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Hopewell Junior High Baseball

Big Inning, Solid Pitching Leads Hopewell Junior High to Win Over Central Valley

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

Prior to the season, Hopewell Junior High baseball coach BJ Rankin told Vikings Sports Now that he felt as though the strength of his team and he’s been 100% correct.

This afternoon, Hopewell traveled to take on Central Valley and the duo of Ryder Kostrick and Liam Rankin led the Vikings to a 6-2 win.

The victory was Hopewell’s 3rd of the season, which is impressive considering this team was winless last season.

Hopewell’s offensive wasn’t overwhelming and did all their damage in the 1st inning, which was all they needed.

Hopewell’s Kruz Krotec

Hopewell Six-Run First Inning:
*Vin Smetana led off the game with a hard single to right field and after reaching second base, would score on an error on a ball hit by Kruz Krotec. Hopewell loaded the bases following a single to left field by Tyler Hoffman (2 hits in the game for Hoffman) and Nico Yannessa was hit by a pitch. With the bases loaded and 1 out, Connor Reed came through with an RBI single that brought in Krotec, Hopewell led 2-0.

Later in the inning, Hoffman would score on a passed ball and then Liam Rankin singled to center, bringing in Yanessa and Reed.

Hopewell’s Defense:
*After getting staked to a 6-0 lead, Kostrick and his teammates played a flawless game in the field.

1st Inning:
*Central Valley loaded the bases with 0 outs, but Hopewell was able to limit the damage, which turned out to be the turning point of the game.

-The first out came when Channing Yesionek fielded a ground ball at third and threw home to get the runner for a force out.
-After CV scored a run on a bases loaded walk, Hopewell got out #2 on a popup to catcher Tyler Hoffman.
-CV added a second run on a passed ball but Kostrick ended the inning with a strikeout. Hopewell led 6-2 after the first inning.

2nd Inning:
*Easy second inning as Kostrick recorded a strikeout, a groundball out to Yesionek at third base and then a fly ball out to Rhett Rankin in right field.

3rd Inning:
*Another stressless inning for Kostrick as the first out came on a fly ball to Brandon Cecchini in right, followed by two strikeouts.

4th Inning:
*Liam Rankin took the mound to start the 4th inning, and he was lights out striking out the side.

5th Inning:
*In the final inning, Rankin started things off with another strikeout but then got into a jam as he loaded the bases. Rankin then found a way to get out of things as he recoorded his 5th strikeout of the game and the game ended on a pop up to Reed at first base.

FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 6 CENTRAL VALLEY 2

Winning is Fun!!

Pitching Line:
Kostrick: 3 Innings, 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 4 Walks and 4 Strikeouts.   (77 pitches, 38 Strikes)
Rankin: 2 Innings, 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 Walks and 5 Strikeouts.     (40 pitches, 22 Strikes)

Next up for Hopewell is a game on Friday against Ambridge.

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Hopewell Junior High Baseball

Hopewell JH Baseball Loses to West Allegheny in Extra Innings

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

Hopewell Township – With the Hopewell varsity baseball team playing on the road, the junior high program had an opportunity to play on the field at Hopewell High School.

This was an exciting moment for them and a preview for some of the 8th graders that might make the varsity roster next season.

Those in attendance were treated to a well played, exciting game that Hopewell lost to West Allegheny, 4-3, in extra innings (9 innings).

A tremendous performance today from Hopewell starter Liam Rankin, who pitched 5 innings, allowing only 4 hits, 2 earned runs, 3 walks and 8 strikeouts.

This was Rankin’s first start of the season and the right-handed did a tremendous job getting ahead of counts with his fastball and effectively used his off-speed stuff, particularly, his curveball for strikeouts.

Ryder Kostrick relieved Rankin and was also effective, pitching 4 innings, giving up 3 hits, 2 earned runs and striking out 5 batters.

At the plate, Hopewell batters collected 9 hits but could’ve been more if not for excellent defense by West Allegheny.

A number of Hopewell hitters including Vin Smetana, Connor Reed, Kostrick and Nico Yannessa, smoked balls only to have West Allegheny defenders make the plays. Credit West A.

Vikings Sports Now was at the game and was impressed by 7th grader Kruz Krotec who had a really solid game, collecting 3 hits and making a number of defensive plays in the field. Smetana also looked really locked in at the plate, collecting 2 hits and could’ve been more.

