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Hopewell HS Baseball

Korker Pitches Masterpiece as Hopewell Closes Regular Season with 4-0 Shutout of West Allegheny

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 4 minutes read

Hopewell coach Morgan Singletary has a luxury that not many teams in the entire WPIAL have and that’s true  quality depth at starting pitching.

The reality is that most teams in the WPIAL have an ace and after maybe another pitcher that can provide quality innings from time to time.

This 2026 Hopewell team has a lot more than that as they have two aces in senior Kingston Krotec and Ben McDonald. Fortunately for Hopewell it doesn’t end there.

Senior right-hander Payton Korker is someone that without a doubt would be the at the very least, the No. 2 pitcher in nearly all rotations and possibly the ace.

Because of Krotec and McDonald, Korker is Hopewell’s #3 pitcher and it’s a role that he’s been exceptional at this season and that continued tonight.

Korker got the start tonight for Hopewell as they closed out the regular season with a non-section game against West Allegheny at Washington Wild Things Park.

In a game that he’ll remember forever, ‘PK’ completely shut down West Allegheny in a 4-0 victory.

Korker went 6.2 innings, allowing just 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walk and struck out 9 batters. In a classy move, Singletary brought in senior James Gill with 2 outs to close things out, which he did.

“Tonight’s game felt amazing,” Korker tells Vikings Sports Now. “It meant so much to me to pitch this game. It has become a Hopewell tradition to go to the Wild Things stadium for Senior Night. Last year, David Medich pitched and pitched very, very well, so I just wanted to do the same. I went into the game wanting to make my mark, and I did just that. That is definitely an all-time game for me and a game I will never forget.”

The win improved Hopewell’s overall record to 14-5, their most wins since winning 14 games in their WPIAL championship season of 2023.

The other impressive aspect to this win was that it was over a very solid 5A program in West Allegheny, that finished in second place in their section. This season, Hopewell has non-section wins over Avonworth, Montour, Shaler, Shenango and now West Allegheny That’s something the WPIAL Baseball playoff committee should keep in mind when seeding Hopewell tomorrow.

HOPEWELL/WEST ALLEGHENY GAME RECAP-
Bottom of 1st: Korker strikes out the side (2 swinging, 1 looking)

Hopewell senior pitcher Payton Korker

Bottom of 2nd: 1 on and 1 out, the inning ends on an unassisted double play to shortstop Drew Donovan.

Bottom of 3rd: Korker records two more strikeouts and an inning ending groundball to Donovan.

Top of 4th: Charlie Smetana leads off with a single to center field, one of two hits tonight for Smetana. Logan Triscila followed with a single to right field. Javion Lindsey (who pinch ran for Smetana) and Triscila moved up on a wild pitch and Lindsey would score on an RBI single by Gill. Triscila, who advanced to third base on Gill’s hit, would then score on another wild pitch. Hopewell led 2-0.

Bottom of 4th: Another 1-2-3 inning for Korker as out #1 came on a strike out, out #2 on a flyout to James Armstrong in left field and the inning ended on a groundout to Donovan at short. Hopewell up 2-0.

Top of 5th: Armstrong started things with a walk. Kingston Krotec came to the plate and hit a line drive to center field, which got past the center fielder and all the way to the wall. Krotec was able to motor all the way around the bases for an inside the park home run, Hopewell now led 4-0.

Bottom of 5th: A 1-2-3 fifth inning, courtesy a groundout to Donovan and two pop ups (Triscila and Colin Davis).

Bottom of 6th: Korker struck out the first two batters of the inning and after allowing a walk, PK ended the inning on a flyout to Krotec in right field.

Bottom of 7th: The first out in the last inning came on a groundout to Triscila at first base. After allowing a 1-out double, Korker struck out the next batter. HC Singletary came to the mound and brought in Gill and 4 pitches later, the game ended on a flyout to Ben McDonald in center field.

FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 4 WEST ALLEGHENY 0

“WINNING IS FUN”

Hopewell and the rest of the teams that qualified for the WPIAL playoffs will now wait until tomorrow afternoon to find out what seed that are and who they’ll face in the playoffs. The WPIAL is expected to release the playoff brackets tomorrow at 1 PM.

