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Hopewell Youth Baseball

Hopewell Youth Baseball

Team Effort Lifts Hopewell 11-Year Olds Over EC and into Championship Game!

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

Thanks to a total team effort, the Hopewell 11-Year-Old All-Star team is headed to the championship game in the 2025 Hopewell All-Star Tournament.

The Hopewell lineup collected 16 hits, 7 players had multiple hits, 7 players scored runs and 6 players drove in runs.

The top 7 batters in Hopewell’s lineup (Declan Lavia, Zac Seech, Gannon McNally, Reagan Haring, Connor Eiler, Owen McGovern and Michael Ambrose) went a combined 14 for 21, 8 runs and 10 RBIs.

A big congrats to Eiler who blasted a 2-run HR in the 4th inning. Way to go Connor!

It’s hard to win without good pitching and Hopewell received that from the trio of Seech, Eiler and Lavia.

Hopewell will be taking on Beaver in the championship game.

 

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Hopewell Youth Baseball

Hopewell Continues to Bomb HRs in 16-6 Win Over Bauerstown

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

The Hopewell 12-Year-Old All-Stars are finishing their final tournament in youth baseball bringing the big bats.

A day after Austin Gallagher and Elliott Mancos homered against the Mon River Mudcats, the Vikings hit three more homeruns this morning.

In the start of hopefully a long day for Hopewell, Gallagher, Kruz Krotec and Rhett Rankin launched homeruns in their 16-6 win over Bauerstown. The bomb from Krotec was a Grand Slam!

With the win, Hopewell advances to the semifinals in the Shaler Tournament.

For the game, Hopewell batters collected 16 hits, including 3 each from Krotec, Gallagher and Wade Enders. RBI getters for the Vikings were Krotec with 6, Rankin with 3, Gallagher with 2 and 1 each from Wes Gigliotti, Enders, Henry Dunn, and Eli Seech.

SCORING SUMMARY:
Bottom of 2nd– Bauerstown took a 1-0 lead but Hopewell countered with two of their own to take the lead. Gallagher led off the inning and on the first pitch he saw, Austin cranked a homerun to right field, the game was tied at 1.

Hopewell’s Austin Gallagher

With 1 out, Colby Cunningham singled to left and went on to steal second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and then stole home. Hopewell led 2-1.

Bottom of 3rd– Bauerstown tied the game at 2 in the top of the inning but once again, Hopewell had a response. Gigliotti drew a 1-out walk and quickly stole second base. Then with 2 outs, Enders singled to left field and drove in Gigliotti, Hopewell led 3-2. Next up, Dunn drew a walk, which advanced Enders to second. Gallagher then continued with his hot bat by singling to right field to bring in Enders, Hopewell led 4-2. Rankin stepped to the plate with 2 on and the ‘Rhett Bomb’ hit a bomb to straight away center field to bring in Dunn and Gallagher, Hopewell now led 7-2.

Top of 4th– Bauerstown is a good team and weren’t going to quit. In the 4th they got themselves right back in the game. Brandon Cecchini entered the game with the score now 7-4 and with runners at 2nd and 3rd with 0 out. Brandon did a terrific job by getting three groundball outs to Enders at third base. Bauerstown did score two more runs to make it 7-6 but Hopewell still had the lead.

Bottom of 4th– The Hopewell offense continued to produce and quickly regained a comfortable lead. With 1 out, Cecchini, Seech and Gigliotti drew walks. Then with the bases loaded, Krotec drove a 0-1 pitch to deep left field for a grand slam. Hopewell now led 11-6.

Hopewell’s Kruz Krotec

Top of 5th– HC Dave Gigliotti then brought Krotec in to try and main the lead and Kruz did the job. The inning started with two strikeouts from Krotec, followed by a ground ball out to Elliott Mancos at second base.