In the field, Kostrick and Yannessa made two nice running catches in the outfield.

Hopewell trailed by a run entering the 7th inning and with 2 outs, Kostrick came through with a clutch 2-out single to drive in Austin Gallagher to tie the game and send it into extra innings.

Hopewell will have a day off before a scheduled home game on Friday against Montour.

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Hopewell Junior High Baseball

Ryder Kostrick Tosses No-Hitter, Smetana HR Leads Hopewell Junior High Over Beaver, 5-0

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

BEAVER– Ryder Kostrick is one of the most talented young athletes in the Hopewell School District.

Along with being an outstanding basketball and cross-country runner, Kostrick excels on the baseball field as well.

This afternoon, the 8th grader got the start for the Hopewell Junior High baseball team and pitched a no-hitter leading the Vikings over Beaver, 5-0. Keep in mind, Kostrick did this against a team that had 9th graders on it.

Big-time performance by Kostrick as he went 5 innings, allowing 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks and striking out 7 batters. This game was only 5 innings because it was the first game of a double-header between the two teams.

Hopewell pitcher Ryder Kostrick

This game got off to quite the start as Hopewell leadoff hitter Vin Smetana swung at the first pitch and hit a HR to right field. Nice job Vin!!

“I was watching the pitcher warm-up, and I saw him throwing high in the zone, so I went to the plate thinking he was going to throw me a high fastball,” Smetana told Vikings Sports Now. “He did and I’m happy I could help my team by putting a good swing on it. Ryder was great on the mound tonight. Great team win.”

That run was all Kostrick needed as he cruised through the Beaver lineup.

In the bottom of the first, Kostrick set down Beaver 1-2-3 with a strikeout, pop up and ground out to Smetana at shortstop.

In the bottom of the second, another 1-2-3 frame with a strikeout, a groundout and a pop up to Smetana.

In the bottom of the third, Kostrick struck out two batters along with getting a ground ball to Wade Enders at third base.

Hopewell was able to add on in the top of the fourth. Kostrick led off with a single and after advancing to third with a stolen base, he scored on a sacrifice fly by Nico Yannessa, Hopewell led 2-0.

Hopewell added 3 more runs in the frame, courtesy of a couple Beaver errors along with an RBI single by 7th grader Kruz Krotec, which scored Liam Rankin, Hopewell led 5-0.

In the bottom of the fourth, Kostrick struck out the first two batters and closed things down by getting a groundball to Smetana at shortstop.

Ryder needed 3 outs in the 5th to pick up the no-hitter and a Hopewell win and he did exactly that!

“It feels really good to pitch the complete game no-hitter,” Kostrick told VSN. “But it wasn’t just me that made the no-hitter happen as everyone contributed and I got great defense behind me. Offensively, our team did good scoring 5 runs. I could’ve done better at the plate but overall, I’m very happy with what I did on the mound today.”

“Going into the game, I was a little bit nervous but as the game went on, my confidence just boosted through the roof and that’s a big reason for my performance. The confidence my teammates had in me also definitely helped me, especially when I was down 3-0 in the count a couple of times. I could hear them rooting for me and I was able to come back and record the outs. I set a couple goals for myself this season but throwing a no-hitter wasn’t one of them but I’m extremely happy that my teammates and I made it happen.”

FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 5 BEAVER 0

Congrats to this Hopewell (Blue team) Junior High team as they’re now 2-0. Both of their wins have been shutouts.

Hopewell returns to action this Saturday when they travel to Blackhawk.

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Hopewell Junior High Baseball

Hopewell JH Baseball Opens with Dramatic 1-0 Win Over Central Valley

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

CENTER TOWNSHIP– Prior to the season, VSN spoke with Hopewell JH Baseball Coach B.J. Rankin who told us that he felt the strength of his team this season is the depth of quality pitchers.

At least for one game, Rankin was spot on as the Hopewell Junior High Baseball team opened the season this afternoon with a dramatic 1-0 win over Central Valley.

The pitching on both teams was tremendous but the key to the game was Hopewell’s defense along with the 1-run they scored in the 2nd inning.

Hopewell’s Vin Smetana

This game was only 5 innings because the two teams will be playing a double-header today. The first game was Hopewell’s Blue team, which is made up of mostly 8th graders. The second game will be with their Gold team, which consists of mostly 7th graders.

