rd baseman Cam Hoth.

The JV team will return to the field next week when they take on Central Valley in a 2-game series.

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Hopewell HS Baseball

Krotec’s Dominance, Hopewell’s Bat Stay Hot in 11-0 Shutout of North Catholic

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 4 minutes read

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP– In sports, teams sometimes get in a zone and are dominant and that’s the place the Hopewell HS baseball team finds themselves in right now.

There’s still plenty of season left but Morgan Singletary’s team is playing as well as they have in years and today was another example of that.

Led once again by the arm of starting pitcher Kingston Krotec and the red-hot bats in the lineup, Hopewell dominated North Catholic, 11-0 in a 5-inning win. This was the third consecutive game that Hopewell has put 10+ runs on the scoreboard.

The other very encouraging aspect to this win was that once again it was a total team effort as they received outstanding pitching, timely hitting and solid defense.

When those three things are working, you have a chance to win games and that’s exactly what Hopewell is doing as they improve their section record to 4-2, which puts them in a tie for second place with Beaver.

Krotec has made 3 starts this season and has recorded 3 complete games. Today against the Bobcats, ‘Kinger’ went 5 innings, allowing only 2 hits, 0 runs and struck out 7 batters.

“I feel really confident when the ball is in my hand and in a position to get a win for my team,” Krotec tells VSN. “Then when we put up runs like we did, it just settles me down.”

Offensively, the Vikings collected 11 hits and were led by sophomore second baseman Collin Davis who went 2-4 with a career-high 4 RBI. Sophomore outfielder James Armstrong stayed red-hot as he picked up 2 more hits and 3 RBI. Other key contributors were Krotec with 2 hits and 1 RBI, senior catcher Charlie Smetana with a big 2-run single, senior first baseman Logan Triscila with 1 hit and 2 runs and junior third baseman Jake Knobloch with a hit, walk and 2 runs.

“I’ve felt confident lately and feel like my approach has gotten much better and I feel like I’m seeing the ball a lot better than before,” said Davis. “It just feels really that good that our whole team is finding our grove. We’ve all put in a ton of work and it’s starting to show and it feels great.”


Most games have turning points and I thought the top of the 1st inning was just that for Hopewell.

North Catholic loaded the bases with 1 out and were in position to score first and potentially have a big inning but Krotec made sure that didn’t happen as he struck out the next two batters to end the threat and North Catholic’s best threat of the game.

“I had a little struggle in the first inning and made an error which is one me,” said Krotec. “So, I had to get that back for my team. When I got that pop up to center field that settled me down and then the two straight strikeouts were big and brought our team some energy going to the bottom of the inning.”

BOTTOM OF 1ST INNING- Armstrong and Drew Donovan started off the game and both reached on errors. Krotec followed that up with a single, which loaded the bases for Smetana, who came through with a 2-run single to right field and Hopewell led 2-0.

Still in the first inning, after Krotec scored on a passed ball, Davis delivered a clutch 2-out, 2-run single to center field, which scored Triscila and pinch-runner Jayvion Lindsey. Hopewell led 5-0 after the 1st inning.

TOP OF 2ND- After ending the 1st inning with 2 strikeouts, Krotec picked back up by striking out the side in the second.


TOP OF 3RD– Guess how Krotec got the first two outs in the 3rd inning, yep, he struck them out. That means that Krotec struck out seven consecutive North Catholic batters. Hopewell led 5-0.

Hopewell’s Kingston Krotec

BOTTOM OF 3RD– The Vikings put the game away in 3rd as they tacked on 4 more runs, which all came after 2 outs.

Both Knobloch and Davis reached base after getting hit by a pitch. Armstrong then came to the plate and roped a double into the right field corner to score both runners. After Donovan drew a walk, Krotec doubled to left, scoring Armstrong. Hopewell led 9-0 after 3 innings.

TOP OF 4TH– It was another easy 1-2-3 inning for Hopewell as Krotec got three fly ball outs, including one really nice running catch by right fielder Payton Korker.