The top 3 seeds in 4A (teams that finished in first place) will receive 1st round byes. Taking in factors such as their overall record, quality of section and impressive non-section wins, Hopewell should be looking at either a #4 or #5 seed.

Regardless of what seed they’re given; Hopewell is entering the playoffs hot and Korker believes his team has a legitimate chance to bring the WPIAL championship back to Hopewell.

“Our team is feeling really confident right now,” said Korker. “Finishing 14-5 in the regular season shows how much hard work we have put in all season. Especially after going 5-14 last season. The mindset going into the playoffs is to stay focused and just play our game. We are taking it one game at a time, but the whole team has one goal in mind, a WPIAL championship.”

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Hopewell HS Baseball

Hopewell HS Baseball Wins 6th in a Row, 7-2 Win Over Shaler

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

Shaler Township- The Hopewell HS baseball stayed hot as they defeat Shaler, 7-2, giving the Vikings their 6th consecutive win.

The win improves Hopewell’s overall record to 7-3 and their third impressive non-section win of the season with the first two coming against Montour and Avonworth. Shaler, which is a 5A program, is the defending WPIAL champion and have won two of the last three 5A WPIAL Championships.

This may sound like a broken record but it’s true. The formula for victory was solid pitching and timely hitting. For the 8th time in 10 games this season, Hopewell pitchers held the opposition to 3 runs or less.

This afternoon, it was the combination of senior right-handers Kingston Krotec and Payton Korker.

Kingston pitched the first 4 innings, allowing 4 hits, 2 runs (1 earned run), 2 walks and 7 strikeouts. As he’s been all season, Korker was excellent as he went the final 3 innings, allowing just 2 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk and 1 strikeout.

The Hopewell lineup banged out 11 hits and were led by leadoff hitter James Armstrong, who went 4-for-5 with 2 runs and 1 RBI. Senior outfielder Ben McDonald went 2-for-3, including his second home run of the season. Collin Davis, James Gill, Logan Triscila, Kingston Krotec and Drew Donovan each picked up a hit apiece.

Tip of the cap to Donovan, who collected a career-high 4 RBI.

Hopewell jumped out to an early 4-1 lead after two innings and never looked back.

After a day off tomorrow, Hopewell will play another non-section game and will be challenged as they take on Shenango, who has a record of 9-1.

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Hopewell HS Baseball

Total Team Effort Leads Hopewell HS Baseball to 15-9 Win Over North Catholic

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

The Hopewell HS baseball team is a completely different team when they’re able to get consistent offense.

Over the last few years, pitching has been a consistent strength and a big reason for their 2 recent WPIAL championships.

Coming into this season, many felt that if the Vikings were able to generate runs, this could be a dangerous team.

This afternoon, Hopewell traveled to take on North Catholic in a 2-game series and after a slow start, the bats came a live banging out 17 hits and led this team to a 15-9 win. This is on the heels of a 11-1 win over Avonworth, which is the first time since 2022 that the Vikings have scored double-digit runs in consecutive victories.

The nice thing about today is the fact that there were so many players that contributed to the win.

*Sophomore center fielder James Armstrong, who went 6 for 6, 3 runs, 3 RBI and 3 stolen bases.

*DH James Gill had a career-high 3 hits, 2 doubles and 2 RBI.

*3B Jake Knobloch: 2 RBIs, 2 runs and 2 walks

*1B Logan Triscila went 2 for 4 (double)

*LF Kingston Krotec: 3 RBIs and 2 Runs.

*C Charlie Smetana: 2-5 with 2 runs, 1 RBI

*P Ben McDonald: 1-3, 2 runs, 1 walk and first HR of season.

*2B Collin Davis: 2 runs, 1 walk, 1 Hit

“I felt really good about my performance,” said Gill. “I was just focused on staying locked in and doing whatever i could to help the team. I means a lot more when it comes in a game where we needed it, and I’m glad I was able to contribute. At the end of the day, I just try and go out there and play my best every game to help us get where we want to be. ”

“I think I played pretty well,” said Armstrong. Not all my contact was great, but I was putting it in spots where the fielders couldn’t get it, so I’ll take it. The team winning made it feel 100 times better because I think my performance helped the team a lot.”

The other huge reason for the win was the performance of Payton Korker, who came on relief of starter Ben McDonald in the 1st inning.

