Mike Vukovcan 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.
Hopewell softball and youth baseball is sponsored by Lisa McCoy, your neighborhood State Farm agent.
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
A&S Federal Credit Union are proud sponsors of Hopewell Boys and Girls High School, Junior High and Youth Sports.
*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.”