BOTTOM OF 4TH– Hopewell tacked on 2 more runs in this inning as Davis once again came through with a 2-run single, which scored Ben McDonald and Knoboch. Hopewell’s lead increased to 11-0.

TOP OF 5TH- Because Hopewell had a 10-run lead, Krotec needed just a scoreless inning to end this game, which is what he did. Out No.1 came on a fly ball to Armstrong in left and the final 2 outs of the game came on ground outs to Davis at second.

FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 11 NORTH CATHOLIC 0

Hopewell will return to action on Friday as they have a non-section game against Montour and don’t return to section play until Monday, April 20th when they’ll host Hampton.

“The mindset of this team is just to go out there and get the job done,” said Davis. “We have been paying great, so the confidence is high and we need to keep it going.”

“I feel like this team is really confident at the plate and when we put up runs, our pitchers just have to throw strikes and that puts us in a position to win.”

Which is exactly what they’ve been doing. Winning is Fun!

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Hopewell HS Baseball

Hopewell Baseball Loses Slugfest to Chartiers Valley

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

WASHINGTON-The Hopewell Vikings baseball team just completed a taxing 2-game series against Beaver, with another big section series coming starting on Monday against Ambridge.

Sandwiched in between those two series was a non-section road game last night against Chartiers Valley.

No matter the sport, there’s always a game where it’s just one of those games and a team just doesn’t have it that particular night. Last night was that game for Hopewell as they lost to Chartiers Valley in a slugfest 21-11.

In the big picture, it’s not a big deal because it wasn’t a section game and is the case in every game, there were some positives to take from last night.

POSITIVE TAKES FROM CHARTIERS VALLEY GAME:
*For the second straight game, the Hopewell offense was a plus as they reached base 16 times (9 hits and 6 walks). If this team is going to achieve their goal of making the playoffs, generating consistent offense will be the key. 8 of the 10 batters last night collected a hit.

*Sophomore 2B Collin Davis led Hopewell with 2 hits, including a double to left field in the 2nd inning. Entering last night’s game, Davis had been making good contact with the ball but had been a bit unlucky and those at-bats didn’t result in any hits. It’s good to see his hard work paying off and hopefully last night’s game will get him on a hot streak at the plate.

*Sophomore Outfielder Jayvion Lindsey got his first start of the season and came through with an RBI single in his first at-bat.

This game was on the heels of a good JV performance by Lindsey on Thursday. With 7 seniors graduating, next season Lindsey will have his opportunity to shine.

*The top of the Vikings lineup did their job of producing runs.  James Armstrong. Drew Donovan, Kingston Krotec and Charlie Smetana were on base 8 times, scored 6 runs and drove in 8 runs.

*Armstrong continued to be productive at the top of the Hopewell lineup. In 3 games this week, he combined for 5 runs, 3 hits, 4 walks RBI and 2 SB.

*Having the responsibility of being the #3 or cleanup hitter brings with it the pressure of providing offense and driving in runs. To this point, Smetana has done his job. In Hopewell’s first 3 games, Smetana has 4 hits (double), 1 walk and 5 RBI.

Looking ahead to next week, the Vikings will have games on Monday and Tuesday against Ambridge followed by a non-section game on Thursday vs. Avonworth.

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Hopewell Colt League Baseball

Hopewell Colt Team Battles Rain, Defeats Quaker Valley, 15-0

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP– It was ugly night in terms of the weather and with the outcome of the game determined early, it was only a matter of could they make it an official game before the sky’s opened up.

Fortunately, they were as the Hopewell Colt team overwhelmed Quaker Valley, 15-0.

As he’s done season, Payton Korker turned in a quality outing as he got the start for Coach Singletary’s team. PK went 3 innings, didn’t allow a hit and struck out 4 batters.

In the field, Hopewell battled the conditions and made all the routine plays, including a nice play at short by Jake Knobloch and second baseman Collin Davis showing some nice range to track down a ball in short right field.

At the plate, Hopewell’s hitters showed nice discipline as Quaker Valley’s pitchers were wild but when the ball was in the zone, the Vikings hit it.