Bottom of 5th– Hopewell went to the bottom of the 5th needing 5 runs to end the game (10 run rule) and that’s exactly what they did. With 1 out, Cunningham drew a walk, followed by a single to right by Mancos. Then with 2 outs, Seech stepped up and hit an RBI single to center, driving in Mancos. Hopewell led 12-6. The top of the order stepped to the plate and ended the game. Gigliotti started things with an RBI single to drive in Cecchini. Next up, Krotec continued his monster game with a 2-run single to bring home Seech and Gigliotti. The game then ended as Dunn stroked a single to right, scoring Krotec.

FINAL SCORE- HOPEWELL 16 BAUERSTOWN 6

Good luck in the semifinals Hopewell!

 

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Hopewell Youth Baseball

Mancos and Gallagher Belt HR’s to Lead Hopewell 12-Year-Old All-Stars

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

SHALER TOWNSHIP– In the last tournament of their Hopewell Youth Baseball careers, two members of the 12-Year-Old All-Star team had moments that they won’t forget.

Elliott Mancos and Austin Gallagher belted homeruns, their first as Hopewell All-Star players, as the Vikings defeated the Mon River Mudcats, 11-1 in 4 innings.

Gallagher paced Hopewell’s lineup going 2-for-2 with 2 runs and 4 RBIs. Mancos went 1-for-2 with 3 RBIs, Wade Enders went 2-for-2 with 2 RBIs and Kruz Krotec was 1-for-2 with 1 RBI and 3 runs scored.

The Hopewell coaching staff only needed to use their pitchers for 4 innings as Krotec and Enders each went 2 innings. Krotec started and allowed 1 hit, 1 run, while striking out 5 batters. Enders finished things up allowing 1 hit and striking out 4 batters.

SCORING SUMMARY-
Top of 1st: Wes Gigliotti led off the game with a walk and went on to steal 2nd and 3rd base. Gigs then scored as Krotec reached base on a Mon River error. Krotec stole second bae and then scored on an RBI single by Enders, Hopewell led 2-0.

Top of 2nd: Mon River scored a run in the bottom of the 1st but Hopewell quickly added to their lead. Gallagher led off the 2nd with a single to center field, which was followed by a walk to Colby Cunningham. Mon River made a pitching change but Mancos gave him a rude introduction. On a 1-2 pitch, Mancos cranked a ball to deep RF for a 3-run HR, Hopewell led 5-1.

Top of 3rd: Krotec led off the inning with a walk and immediately stole 2nd. For the game, Hopewell players stole 12 bases. Next up, Enders hit a sharp ground ball to left field, which brought in Krotec, Hopewell 6-1.

Hopewell wasn’t done. Henry Dunn then reached on an infield single, which was followed by a walk to Rhett Rankin. Mon River made a pitching change and ironically, the same thing happened with the next batter as it did the first time with Mancos. Gallagher stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and on a 1-0 pitch, Gallagher took the ball the other way and planted it over the right field fence for a GRAND SLAM!!  Hopewell 10-1.

Bottom of 3rd: Enders took over for Krotec in the 3rd inning and went on to strike out the side.

Bottom of 4th: Leading 11-1, Enders stayed on for the 4th and finished things up for Hopewell. The first out came on a fly ball to Cunningham in center. Enders then struck out the next batter on 4 pitches. Then after two runners reached, Enders then ended the game by getting a ground ball to Mancos at second.

FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 11 MON RIVER MUDCATS 1

Hopewell will start bracket play tomorrow with a record of 1-1 and they’ll open up play with a 10 AM matchup against Bauerstown.

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Hopewell Youth Baseball

Lavia Leads Hopewell 11-Year-Old All Stars to Dominating Win over Blackhawk

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP- The Hopewell 11-Year-Old All-Star team started their final baseball tournament of the summer as they get to finish things out at the Kane Road Complex by hosting the Hopewell All-Star Tournament.

The Vikings opened up play this morning and got off to a great start by overwhelming Blackhawk, 17-3 in just 4 innings.

When you score 17 runs in a game, obviously a lot of players contribute, but Declan Lavia stood out in this game as he batted leadoff and went 3-for-3, 3 runs, 1 walk and 5 RBIs. Nice game Dec!!