Because it was the first game of the season and because they have a game on Saturday, Rankin kept his pitchers on a pitch count and ended up using 4 pitchers (Ty Hoffman, Ryder Kostrick, Channing Yesionek and Liam Rankin).

Hopewell’s Ty Hoffman

Hopewell’s Tyler Hoffman

Hoffman got the start and was outstanding as he went 2 innings, allowing 0 hits, 2 walks and struck out 4 batters. Kostrick pitched a scoreless 3rd inning, allowing 1 hit and struck out one. Yesionek pitched the 4th inning, allowing 1 hit and struck out 2 batters. Rankin closed the game and recorded 1 strikeout.

HOPEWELL/CENTRAL VALLEY GAME RECAP:

Top of 1st: Hoffman struck out the first two batters of the game and caught a pop up back to the mound to record a quick 1-2-3 inning.

Top of 2nd: The leadoff hitter for CV reached via a walk to open the second but Hoffman stayed strong on induced a pop to 1st baseman Will Enders and then struck out the next two batters.

Bottom of 2nd: Hoffman got things going for Hopewell in the second as he hit a line drive double to right field. Yesionek then drew a walk and Hoffman eventually scored on a ground ball to short by Rankin. That was important because it was the only run of the game. Hopewell led 1-0.

Top of 3rd: Kostrick had no problems in the 3rd as he started the inning off with a strikeout and then recorded the next two outs on grounders to 2nd baseman Mason Santamaria.

Top of 4th: Rarely do you see two outs at the plate in a junior high game, but it happened today by Hopewell. A huge play, CV had a runner at 1st with 2 outs when the batter hit a deep fly ball to left field. The runner at first attempted to score but Hopewell executed a perfect relay play at the plate as Nico Yannessa made a strong throw to SS Vin Smetana who then fired a strike to catcher Will Enders, who put the tag on the runner. Big-time play!!

Top of 5th: That play was nice, but the next one was even better because it worked and ended the game. The leadoff hitter walked to open the last inning. After a fly ball to RF Brandon Cecchini and a strikeout, CV had a runner at 2nd with 2 outs. The next batter singled to left and Yannessa came up throwing and made a perfect throw to the plate as Hoffman caught the ball and put on the tag.

Game Over, Hopewell wins 1-0.

Great start to the season Vikings!! Next up is a game on Saturday afternoon against Ambridge.

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Hopewell Pony League Baseball

Hopewell Rolls in Playoff Opener Behind Vukovcan’s 16 K’s and Red-Hot Bats

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 1 minutes read

The 2025 376 Western PA Pony League playoffs opened up tonight as Coach Hoffman’s Hopewell team hosted Riverside at Raccoon Municipal Park.

These two teams matched up last week with Hopewell coming away with a tight 8-6 win.

Tonight, things weren’t close as Hopewell was dominant for 7 innings and came away with a 10-1 victory.

The two storylines tonight were the pitching of right-hander Luke Vukovcan and hitting from top to bottom in the Vikings lineup. Hopewell collected 12 hits and everyone in the lineup picked up a hit.

Vukovcan, Ryder Kostrick and Mason Santamaria led the way with 2 hits apiece. As far as the run producers, Kostrick and Ryan Gaguzis both had 2 RBI, while Vin Smetana, Santamaria and Vukovcan each picked up 1 RBI apiece.

Hopewell jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead after 2 innings and with the way Vukovcan was throwing, the game was essentially over.

Hopewell’s Luke Vukovcan

Coming off a performance against Central Valley where he allowed only 3 hits and struck out 15 batters in 5.2 innings, you’d think it would be impossible to better that.

However it happened as Vukovcan pitched a complete game, 1-hitter, allowing 1 unearned run and striking out a career-high 16 batters.

Vukovcan’s fastball was dominant as he was able to spot it both on the inside and outside corners.

Luke struck out the first 7 batters of the game before getting two ground ball outs to David Johnson at second base.

Vukovcan went on to strikeout two batters in the 4th, 5th innings before striking out the side in the 6th and striking out the last two batters of the game in the 7th.

For the game, Luke threw 89 pitches, 65 of which were strikes.

FINAL SCORE- Hopewell 10 Riverside 1

WINNING IS FUN! 

Hopewell doesn’t have much time to enjoy the win as they’ll have to travel to take on No. 1 seed Beaver tomorrow.