In the bottom of the 1st, Davis led off the game by getting hit by a pitch. Next up, Knobloch doubled to left field, moving Davis to third. Both runners then scored as James Gill clobbered a ball to deep left field, Hopewell led 2-0. This is the second game in a row that Gill has displayed power. Yesterday against Weirton, Gill nearly hit one out to right-center field, which went for a double.

The next 3 Hopewell hitters (Korker, Josh Gill and Luke Vukovcan) all walked. After a James Gill scored on a wild pitch, the 4th run of the inning scored on a sharp single to right field by Parker Hoth.

Korker had an easy 1-2-3 top of the second inning. In that frame, first baseman Camden Hoth made a nice scoop on a throw from Knobloch at short.

Hopewell then put the game away in the bottom of the second by plating 9 runs.

Davis led off with a single to right-center field, which was followed by Knobloch getting hit by a pitch and James Gill and Korker. The walk to Korker brought in Davis and Hopewell led 5-0.

Next batter, Josh Gill reached on an infield single, which brought in Knobloch, Hopewell led 6-0. After a bases loaded walk to Chris Shiel which brought in James Gill, Vukovcan hit a line drive single to left center field to bring in Korker, Hopewell led 8-0.

The final 5 runs of the inning scored on a bases loaded walk to Camden Hoth, an RBI single by Davis and 3 on an error by the Quaker Valley right fielder on a flyball from Knobloch.

In the top of the 3rd, Quaker Valley got a runner to third base with 1 out but Korker struck out the next two batters.

FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 15 QUAKER VALLEY 0

The win improves Hopewell’s record to 3-2 and they’ll return to the field next Tuesday when they travel to Beaver.

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Hopewell Colt League Baseball

David Villanueva Walk-Off Hit Leads Hopewell Colt Team to 4-3 Win

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

Dramatics tonight with the Hopewell Vikings Colt League team as David Villanueva’s walk-off RBI single led Hopewell to a 4-3 win over New Brighton.

Hopewell entered the final inning trailing 3-2 but found a way to manufacture 2 runs for the win.

Aidan Erickson led off the 7th inning with a walk.
Erickson then stole second base, which was followed by a walk to Parker Hoth.

Hopewell took advantage of some wild pitching as Erickson moved to third on a wild pitch and would also score on one. That tied the game at 3.

After advancing to second on that same wild pitch, Hoth moved to third thanks to a successful sacrifice bunt by Owen Ackerman.

That led to Villanueva’s heroics as he then hit a hard ground ball into left field to score Hoth.

Final Score: Hopewell 4 New Brighton 3

Vikings Game Notes:

-Sophomore Collin Davis started and was fantastic in his Colt debut. Davis went 4 innings, allowing 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks and struck out 3.

-Camden Hoth pitched the 5th and 6th  innings, allowing only 2 hits, 2 runs (1 earned run)

-Ackerman pitched the final inning, allowing 0 hits, 1 run (0 earned runs).

-Josh Gill led off for Hopewell and went 1-3 with an RBI.

-Erickson drew a walk and scored 2 runs, while Parker Hoth drew 2 walks.

Hopewell improved their record to 2-1 and will return to the field tomorrow night as they host Weirton at 6 pm from Hopewell HS.

 

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Hopewell Colt League Baseball

Hopewell Shuts Out Beaver Falls in Colt League Opener

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

BEAVER FALLS- The 2025 Colt League Baseball season began for the Hopewell Vikings as they traveled to Beaver Falls.

This team is coached by Hopewell HS Head Coach Morgan Singletary and made up of players on Hopewell’s varsity team as well as a few 8th graders.

In tonight’s season opener, Coach Singletary went with junior Payton Korker, who was outstanding as Hopewell shutout Beaver Falls, 11-0 in 5 innings.

Hopewell’s Payton Korker

The right-hander went 3 innings, allowing only 3 hits, 0 walks and 4 strikeouts. Freshman Owen Ackerman pitched the final two innings, giving up only 1 hits, 1 walk and struck out two batters.