Other top performers this morning were CF Michael Ambrose, who went 3-for-3 with an RBI. Zac Seech continued her outstanding hitting this summer by collecting 2 hits and 3 RBIs, while Gannon McNally went 2-for-2 with 3 RBI and 1 walk. Gannon also started the game for Hopewell on pitched 2 innings, allowing just 1 hit and 1 run. Also, wanted to mention Jaxson Heppner who picked up 3 RBIs.

This game was tied at 1 after the first inning but then Hopewell exploded for 16 runs over the next 3 innings.

SCORING RECAP:
Top of 2nd: Ambrose led off the inning with a line drive single to right, which was followed by a walk to Leo Yannessa. After those two players advanced on a stolen base, they both scored on a 2-run RBI single by Heppner, Hopewell led 3-1. After Hunter Prenatt was hit by a pitch and stole second, Lavia drove him in with an RBI single, Hopewell led 4-1.

Top of 3rd: After both Connor Eiler and Owen McGovern reached base to start the inning, Ambrose came through with an RBI single to plate Eiler, Hopewell led 5-1. With the bases loaded, Bryce Croner drew a walk to bring in McGovern, Hopewell led 6-1.

The Vikings then came through with clutch 2-out hitting to put the game out of reach. First it was Lavia with an RBI single to score Ambrose. Next up, Seech with a 2-run single to score Yannessa and Croner. Finally, McNally stepped to the plate and put a ball down in left field to score both Lavia and Seech, Hopewell led 11-1.

Top of 4th: Hopewell wasn’t done hitting for the game as they added 6 more runs in the 4th inning. Heppner brought in the first run with a bases loaded walk. Then with 2 outs and the bases loaded, Lavia came through again, this time with a bases clearing double to right field, scoring Ambrose, Yannessa and Heppner, Hopewell led 15-2. Lavia then scored on a line drive double by Seech. The final run of the game then scored as McNally drove in Seech with a single to center field, Hopewell led 17-2.

Bottom of 4th: Reagan Haring pitched the 4th inning and did the job. First out came on a strikeout, followed by a groundout to McGovern at 3rd base. The final out of the game came as Hunter Prenatt threw out a runner trying to advance to second base.

FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 17 BLACKHAWK 3

Next up: Hopewell would have another game this afternoon against Beaver.

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Hopewell Youth Baseball

Tremendous Run by the Hopewell 8-Year-Old All-Stars Comes up Just Short

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

The Hopewell 8-Year-Old All-Star team almost did it but ultimately came up just short.

Regardless of the final outcome, it was a tremendous day of baseball for the players on the team.

In order to win the Ambridge All-Star Tournament, the Vikings would need to win 3 games on Sunday.

They started the day by defeating Moon 14-11, a team they lost to 13-4 on Saturday, Next up, the Vikings soundly defeated North Fayette 15-7. Then onto the championship game where they took on a very talented Ambridge team, that’s done plenty of winning over the last couple of seasons.

These two teams matched up last weekend in the Hopewell All-Star Tournament and the Bridgers got the best of them by the score of 15-5. Yesterday, Ambridge came out on top again, but it was much closer as Hopewell showed grit and plenty of improvement, ultimately losing by the score of 12-10.

Earlier on Sunday, Vikings Sports Now reported on the win over Moon. In case you missed it, here’s the recap.

Huge BounceBack Win for Hopewell 8-Year-Old All-Stars in Bracket Play

Highlights of Win over North Fayette:
This was the ultimate team win as the Vikings stockpiled an amazing 30 hits in this game. Consider this, seven players in the Hopewell lineup had 3 hits apiece, while one had 4! That’s production.

Hudson Lavia led the way with 4 hits, while Grayden McNally, Declan Rinaldi, Coleson Orie, Brody Tournay, August Arostegui, Mason Thumm and Cam Winiarski all collected 3 hits apiece. Trent Michael and Harper Lavia both had 2 hits apiece. Thumm picked up two doubles, while McNally had one.