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Hopewell Boys HS BasketballHopewell Boys JH Basketball

Strong Morning for the Hopewell Boys JH Basketball Program

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP- The Hopewell Boys Junior High basketball program continued their summer league scheduled with a handful of games this morning at the Hopewell Junior High School.

The Vikings 8th grade team took on Blackhawk and Central Valley, while the 7th graders went up against Moon.

In their first game of the morning, the 8th graders easily defeated Blackhawk. Vikings Sports Now was their second game against Central Valley and here’s a recap of the Vikings win.

HOPEWELL VS. CENTRAL VALLEY (8TH GRADE BASKETBALL GAME):
*This was another game in which Hopewell wasn’t really challenged and it gave head coach Patrick Phillips the opportunity to experiment with plenty of different player lineups and got the players plenty of time on the court. While winning is fun, the real purpose and benefit of the Summer League is to get players live in-game action and to work on things they’re getting taught in practice.

These games are played with a running clock with two halves consisting of 16 minutes.

Early on, it was fairly obvious the talent on the court that Coach Phillips had with Ryder Kostrick, Christian Fisher, Kaleb Gonzalez and Vin Smetana.

1ST HALF:
*Central Valley scored the first basket of the game but after that it was all Hopewell as their size and physicality in the paint was too much. Gonzalez confidently drove to the hoop, missed his shot but Fisher gobbled up the rebound and put it back for 2. Tied at 2.

*Gonzalez showed his range as he knocked down a 3 from the corner, Hopewell 5-2.

*Smetana put his head down and drove the wing and dished off to Fisher, who converted another layup, Hopewell 7-2.

*Hopewell’s pressure defense at times was suffocating as it was on this sequence as Kostrick stole a pass at midcourt and found Gonzalez underneath for 2 more, Hopewell 9-2.

*Following a CV miss, Hopewell got their transition offense going and Enzo Leopardi finished with a 2 + a foul, Hopewell 14-2.

*CV got within 6 points, but Hopewell was able to extend the lead. Smetana found Fisher again, who missed his original shot but grabbed his own rebound, kept the ball high and put it back in for 2, Hopewell 16-8.

*More transition, this time Smetana found a streaking Kostrick, who converted for a layup, Hopewell 19-8.

*Instead of dishing off assists, Smetana kept the ball and had a strong drive from the left wing for a layup. By the way, today was Vin’s 14th birthday. Happy Birthday Vincent!  Hopewell led 23-12.

*Nice ball rotation resulted in Gonzalez getting the ball at the top of the key and after faking a drive, Kaleb pulled up from the foul line and knocked down a jumper, Hopewell 25-12.

*Right before halftime, Gonzalez comes up with a steal off the Hopewell press and took it in himself for two, Hopewell 27-12.

HALFTIME: HOPEWELL 28 CENTRAL VALLEY 12

2ND HALF:
*Gonzalez opens the scoring by taking in a long rebound and dribbling the length of the court for a layup, Hopewell 30-18.

*Later, Brandon Cecchini uses his quickness to drive to the basketball for a contest layup, Hopewell 35-18.

*Kostrick uses his quickness to get into the lane and drops it off to Fisher, who finishes, Hopewell 37-22.

*Gonzalez with another strong take and he spots Fisher in the opposite block, who converts, Hopewell 39-22.

*More Fisher as this time David Johnson dribbles in and gets it to the big man. Hopewell 41-23

*Finally, Fisher with a clean block on defense, which allows Hopewell to get out running. Smetana runs the court and with another assist, this time to Gonzalez, Hopewell 43-23.

FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 43 CENTRAL VALLEY 23

HOPEWELL 7TH GRADE VS. MOON:

*In a hard-fought battle against Moon, Hopewell showed grit and growth, even in defeat. While they ultimately came up short on the scoreboard, the game highlighted the Vikings continued progress, especially on the offensive end.

From the opening tip, Moon tested Hopewell with their pace and in-game execution, as a result, Hopewell struggled at times to get stops defensively. Despite the challenged, Hopewell never backed down. They stuck together, moved the ball well, and found better rhythm on offense as the game went on.

Players shared the ball unselfishly, made smart decisions, and trusted one another, resulting in one of their strongest offensive performances to date. While the outcome wasn’t what they wanted, the effort, teamwork and improvement were evident.

