By Nate Johns, NEPA Sports Nation Student Journalist
CENTER VALLEY – Dallas will play for a state title for the second time in six seasons.
The Mountaineers got there thanks to an 8-3 win over District 12 champion Archbishop Wood Tuesday at DeSales University in a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 4A semifinal.
Through three state playoff games, Dallas has outscored opponents, 26-4. The script has been the same through most of the postseason as elite starting pitching shuts down the opposing offense, and the bats make it a difficult day for any opposing pitcher.
The starting pitcher for the Mountaineers Tuesday against the Vikings was Gary Weaver, who gave up one run and one hit, walking four and striking out four. Sam Barrouk pitched three innings in relief, giving up two runs on three hits while walking one and striking out four.
Vikings pitcher Braden Kelly gave up four runs in three innings.
The offense for the Mountaineers saw several contributors, including Zach Paczewski, Gavin Adamski, Jude Nocito, and Joey Peters, who combined for five hits and six RBIs. The Vikings offense was led by shortstop Patrick Gozdan, who walked and had a hit and two RBIs.
Dallas (17-7) used the win to move into Friday’s state final against District 6 champion Bellefonte (19-5) at Penn State at 1:30 p.m.
Archbishop Wood scored first Tuesday.
The top of the first inning saw the first three batters reach for the Vikings on back-to-back walks and a hit by pitch. With one out, Dariel Tiburcio brought home the Vikings’ first run on a fielder’s choice. Tiburcio was caught trying to steal second base, which ended the inning.
“In the first, I wasn’t myself, with some pre-game jitters” Weaver said. “After the first, I calmed down, I just went out there and I played my game.”
It didn’t take long for the Mountaineers to get that run back. Adamski reached on an infield single, and Paczewski crushed a double to the base of the right-center field wall, scoring Adamski.
“It helped getting the tying run in the bottom of the first,” Weaver said. “The game reset and I could do my thing.”
After two outs in the top of the second, Jared Uzdzienski slapped a double to right, giving the Vikings a runner in scoring position. Weaver ended the threat with a strikeout.
Following a 1-2-3 inning by Weaver, including his second strikeout, in the third, Dallas went ahead.
Adamski was hit by the pitch and Kaden Coyne came in as a courtesy runner. Coyne stole second and scored two batters later on an RBI single to center from Peters.
The fourth inning saw the Vikings try to muster a two-out rally. Two walks with an error in the middle loaded the bases.
Weaver extinguished the threat with another strikeout.
The Mountaineers then sent 10 batters to the plate to score six fourth-inning runs and break the game open.
J.J. Rischawy started off with a single, and Mikey Timinski and Adamski had back-to-back RBI singles to left. Following a Paczewski sacrifice fly, Peters was intentionally walked, and Dylan Geskey drew a walk to load the bases.
Nocito brought home two more with Dallas’s fourth hit of the inning. A wild pitch scored Geskey for the sixth run of the inning.
Relievers Barrouk and Mason Burlingame battled the rest of the way.
After a lead off single for Brian Klumpp in the sixth, Barrouk retired the next three batters including two strikeouts. Burlingame struck out the side in the sixth, finishing with five.
The Vikings did not go away quietly in the seventh.
Logan Pietrzak drew a one-out walk and a double by J.P. DiGuiseppe set up the two-run single for Gozdan. After a flyout to left for the second out, Barrouk struck out Klumpp for the final out, securing the state title berth.
“I couldn’t be more proud of the guys to put this run together,” Dallas coach Mike Viglone said. “It’s a mix of different guys, whether it’s big hits, or pitchers going out there, getting big innings for us, it’s a whole team effort.”