In terms of RBI getters, Thumm led Hopewell with 4, while Rinaldi, Orie and Tournay each picked up 2 and McNally, Arostegui, Hudson Lavia, Winiarski and Obie DeCanio each had 1.

This was a relatively close game until the 4th inning and that’s when Hopewell’s bats exploded for 5 runs and they took a 12-3 lead.

FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 15 NORTH FAYETTE 7

Highlights of Championship Game vs. Ambridge:
To beat this Ambridge team, Hopewell was going to need to play a near perfect game and make plays on defense to limit big innings for the Bridgers offense.

While 30 hits like last game was too much to ask for 8-year-olds, Hopewell would need to be able to pound out hits.

Hopewell did the second thing as they out-hit Ambridge, 23-21. In terms of limit the big innings, they nearly did that, but Ambridge scored 6 runs in the 1st inning which was too much for Hopewell to overcome.

This was a tremendous championship game and Hopewell showed plenty of character by continuing to respond to the punches they were receiving from Ambridge.

After the Bridgers scored 6 runs in the bottom of the 1st, Hopewell responded with 4 runs of their own in the top of the second. Then after holding the Bridgers scoreless in the bottom of the 3rd, Hopewell tied the game at 9 as they put up 4 runs in the top of the 4th inning.

Ambridge then scored 1 in the bottom of the 4th and 2 in the bottom of the 5th to take a 3-run lead. Hopewell attempted to tie things up in the final inning and did score a run and had the tying runner at the plate but came up short.

Going inside the Hopewell box score- Orie, Harper Lavia and Tournay paced the team with 3 hits apiece. McNally, DeCanio, Thumm, Hudson Lavia, Trent Michael and Olton Eiler each picked up 2 hits apiece.

McNally drove in 3 runs for the Vikings, while Hudson Lavia picked up 2 and Michael, Tournay, Orie and Rinaldi all had one in the game.

Five Hopewell players had extra base hits as Michael clubbed a triple, while Tournay, Orie, Hudson Lavia and Winiarski each had a double.

FINAL SCORE: AMBRIDGE 12 HOPEWELL 10

This was the final All-Star Tournament this summer for this 8-year-old team as they finished with a winning record. Great job and progression with this group and the future certainly is bright.

2025 Hopewell 8-Year-Old All-Star Team

 

A shoutout to the coaches for the time and work they put in with this group- Ryan Rinaldi, Tyler Tournay, Jon Lavia and DJ Thumm.

 

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Hopewell Youth Baseball

‘So Close’, Hopewell 9-Year-Old All-Stars Lose in Championship Game

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

For the first time this All-Star season, the Hopewell 9-Year-Old All-Stars reached the championship game but unfortunately they came up just short.

The Vikings started the day by beating Seneca Valley in the semifinals before losing to Blackhawk in the finals.

Hopewell vs. Seneca Valley Recap:

*Top 2nd- The game was tied at 1 going to the top of the second. Jordan Peck was on the mound and had an easy time of things. Peck got the first two outs via ground balls and the final out with a strikeout.

*Bottom 2nd- Hopewell then broke things open in the second. With 1 out, Quinn Zappa reached on an infield single which was followed by a single by Deacon Ankrom. DJ Towler then stepped to the plate and after fouling the first pitch off, Towler hammered a ball over the center field fence for a 3-run HR. Hopewell led 4-1.

Hopewell wasn’t done. Tristyn Trkulja drew a walk and immediately scored as Michael Kurta ripped a triple to left field. Hopewell then scored 2 more runs as Viking batters drew four straight walks, the final two by Jonah Honess and Aaron Ackerman. Hopewell led 7-1.

Top 3rd- The rest of the game was all about Hopewell’s pitching. Ackerman took over in the 3rd and recorded two of the three outs via strikeout.

Top 5th- Brody Benson took over in the 5th and had no problems. Out No. 1 came on a comebacker to the mound that Benson fielded. After giving up a walk, Brody struck out the next batter and got the final out on a fly out to Trkulja in center.

Top 6th- Benson started the inning with recording a strikeout. Honess then replaced him on the mound and got the final two outs of the game on a fielders choice and a strikeout.