Hopewell struck for 3 runs in the top of the 1st inning. Collin Davis and Jayvion Lindsey led off the game with back-to-back walks. Then with 2 on, Jake Knobloch singled to bring in Davis, Hopewell led 1-0.

Then with 1 out, Josh Gill dumped a single down the right field line to bring in Lindsey and Knobloch, Hopewell led 3-0.

Korker had an easy bottom of the first inning with a nice play coming from shortstop Jake Knobloch, who charged in to field a ball and Vukovcan made a nice stretch at first to get the runner. Korker then struck out the next two batters.

Hopewell added 3 more runs in the 2nd inning. Two runs scored on a ground ball fielders choice by David Villanueva and an error by the Beaver Falls infield.

In the bottom of the 2nd, Korker recorded two more strikeouts along with a groundout to Vukovcan at first.

Three more Hopewell runs in the 3rd inning. Lindsey led off with a walk, followed by a Knobloch single and a walk to Vukovcan. Then with the bases loaded, Gill drew a walk to score Lindsey, Hopewell led 7-0.

Then with 1 out and the bases loaded, Parker Hoth was hit by a pitch to make it 8-0. The final run of the inning crossed the plate when Vukovcan scored on a wild pitch.

In the bottom of the 3rd, Beaver Falls has their only threat as two runners reached with 2 outs. However, Korker stranded both runners with a pop up to Vukovcan at first.

Ackerman entered in the bottom of the 4th inning and made quick work of BF as he got two groundouts to Knobloch and a pop up to Davis at 2nd base.

Hopewell added two unearned runs in the top of the 5th to stretch the lead to 11-0. By having a 10-+ lead in the 5th inning, Hopewell just needed to not allow two runs in the bottom of the 5th and the game would be over.

Ackerman allowed the first two runners to reach but Owen came back to strike out the next two batters. Then with two outs, the game ended on a nice catch by Davis in short right field.

Final Score: Hopewell 11 Beaver Falls 0.

Next Game: Hopewell travels to Central Valley on Thursday.

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Hopewell HS Baseball

Krotec Steps Up to Lead Hopewell to 8-4 Win

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

Twice this season, the Hopewell Vikings baseball team have found themselves in seemingly must win situations if they have any hopes of making the WPIAL playoffs.

Last week, Hopewell went on the road and defeated Ambridge, 6-4.

Following yesterday’s disappointing 5-1 loss to North Catholic, the Vikings needed to bounce back today with a win and that’s exactly what they did with a 8-4 victory.

The common denominator in both road wins was junior right-hander Kingston Krotec.

Krotec was on the mound for both and stepped up like leaders need to do. This afternoon, King went 6.1 innings, allowed 1 earned run, 1 walk and 5 strikeouts. Against Ambridge, Krotec went 6 innings, 2 earned runs, 1 walk and 6 strikeouts.

In desperate times, your best players need to be at their best and Krotec has been that for Hopewell in two crucial games.

The eight runs for Hopewell were a season-high with the offensive standouts today being Krotec, Charlie Smetana, Collin Davis and Brody McCullough.

In bottom of the first inning North Catholic got a runner to third base with two outs, but Krotec closed the door with a strike out.

Hopewell took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second but North Catholic looked as though they were gonna tie the game in the bottom of the frame. The Trojans had runners at second and third with just one out however Krotec got out of the inning with two pop-ups.

Hopewell appeared to be in trouble as NC took a 2-1 lead but the Vikings responded with a seven run 5th inning.

Smetana led off with a walk, then after Logan Triscila reached on an error, Davis drove them both in with a 2-run double. Hopewell took the lead 3-2.

Later in the inning, Ben McDonald walked and McCullough getting hit by a pitch, Drew Donovan came with a bases loaded RBI single that scored Davis and McDonald scored on a throwing error. Hopewell led 5-2.

Still in the same inning with Hopewell up 6-2, Krotec finished things off with a 2-run double scoring Donovan and Knobloch.

Now pitching with an 8-2 lead, Krotec had room to breathe and pitched a 1-2-3 fifth inning followed by 2 strike outs in the sixth inning.