Korker followed up his dominant performance against Avonworth but coming up clutch for his team. The senior right-hander pitched 6.1 innings, allowing just 3 hits, 2 earned runs, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts.

Korker entered the game with Hopewell trailing and knowing that he would have to go a long way and eat a lot of innings. PK did just that.

“I felt really good out there,” Korker tells VSN. “Even though it was cold, I tried not to let that affect my pitching. I went in there with the mindset to throw strikes. Both the fastball and curveball were working today. I felt like I was able to locate where I wanted it. The hand warmer in my pocket kind of helped that. Being able to pitch well when my team needed it the most meant a lot. Those are moments kids dream for where they’re called on to do a job, and they succeed, so I’m glad I was able to give our team the chance to win today.”

“I knew when I was called in, it was going to be a big responsibility, but I tried not to overthink it. I tried to stay calm and keep throwing strikes despite knowing this was going to be a pressure situation. North Catholic is a good hitting team, but I stayed calm and saw it more as an opportunity than anything.”

With the win, Hopewell improved their overall record to 4-3 and stayed tied for second place in the section with a record of 3-2. Hopewell will look to sweep this series tomorrow afternoon before taking on Hampton next week in an important 2-game set.

The season is now past the halfway point and if the Hopewell bats can stay hot, this team will have a real chance of returning to the WPIAL playoffs and doing so damage.

“Our bats have been a lot hotter lately,” said Armstrong. “I think it’s a testament to how much work people have been putting in during the off-season. I know how much work they’ve put in and we’re seeing the results on the field. Seeing all my teammates having success just pushes me to do my best.”

“I think we’re starting to find our rhythm offensively,” said Gill. “Guys are putting together better at-bats and gaining confidence. Our pitching has been solid pretty much every game, so if we keep putting it all together, we can definitely be a dangerous team and hopefully accomplish our goal of making a run and winning a championship.”

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Hopewell HS Baseball

Senior Payton Korker Pitches Hopewell Past Avonworth, 11-1

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 4 minutes read

Hopewell Township – As we’re likely to find out with the Pittsburgh Pirates this year, good pitching will allow you to stay in and win a lot of games.

A similar comparison is starting to develop with the 2026 Hopewell HS baseball team.

Head coach Morgan Singletary entered the season knowing he had two top-end starters in Ben McDonald and Kingston Krotec.

As the season is progressing, Singletary and other teams are finding out Hopewell has more than two elite starters.

Senior right-hander Payton Korker got the assignment this afternoon of taking on Avonworth, the #3 ranked team in Class 3A team in Pennsylvania.

Korker followed the lead of Krotec and McDonald and turned in an elite performance as Hopewell defeated Avonworth, 11-1 (6 innings).

Korker pitched a complete game, going 6 innings, allowing only 4 hits, 0 ER (1 run), 1 walk and 2 strikeouts.

“I felt great out there,” Korker tells Vikings Sports Now. “My arm feels the best it’s ever felt. I would rank this outing up there as one of my better outings, but I’m focused on building off this and getting better each time.”

“My plan today was going up there and doing what I always do; being competitive every pitch and letting my defense do their thing, and they did exactly that. I would like to shout out Drew Donovan, Collin Davis and Ben McDonald for some great plays today. Pitch wise for me, the fastball and curveball were working. There’s some pitches I wish I could’ve gotten back but other than that, everything was good.”

Korker did his job but so did the Hopewell batters, who collected 9 hits and worked 9 walks.

Leading the way offensively for Hopewell was senior catcher Charlie Smetana, who collected a season-high 3 hits and 1 RBI. Two of those hits were doubles, including one that came just short of his second HR of the season.

VIKINGS BOXSCORE:
*Senior first baseman Logan Triscila went 2-for-3, with 2 runs, 1 RBI and a walk. Triscila looked really comfortable at the plate this afternoon.

*Senior DH James Gills collected 3 RBI and reached base with a hit and a walk.

*Senior CF Ben McDonald reached base 3 times (walk and HBP twice) and scored 3 runs.

*Sophomore right fielder Jayvion Lindsey reached base 3 times (3 walks)

*Sophomore second baseman Collin Davis reached base 3 times (3 walks)

*Sophomore James Armstrong collected 2 hits, 1 run and 1 RBI.