Final: Hopewell 7 Seneca Valley 1 

 

Hopewell vs. Blackhawk Championship Game: 

This was a tight game through 4 innings as Hopewell held a 3-2 lead. In the top of the 5th, Blackhawk pulled away by scoring 6 runs and Hopewell couldn’t recover.

The two bats in Hopewell’s lineup were Honess with 3 RBI and Peck with 2 hits.

Trailing 8-4 in the last inning, Hopewell tried to make a comeback.

Peck led off the inning with an infield single to third, which was followed by a single by Benson. With runners at 1st and 3rd, Honess then reached on an error which brought in Peck and Benson.  Hopewell now trailed 8-5.

However, Blackhawk recorded the next 3 Hopewell batters on fielder choices and that was the game.

Final: Blackhawk 8 Hopewell 5

 

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Hopewell Youth Baseball

11-Year-Old All-Stars Fall Late to Ellwood City

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

A week after suffering a tough loss against Moon in the Central Valley Tournament, the Hopewell 11-Year-Old All-Star team suffered another frustrating loss this afternoon in the Ambridge Tournament.

The Vikings battled Ellwood City for 6 innings but came up short in the final frame and lost, 12-10.

This group of talented kids is so close and will eventually get over the hump. This game went back and forth the entire way as they were two evenly matched teams.

Hopewell led 3-1 after one, the game was tied at 5 after two, Ellwood led 8-7 after four and Hopewell tied things up at 8 after five.

RBI getters for Hopewell were Jaxson Heppner, Reagan Harring, Gannon McNally, Zac Seech and Declan Lavia.

Hopewell totaled 8 hits today and were paced by Harring with 2.

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Hopewell Youth Baseball

Huge BounceBack Win for Hopewell 8-Year-Old All-Stars in Bracket Play

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

ECONOMY– The Hopewell 8-Year-Old All-Star team entered bracket play in the Ambridge All-Star Tournament with a record of 1-1.

Their first opponent this morning in the quarterfinals was a rematch against Moon. On paper, this looked like a tough matchup for Hopewell considering Moon defeated them yesterday, 13-4.

But as the saying goes, ‘That’s why they play the game on the field and not on paper”.

Led by tremendous hitting from everyone in the lineup, Hopewell banged out collected 22 hits and defeated Moon this morning, 14-11.

Moon was leading 7-6 going to the 4th inning and that’s when the game changed as Hopewell put up 6 runs in the top of the 4th inning to take control of the game.

Congratulations to Brody Tournay, who clubbed a deep home run to centerfield in the 5th inning for the Vikings. This was Tournay’s 6th home run this All-Star season for Hopewell. I saw Brody play every game last season and you saw the raw power that he possessed. A year later and after plenty of work in the off-season, Brody has put everything together and is a name to watch for the future.

INSIDE HOPEWELL’S BOX SCORE:
*Grayden McNally, Declan Rinaldi and Cam Winiarski led the way with 3 hits apiece. Winiarski continues to swing the bat well as yesterday, he hit his first home run. Five Hopewell players had 2 hits apiece this morning- Harper Lavia, Colton Eiler, Obie DeCanio, August Arostegui and Tournay.

*The RBI getters against Moon were- Tournay with 4, McNally with 2, Eiler with 2 and Rinaldi, Orie, Arostegui, DeCanio, Harper Lavia and Winiarski each with 1.

McNally did a tremendous job from the leadoff spot going 3 for 3, with 3 runs scored and 2 RBIs. Grayden is another player I’m very familiar with and the best way to describe him is a ‘Gamer”.  Very fundamentally sound, hits to the gaps and most importantly, a complete team player.

The Hopewell 8-year-old team advances to the semifinals where they’ll take on North Fayette at 12:30 PM.

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Hopewell Youth Baseball

Cam Winiarski’s 1st Career HR Highlights 8-Year Old All-Stars Big Win Over South Fayette

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

AMBRIDGE– What a day for the three Hopewell All-Star teams what were participating in the Ambridge All-Star Tournament.