Krotec started the 7th inning but was eventually replaced after a couple Hopewell fielding errors and his pitch count rising to 99 pitches.

Lefty Ben McDonald came on and eventually ended the game with a strikeout, stranding 2 North Catholic runners.

Final Score: Hopewell 8 North Catholic 4.

The Vikings return to action on Thursday as they host Montour in a non-section game.

 

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Hopewell HS Baseball

Hopewell Deserved a Better Fate But Lose to North Catholic, 5-1

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP– Sports can be great, sports can be exciting, but sports can also be extremely frustrating.

Today’s high school baseball game between Hopewell and North Catholic was a perfect example of that.

When you’re on a winning streak, the things that happened to the Vikings don’t happen and they go the other way. However, when you’re struggling, things play out like they did this afternoon.

For 6 of the 7 innings, Hopewell looked and for the most part, played like the better team. Unfortunately, the No. 4 ranked North Catholic Trojans put things together in the 6th inning and that was enough to go on to a 5-1 win.

Senior right-hander David Medich started for Hopewell and deserved a better fate, but sports can be cruel and although he certainly pitched well enough to win, it won’t show up that way in the box score.

Medich pitched 6 innings, allowing 8 hits, 4 earned runs, 0 walks and struck out 10. However, this game was scoreless going to the top of the 6th with Medich’s stat line showing- 5 innings, 0 runs, 3 hits and 7 K’s. Unfortunately, North Catholic’s top of the order started the 6th inning, and they did their jobs by scoring 4 runs.

Despite the loss, Hopewell arguably played their most complete game of the season as they hit collected a season-high 7 hits. The frustrating part of this game was that in six of the seven innings today, Hopewell had a run in scoring position but only scored 1 run. And it wasn’t because they didn’t hit the ball hard or well, they either hit a ball right at the North Catholic defender or a ball wouldn’t fall. Here’s some examples.

HOPWELL PLAYED WELL ENOUGH TO WIN, BUT-

 1ST INNING: Kingston Krotec singled to lead off the game and eventually reached second base. With 2 outs, Logan Triscila hit a sharp single to left but the North Catholic left fielder was playing shallow and Triscila’s shot to the outfield reached the left fielder quickly and didn’t allow Krotec to score. A ball hit softer or to the left or right of the outfielder and Krotec would’ve scored. BUT….

2ND INNING: Collin Davis did a great job of hitting to lead off the inning. The freshman slapped an 0-2 curveball to right field. However, a couple of pitches later, Davis broke for second base against the left-hander and appeared to beat the throw to second base as the throw from the first baseman was high, but the umpire saw it differently. I didn’t agree with the call, but I wasn’t the umpire. Wouldn’t you know, the next hitter, Brody McCullough singled to center field. It didn’t end there in the second as the Vikings had runners as 1st and 2nd with 2 outs and Krotec laced a ball to center field, BUT, it was right at the center fielder. A foot to his left or right and that’s a sure double which would’ve scored 2 runs. BUT….

3RD INNING: Triscilla hit a deep double to center field with 2 outs but was stranded.

4TH INNING: With 2 outs, McCullough and Drew Donovan reached based. With runners and 1st and 2nd, the short stop was cheating towards second base in order to hold on McCullough. Next up, Krotec once again hit a hard ball up the middle and if the short stop wasn’t playing towards second and was in his normal spot on defense, that would’ve been a single. But instead, it went right to the short stop for the 3rd out.

5TH INNING: James Armstrong and Charlie Smetana started the inning by reaching base and Hopewell would eventually load the bases but couldn’t bring anyone in. During that inning, Jake Knobloch hit a line drive near the line in right and it went foul by a foot or so. The game remained scoreless.

6TH INNING: Hopewell eventually scored on a fielders choice by Armstrong and had a chance to score more but Armstrong and Smetana were stranded.

Krotec, Smetana, Triscila, Davis, McCullough and Donovan all had multiple at-bats that were very good.

