Seneca Valley capitalizes on Butler mistakes in 7-4 win
JACKSON TWP — Seneca Valley’s Nick Parrotto stayed in the strike zone.
Butler wasn’t so consistent.
Behind the senior hurler’s complete-game, 99-pitch effort and a number of miscues by the Golden Tornado, the host Raiders won the teams’ WPIAL Section 1-6A regular-season series finale, 7-4, on Thursday.
“Unfortunately for them, they gave us a lot today,” Seneca Valley coach Eric Semega said. “A lot of passed balls, a lot of misfires. ... We took advantage of it.”
The Raiders’ Zyler Freedman worked a walk to start the home third, scooted to second on Aedan Fowler’s groundout, then third on a wild pitch before Creed Erdos’ sacrifice fly. Luke Anderton doubled down the right field line in the following at-bat.
It wasn’t long before a wild pitch allowed Anderton to advance to third and the attempt at throwing him out there dribbled away, giving the Raiders their second run of the frame.
“On the base paths, when I see a ball in the dirt or a wild pitch, I’m immediately very aggressive,” Anderton said. “I’m looking to take that next base and — most of the time — I’ll take the very next one, too, if they overthrow or make a bad throw.
“I’m always looking to make a new opportunity.”
Mike Delduca was given a free pass with the very next pitch. He’d come across before the turn was through on another errant offering.
“We just gave away too many free bases,” Butler coach Josh Forbes said. “That’s the story of our season. We just give away everything.”
The Golden Tornado (6-11, 4-8) made a dent in the hosts’ advantage in the ensuing half-inning, with Boden Lenyk leading off with a triple to deep left center field and Noah Collins singling him in.
Parrotto doubled to start matters in the bottom of the fourth, then a passed ball put him on third and another wild pitch got him home. Stefaniak walked Fowler and Erdos with one away and yet another wild pitch gave Fowler and courtesy runner Andrew Malichky a free 90 feet. Anderton plated the former on a single and came across with the latter on Delduca’s second base knock on the day for Seneca Valley (10-7-1, 7-5).
“Nolan (Butler starting pitcher, Stefaniak) wasn’t around the zone very well,” Forbes said. “Then when he was, it’s hard for the umpire to pull the trigger on some of those close, borderline pitches just because we’re sporadic, we’re all over the place. All of a sudden, the umpire is expecting out here, out here, out here.”
Stefaniak’s battery mate, Mavrik Clement, is still finding his way behind the plate.
“It’s his fifth or sixth game as the catcher,” Forbes said. “Third game in a row in a week that he’s caught. ... He knows that he needs to be a little bit better with the free bases, but it is what it is.”
The Golden Tornado drew closer in the top of the sixth as Lenyk and Collins singled and Mavrik Clement cleared the tall left field fence on consecutive pitches. Stefaniak and Noah Kollinger both had one-out singles in the frame after that, bringing the tying run to the plate twice.
Deep in his pitch count, Parrotto fanned Trent Best on three swings and got Lenyk to pop out to the right side of the infield.
Butler 000 103 0 — 4 8 0
Seneca Valley 003 400 x — 7 8 0
W: Nick Parrotto 7IP (8K, 1BB). L: Nolan Stefaniak 3.1IP (6K, 5BB).
Butler (6-11, 4-8): Noah Kollinger 1B, Boden Lenyk 3B 1B 2R, Noah Collins 2-1B RBI R, Mavrik Clement HR 2B 3RBI R, Nolan Stefaniak 1B
Seneca Valley (10-7-1, 7-5): Creed Erdos 1B RBI, Andrew Malichky R, Luke Anderton 2B 1B RBI 2R, Mike Delduca 2B 1B 2RBI R, Ryan Piekutoski 1B, Kallen Durbin 1B, Nick Parrotto 2B R, Zyler Freedman R, Aedan Fowler R
Monday: North Catholic at Butler
Wednesday: Seneca Valley at North Hills