Not only were they undefeated but five different Hopewell batters hit over the fence homeruns, the youngest of which being 8-year-old Cam Winiarski.

This was Cam’s first over the fence homerun and the best part was that it was part of a 19-9 win over South Fayette.

By the way, the other Hopewell home run hitters on Saturday were Kruz Krotec (2 HR’s), Rhett Rankin, Henry Dunn and Owen McGovern.

Winiarski wasn’t the only player on his team hitting as the Hopewell 8-year-old team collected 25 hits in their lopsided victory. The impressive part was that Hopewell combined for 11 extra-base hits. Hopewell banged out 10 doubles- Brody Tournay (2), Mason Thumm (2), August Arostegi, Coleson Orie, Colton Eiler, Declan Rinaldi, Hudson Lavia and Trent Michael.

The 19 RBIs were collected by Winiarski’s 5, Arostegi, Tournay and Obie DeCanio each with 3, Orie and Eiler with 2 and 1 by Rinaldi.

South Fayette scored five runs in the top of the 1st but Hopewell went on to score 6 runs in 3 of the next 4 innings.

This 8-year-old team will enter bracket play tomorrow with a matchup against Moon at 9:30 AM.

Good luck Vikings!

 

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Hopewell Youth Baseball

McGovern’s Two HR’s Power Hopewell 11-Year-Old All-Stars to Win

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

AMBRIDGE– After opening up play in the Ambridge All-Star Tournament with a 7-7 tie against Beaver, the Hopewell Vikings were back on the field this afternoon taking on Ellwood City.

This was a close game until the top of the 5th inning which was when the Vikings plated 7 runs enroute to a 14-7 victory.

The headline of today’s victory was the power display put on by Hopewell’s Owen McGovern. The Vikings 3rd baseman achieved a big moment in his young baseball career as he hit his first two career homeruns. Way to go Owen!!

The first one came in the top of the 2nd inning with the second one coming in the 5th inning.

“My first one, I knew it was going out, but that second one, I was shocked,” McGovern told Vikings Sports Now. “It just shows that you can do anything when you put your mind to it!”

HOPEWELL VS. ELLWOOD CITY RECAP:
Top of 2nd: Reagan Haring led off the inning and would score on an RBI double to center field by Connor Eiler. The next batter up, Gannon McNally followed that up with an RBI double of his own to score Eiler and Hopewell led 2-0.

That’s when McGovern stepped to the plate and after fouling off the first pitch, Owen pounded a ball to center field and after it easily cleared the fence, Hopewell led 4-0.

Bottom of 2nd: After getting that sort of run support, Zac Seech made quick work of Ellwood City in the second as he struck out the side. Seech finished the game with 6 strikeouts in 3 innings.

Top of 3rd: With 1 out, Seech singled to left and after stealing 2nd and 3rd base, Zac scored on an RBI single by Haring. Hopewell led 6-0.

Top of 4th: Ellwood City scored 4 runs in the bottom of the 3rd but the Vikings were able to get one back in the 4th. Leo Yannessa hit a fly ball double to left field and after a single by Bryce Croner, Yannessa scored as a stole home. Hopewell led 7-4.

Bottom 4th: Declan Lavia was on the mound and got the first out as he fielded a comebacker to mound. Out No. 2 came via a groundout to Seech at shortstop and the inning ended as Lavia recorded a strikeout.

Top 5th: Hopewell then iced the game with a seven run 5th inning. With 1 out, Hunter Prenatt was hit by a pitch, which was followed by a walk to Michael Ambrose. With 2 on, Lavia singled to bring in Prenatt. Hopewell led 8-4.

Ambrose and Lavia would both score on separate wild pitches, which brought about a pitching change. Seech then doubled followed by a walk to Haring. After a double steal, Seech would also score on a wild pitch. With a runner at third and 1 out, McNally grounded out to shortstop, which brought in another run.

The final out came as McGovern finished the scoring with his second home run of the day.

FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 14 ELLWOOD CITY 7

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