Hopewell is learning, growing and getting better every game and today’s game against Moon was no exception.

After the 8th grade game, Vikings Sports Now had a chance to talk with Hopewell Junior High Head Coach Patrick Phillips about the summer league in general and what’s he’s seeing from his players.

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Hopewell Pony League Baseball

Hoffman and Honess Lead the Way to Exciting 8-6 Win Over Riverside

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 5 minutes read

RACOON TOWNSHIP-Having your entire roster sure has made a difference for the Coach Hoffman’s Hopewell Pony League team.

Due to a variety of things, Hopewell hasn’t been able to play with their entire roster since the start of the season when they started hot.

However, that’s changed a bit over the last week and as a result, Hopewell has gone 2-1-1 in their last 4 games, including tonight’s 8-6 win over Riverside.

Tonight was an exciting game in all aspects for the Vikings as they received strong pitching, clutch hitting and played possibly their best defensive game of the season

For the second game in a row, Hopewell got a clutch performance from their starting pitcher. Yesterday it was Mason Santamaria and today is Noah Honess.

Hopewell’s Noah Honess

Despite not getting a lot of innings this year, Honess took the mound and gave Hopewell an A+ effort. The right-hander went 5+ innings, allowing 7 hits, 4 runs (3 earned runs) and striking out 2 batters. Noah threw a career-high 93 pitches before tiring a bit in the 6th inning.

Ryan Gaguzis entered the game in the 6th inning to relieve Honess and did a tremendous job to close out the game.

At the plate, Hopewell banged out 13 hits and were led by Tyler Hoffman, who smoked the ball in all four of his at-bats. Today’s 4-4 performance comes a day after Hoffman went 3-3 yesterday against Blackhawk.

Defensively, Hopewell was outstanding as they turned a double play, received 2 clutch catches in the outfield, above average play at first base by Reed Budavich and catcher Luke Vukovcan threw out two runners attempting to steal.

The win was important was Hopewell’s playoff chances and it was one they had to earn because Riverside battled for 7 innings.

GAME RECAP:
Bottom of 1st: Riverside had runners at 1st and 3rd with 1 out, but Honess got a pop up to Vin Smetana at short and then a ground ball to Smetana which ended the inning.

Top of 2nd: Hoffman leads off with a single, stole second and scored on a line drive single to center by Budavich. Then with 2 outs, David Johnson hit a sharp single to right field, which scored Budavich. Hopewell led 2-0.

Bottom of 2nd: Honess struck out the first batter and fielded a come backer to the mound for the second out. A Riverside batter reached on a walk, but Vukovcan gunned him out as he attempted to steal second.

Top of 3rd: Vukovcan led off the inning and hit a deep ball to right center field that went to the wall. Luke was racing around the bases and tried for an inside the park home run but a perfect relay throw from right field to second to catch, got him just in time before he touched home plate.

Bottom of 3rd: Riverside scored a run and were threatening to score. With a runner at 2nd with 1 out, Honess got the next batter to ground to Smetana at short and the final out on a ground out to Johnson at second. Hopewell led 2-1.

Top of 4th: Hopewell immediately were able to get that run back. Once again, Hoffman led off with a single to right field. Tyler advanced to second on a grounder to 3rd by Budavich. Following a single by Honess, Hopewell had runners at 1st and 3rd with 1 out. Hoffman was able to score on a dropped third strike as the catcher threw down to 1st base. Hopewell led 3-1.

Bottom of 4th: Riverside loaded the bases with 0 outs and Hopewell looked to be on the ropes, but the Vikings defense came up big. The Riverside batter hit a fly ball/line drive to center field. Ryder Kostrick made the catch and made it look easier than it was as he glided to the ball. The runner scored from 3rd, but Hopewell got an important out. Then with runners at 1st and 2nd, Honess threw a ball in dirt and it skipped away from Vukovcan at catcher. However, he recovered, located the ball and fired it down to 3rd base to nail the runner trying to advance. Then with a runner at 2nd and 2 out, the final out came courtesy a grounder to Budavich at 1st base. Hopewell led 3-2.

Top of 5th: With 1 out, Vukovcan was hit by a pitch and went on to steal second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Smetana then did his job and put the ball in play, grounding out to shortstop, which scored Vukovcan. Hopewell wasn’t done as Gaguzis and Kostrick both singled and then Hoffman ripped a double to right field, which brought in Gaguzis and Kostrick. Hopewell led 6-2.