FINAL SCORE: NORTH CATHOLIC 5 HOPEWELL 1

These two teams will play again tomorrow (weather permitting) as the scene shifts to North Catholic High School.

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Hopewell HS Baseball

Smetana and Krotec Lead Hopewell to Much Needed Win Over Ambridge

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

AMBRIDGE- To say that the Hopewell baseball team was in need of a victory would be a massive understatement.

Along those lines, calling today’s game a must win, would be pretty accurate. Reason being is that it would be difficult to imagine and paint a realistic scenario in which the Vikings could start the season 0-4 in the section and still qualify for the playoffs.

When any team is struggling, they look for their leaders to step up and deliver a performance that could lift the team and that’s exactly what Hopewell got today from juniors Charlie Smetana and Kingston Krotec.

Thanks to Krotec’s right arm and Smetana’s bat, Hopewell pulled out a 6-4 come from behind victory over Ambridge to keep their season alive.

Krotec gave head coach Morgan Singletary a much-needed quality start as he went 6 innings, allowing 3 runs (2 earned), walked only 1 and struck out 6. Smetana produced at the plate going 3-for-3, including a game-winning 2-run double in the 6th inning to give his team the lead.

Early in the game, Hopewell had the chance to take a commanding lead but didn’t and that had to be worrisome to the Vikings.

In the top of the 1st inning, Hopewell loaded the bases with 2 outs but stranded them all.

After Krotec had a clean first innings, Hopewell scored a run in the second inning but could’ve gotten more. Krotec drove in James Gill with an RBI single to give Hopewell a 1-0 lead. Once again, they loaded the bases with 2 outs but left them loaded for the second straight inning.

Krotec had a quick 1-2-3 second inning which ended with a strikeout. Hopewell led 1-0 after 2 innings.

In the bottom of the 3rd inning, Ambridge put a crooked number on the scoreboard as they scored 3 runs to take a 3-1 lead. A nice defensive play ended the inning as CF Ben McDonald threw a strike to Jake Knobloch at third base to gun down the Ambridge runner trying to stretch a double into a triple.

A big key was Krotec keeping the deficit at just 2 runs so that the offense had a catch to respond.

In the bottom of the 4th, Ambridge put 2 runners on, but the inning ended on a pop up to Collin Davis at second base.

Hopewell chipped away at Ambridge’s lead in the top of the 5th inning as Smetana led off with a line drive double to left field. Smetana advanced to 3rd base on a passed ball and would then score with 2 outs on another Ambridge passed ball. Hopewell now trailed 3-2.

Heading to the 6th inning trailing 3-2, Hopewell retook the lead with a big 3-run inning.

After 1 out, Drew Donovan reached on a walk. Next up, Davis also reached base on an Ambridge error, which allowed Donovan to get to third base. Krotec then stepped up with runners and 1st and 3rd and needing to put the ball in play to get home the tying run. Kingston did just that as he grounded out to third, which scored Donovan. Game tied at 3-3.

Up next, James Armstrong then drew a 4-pitch walk to bring up the red-hot Smetana, who roped a ball to center field, which brought in both Davis and Armstrong. Hopewell now led 5-3.

Despite having 84 pitches, Krotec remained in the game and did what his team needed by producing a quick inning, which ended with a strikeout. Krotec finished the game with 100 pitches, 68 of which were strikes.

Ben McDonald’s legs got Hopewell a much-needed insurance run in the Top of the 7th inning as he led off with a walk. McDonald then stole second base, advanced to 3rd on a sac bunt by Payton Korker and would score by stealing home. Hopewell now led 6-3.

Coach Singletary brought in McDonald to close the game, and he did just that.

After a leadoff walk, McDonald got a groundball out to Davis at second base, followed by a strikeout. Ambridge would score a run to make it 6-4 and then loaded the bases but the game ended on a line drive to Davis at second.

FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 6 AMBRIDGE 4

As a wise man says, “Winning Is Fun!”

Hopewell returns to action on Thursday as they play a non-section game against Avonworth. Their next section game is next Monday at home against North Catholic.

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