* Senior shortstop Drew Donovan came through with an RBI single, but he was one of today’s stars because of his elite defense. Donovan made two top notch plays, including one that would make ESPN SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays of the day. An Avonworth hitter smacked a ball back up the middle and looked as though it would be going into CF, but Donovan glided to hit left to field the ball behind second and made a strong throw across his body to Triscila at 1st base.

HOPEWELL ENDED THE GAME WITH 8-RUN 6TH INNING:
*This game was still a ball game in the 6th inning as they went to the bottom of the inning with just a 3-1 lead. However, that’s when they put up an eight spot to end the game early (10-run lead after 6 innings).

-Lindsey led off with a walk
-With 1 out, Davis also walked
-Armstrong then laid down a perfect bunt single up the third base line, when the pitchers throw sailed over the first baseman’s head, it brought in Lindsey.
-Donovan stepped up and a struck a sharp RBI single to left field, scoring Davis. Hopewell led 5-1
-Smetana then took a 1-1 pitch and ripped it up the third base line for a double, bringing in Armstrong
-After McDonald was hit by a pitch, Triscila reached on an infield single, which scored Donvoan, Hopewell now led 7-1
-Gill kept the party going as he stroked a line drive single to center field which brought in Smetana and McDonald, Hopewell led 9-1
-Later in the inning, with runners and 2nd and 3rd with 1 out, a wild pitch brought in Triscila, Hopewell led 10-1
-Following a walk to Davis, Armstrong ended the game with a hard single to RF, scoring Gill.

FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 11 AVONWORTH 1

Hopewell improved their record to 3-3 and are starting to gain some momentum. Korker was happy with his performance and showing his team that they have 3 starting pitchers that can dominate games.

The Vikings return to action on Tuesday as they take on North Catholic in a big 2-game series.

“It really means a lot,” said Korker. “I just want to do my job and give our team a chance to win whenever I’m out there. We have tons of talent on the pitching staff. This week, Ben, Kingston, and myself pitched great games. I think of us like a 3-headed monster.”

“I feel like we’re gaining momentum and getting in a grove. Everyone is playing with more confidence and we’re just trying to keep that going. Everyone has the same goal of winning so Roll Vikes Baby!”

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Hopewell Colt League Baseball

Hopewell Colt Team Bombs South Side, 17-7

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

South Side- In their next to last game before the All-Star break, the Hopewell Colt Baseball team had the bats going as they defeated South Side 17-7 (6 innings).

The Vikings batters collected a season-high 16 hits, including 4 extra-base hits.

Owen Ackerman and Jake Knobloch led the way with 3 hits apiece, while 4 Hopewell players had 2 hits apiece- Jayvion Lindsey, Payton Korker, Parker Hoth and Cam Hoth.

Gunner Reese and Parker Hoth both had 3 RBIs, while Chris Shiel had 2 and Ackerman and Korker each had 1.

Hopewell plated 3 runs in the 1st inning and South Side answered with 4 in the bottom of the inning. But, Hopewell went on to score 10 runs in the next two innings to ice the game.

Scoring Summary-

*Top of 1st: With 2 on and 1 out, Parker Hoth drove in Knobloch and Korker with an RBI single. With the bases loaded and 2 outs, Reese drew a bases loaded walk to bring in P. Hoth.  Hopewell led 3-0.

*Top of 2nd: Lindsey and Knobloch singled to start the 2nd inning. Next up, Korker then hit a line drive double to left scoring Lindsey. After Knobloch scored on a wild pitch, Parker Hoth drove in Korker with an RBI single. Hopewell would go on to score two more runs, including a sacrifice fly to center by Ackerman. Hopewell led 8-4.

*Top of 3rd: Hopewell would score 5 more runs with the big hits being an RBI single to left by Ackerman and a 2-run 2B to left by Reese. Hopewell led 13-5.

*Top of 6th: After scoring 2 unearned runs in the 4th, the Vikings added their final 2 in the 6th inning. Knobloch and Korker were hit to start the inning, which was followed by a walk to Parker Hoth. With the bases loaded, Shiel grounded into a force out to score Knobloch. That was followed by a double to right field by Ackerman.

Final Score: Hopewell 17 South Side 7

Next up for Hopewell is a matchup on Tuesday at home against undefeated Weirton (8-0).

 

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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

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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