Bottom of 5th: Riverside got a leadoff walk but that was quickly erased as the next batter hit a sharp grounder up the middle, but Smetana fielded the ball, stepped on second and fired to first for the double play. I’ll date myself but Smetana looked like ‘The Wizard of Oz’, Ozzie Smith with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Bottom of 6th: As mentioned earlier Riverside didn’t quit and recorded 5 straight hits to quickly tie the game at 6. Once again, Hopewell looked to be in trouble as Riverside still had runners at 1st and 2nd with 0 outs.

Hopewell’s Ryan Gaguzis

However, that’s when Gaguzis came up big and did his best pitching of the night. First out came on a fly ball to Kostrick and the runners didn’t advance. Next batter grounded to Johnson at 2nd base. Then with runners at 2nd and 3rd and 2 outs, Gaguzis ended the threat with an inning ending strikeout. Game tied at 6.

Top of 7th: Vukovcan drew a leadoff walk on a 3-2 pitch. Luke then stole second base and third base with 0 outs. With 1 out, Gaguzis drew a walk so with runners on the corners, Kostrick grounded to second base, which scored Vukovcan. Hopewell led 7-6. Next up, Hoffman once again came up big with a line drive double to center, which brought in Gaguzis. Hopewell led 8-6.

Bottom of 7th: Gaguzis stayed on to pitch and got the job done. 1st out came on a grounder to Smetana, which was outstanding tonight at short. Second out came on a groundout to Hoffman at third. Then after a 2 out walk, the game ended on a grounder to Johnson at second, who flipped to Smetana at 2nd base.

FINAL SCORE: HOPEWELL 8 RIVERSIDE 6

WINNING IS FUN!!!

Hopewell (Team Hoffman) closes out the regular season next week with 3 games (Tuesday at Blackhawk, Wednesday at Central Valley and Thursday at Beaver).

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Hopewell Pony League Baseball

Hopewell Pony (Team Hoffman) Battles to Earn 9-7 Win Over Ambridge

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

Raccoon Township- Winning is rarely easy and that was certainly the case tonight for Coach Hoffman’s Hopewell Pony League Team.

Tonight, the Vikings took on the Ambridge Bridgers at the Raccoon Township Municipal Park. It was a game of ups and downs as Hopewell fell behind early, then took the lead, saw Ambridge come back to tie before retaking the lead for good in the bottom of the 6th inning.

Bottom line is that in the end, Hopewell came away with a 9-7 to improve their record to 2-1.

Ambridge scored 2 runs in the top of the 1st and were looking to add more by starting pitcher Ryder Kostrick kept things together. With the bases loaded and 1 out, Kostrick struck out the next two batters to limit the damage.

Trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the 1st inning, Hopewell answered with 3 runs of their own. Vin Smetana and Ryan Gaguzis led off the inning with walks. Then with 1 out and runners at 2nd and 3rd, Luke Vukovcan hit a ball deep in the hole at shortstop, the SS then threw the ball past the Ambridge 1B, allowing both Vin and Ryan to score. The game was tied at 2-2.

After Vukovcan stole second, Reed Budavich hit a hard single to center scoring Luke, Hopewell took a 3-2 lead.

Kostrick had a very easy 1-2-3 second inning, striking out 1 batter and getting the other two on ground outs.

Hopewell added to their lead in the bottom of the second. With 2 out, Anthony Ventresca drew an important walk and advanced to second on a passed ball.

Up came Smetana and after getting down 0-2 in the count, Vin fouled off 4 pitches before hitting an opposite field single to right field, scoring Ventresca. Smetana advanced to second on the throw to the plate which was important as he then scored on a single to left by Gaguzis. Hopewell now led 5-2.

Ambridge scored a run in the 3rd to get within 5-3 but Hopewell answered with a run of their own. Vukovcan hit a double to the gap in left center and would eventually score on a wild pitch. Hopewell led 6-3.

Hopewell’s Ryan Gaguzis

Gaguzis replaced Kostrick in the top of the 4th inning and made quick work of Ambridge. ‘Gags’ struck out the side and needed just 11 pitches.

Gaguzis started the 5th inning with another strike out but then Ambridge got a few base runners and scored a run to make it 6-4.

Hopewell’s Reed Budavich

Reed Budavich entered the game with runners at 2nd and 3rd with 1 out and struck out the first batter for the second out. Ambridge then plated another run to make it 6-5 and had a good chance to tie the game.

With a runner at 3rd and 2 outs, Budavich threw a ball past Vukovcan at catcher. The runner at 3rd base broke for the plate, Vukovcan was able to quickly find the ball and flipped it to Budavich at home, who tagged the runner. Hopewell led 6-5 going to the bottom of 5th.

Hopewell was able to get that run back in the 5th. Vukovcan led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch. After stealing second, Vukovcan scored on a hard hit single to right field by Kostrick. Hopewell led 7-5.

Ambridge tied the game in the Top of the 6th but the Vikings once again had an answer.

Noah Honess got things started with an infield single, which was followed by another walk to Ventresca. Then after Ambridge turned a double play, Gaguzis drew an important walk.

With runners at 1st and 2nd, Hoffman ripped a single to right center field scoring Ventresca. Gaguzis advanced to 3rd on the throw home. That was important was Ryan scored on a wild pitch. Hopewell now led 9-7

Vukovcan came on to close and he did just that. The first Ambridge batter hit a ball in front of the plate and Hoffman came out from catcher and fired down to first.

Then Vukovcan retired the next hitter on a called third strike.

The game then ended with another strikeout, this time via a swing and a miss.

Final Score: Hopewell 9 Ambridge 7

Hopewell Team Hoffman has 3 games next week (at Central Valley, at Riverside and vs. South Side).

 

 

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Hopewell Pony League Baseball

Hopewell (Hoffman) Pony League Loses 3-2 to Beaver in Well Played Game

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 3 minutes read

RACOON TOWNSHIP– This evening at Racoon Township Municipal Park, Hopewell (Team Hoffman) took on Beaver in a Western Pa Pony League Game.

Beaver entered the game in first place with a record of 3-0, while Hopewell has only played one game as they defeated Central Valley in their season opener.

It’s early but it would not surprise me if these two teams met up again later in the season as both teams are talented as was on display tonight. Beaver came away with a 3-2 victory but Hopewell has a ton of positives to take away from tonight.

The most encouraging thing for Coach Hoffman has to be the pitching he received from his team tonight. The Vikings showed depth as 5 players combined to really quiet a dangerous Beaver lineup. Luke Vukovcan, Ryder Kostrick, Ryan Gaguzis, Vin Smetana and Noah Honess were all outstanding tonight.

Hopewell’s Ryder Kostrick

Vukovcan got the start and pitched the first two innings. The right-hander didn’t allow a run, 1 hit, 2 walks and struck out 5 batters. Kostrick pitched 2.2 innings, allowed 3 runs, Gaguzis got an important out in the 5th inning and Smetana and Honess pitched the 6th and 7th inning respectively and looked great.

Beaver threatened In the top of the 1st inning as they got runners to 2nd and 3rd with just 1 out. However, Vukovcan struck out the next batter and after issuing a walk to load the bases, he recorded another strike out to end the inning.

Hopewell had a great chance in the bottom of the first inning as Smetana and Gaguzis led off with singles. With 2 on and 0 out, Tyler Hoffman came to the plate and smoked a ball down the first base line. Unfortunately, the first baseman had Ty positioned perfectly, catching the ball and doubling the runner off first.

Vukovcan had an easy top of the second inning as he struck out the side and needed just 10 pitches.

Hopewell got on the board in the bottom of the second. Reed Budavich, who had three really strong plate appearances, reached on an error. Next up, Kostrick lined a ball into the right field corner for a triple, scoring Budavich. As the second baseman tried to get Kostrick at third base, the throw got past the third baseman, which allowed Ryder to score. Hopewell led 2-0.

After Beaver tied the game in the 3rd inning, Hopewell threatened to take back the lead in the 4th inning. Hoffman led off the inning with a great piece of hitting as he took a pitch the other way and dumped it into right field for a single. Vukovcan then grounded into a fielders choice and promptly stole second base. Next up, Budavich laced a ball to center field, but once again, it was right at the Beaver center fielder. The score remained tied at 2.

Beaver took the lead with a 2-out RBI single to center field so Hopewell had three more at-bats to try and tie the game.

In the Beaver top of the sixth inning, Smetana faced a small jam with a runner at 2nd with 1 out. However, Vin got out of it by getting a pop up to David Johnson at second base and then Johnson did a nice job fielding a ball at second to end the Beaver threat.

Hopewell got a runner to third base in the bottom of the sixth but couldn’t bring him home.

Honess went out to pitch the top of the 7th and was fantastic. Striking out the first batter and then after allowing a 2-out double, Honess ended the inning by recording a strikeout with a nasty curveball to freeze the batter.

In their last chance, Vukovcan led off the 7th inning with a walk and stole second. Next up, Budavich once again made solid contact but the Beaver center fielder tracked down the ball to prevent a run. Despite not recording a hit, Budavich had the best plate appearances tonight for Hopewell. Then with 2 outs, Johnson hit a ball that the second baseman fumbled and Johnson busted his butt down the first base line but the Beaver 2B recovered, got a hold of the ball and beat Johnson by half a step to end the game.

FINAL SCORE: BEAVER 3  HOPEWELL 2

Next up for Hopewell, a game on Friday night at home against Ambridge.

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Hopewell Pony League Baseball

Vukovcan and Kostrick Lead Hopewell Pony to 7-5 Win Over CV

by Mike Vukovcan
written by Mike Vukovcan 2 minutes read

Raccoon Township- Coach Chip Hoffman’s Hopewell Pony League opened up their 2025 season tonight as they hosted Central Valley.

The old baseball saying ‘Good Pitching Beats Good Hitting’ and that was the case tonight as Luke Vukovcan and Ryder Kostrick were on their game.

Vukovcan got the start and went 4 innings, allowing 2 hits, 1 run (0 earned runs) and struck out 9 batters.

Kostrick come on in the fifth and pitched the next two innings, allowing only 1 hit, 0 runs, and striking out 4.

Right-handed Reed Budavich came on in the final inning and after a slow start, stayed strong to close things out to preserve the win.

Game Recap- 

*Top of First- This was the only inning that CV threatened to score against Vukovcan. After retiring the opening two batters of the game, the next three reached via a single and two walks. However, with the bases loaded, Vukovcan got out unscathed by recording one his his nine strikeouts.

*Bottom First- Some 2-out lightning got Hopewell on the board. After 2 out, Tyler Hoffman stroked a hard single to center field, which was followed by a hard single to center by Vukovcan. Next up, with runners at 1st and 3rd, Reed Budavich connect with a hard single to left center. Hoffman scored and so Vukovcan, who was running on the pitch and scored all the way from first. Hopewell led 2-0.

*Top of Second- A much more efficient inning as Vukovcan needed only 7 pitches. The first out came on a groundout to Budavich at first, followed by two strikeouts.

*Bottom of the Second- Hopewell increased their lead with 2 more runs. Ryder Kostrick led off with a sublet center and after stealing second, Ryder scored on consecutive wild pitches. David Johnson reached via a walk and would eventually score on a wild pitch. Hopewell led 4-0.

*Bottom of Third- Two more runs for Hopewell and both scored after two outs. After 1 out, Vin Smetana reached on a walk. Then with 2 outs, Vukovcan doubled to left center and Smetana advanced to third. Budavich followed that with a walk so with the bases loaded, Kostrick came thru with a hard single to left, scoring Smetana and Vukovcan. Hopewell led 6-1.

*Top of Fourth- Because of pitch count, this was Vukovcan’s last inning. After allowing a leadoff double, Luke went on to strike out the next three batters.

Hopewell’s Luke Vukovcan

*Top of Fifth- Kostrick came on and was dominant, striking out two batters with the final out coming on a pop up to Smetana at short.

*Bottom of Fifth- Hopewell added to their lead in the fifth. With 1 out, Smetana singled and advanced to third on a single by Hoffman. Then with runners on the corners, Vukovcan drove in Smetana with a deep fly ball to right. Hopewell led 7-1.

*Top of Sixth- Kostrick had another easy inning as he struck out two more batters. Kostrick threw 30 pitches in two innings, 19 of which were strikes.

Hopewell’s Ryder Kostrick

*Top of Seventh- Budavich came on to close and after walking a few batters, Reed came back to struck out the last two batters to end the game.

Final Score- Hopewell 7 Central Valley 5

Hopewell’s Team Hoffman is off until next Tuesday when they travel to Beaver Falls.

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