BEA baseball advances to PIAA quarterfinals

Matt Reese’s performance from the plate helped Bald Eagle Area overcome an early deficit to beat Moniteau 15-6 in nine innings in Monday’s first round of the PIAA Class 3A baseball tournament at Dubois.

The Eagles will take on Brownsville in the quarterfinals Thursday.

Reese, who finished 4-of-6 with six RBIs, led off the ninth inning with a triple off the first pitch to jump-start a nine-run inning from Bald Eagle Area. Leadoff man Grant King was also 2-for-6 with three runs scored.

The Eagles took advantage of poor defense from Moniteau late as all nine runs scored in the top of the inning were unearned off of five errors. BEA actually trailed in the beginning of the game as Moniteau led 6-1 through the first four innings.

Reese’s two-run single in the top of the fifth inning cut the lead to 6-3, and he doubled in the top of the seventh to cut Moniteau’s lead to 6-4. Hunter Brooks used his own two-run single two pitches later to tie the score at six with two outs in the seventh.

SJCA’s season comes to end

Cole Bernier’s two singles were not enough as St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy lost to Southern Fulton 3-0 in the first round of the PIAA Class A baseball tournament in Everett.

Bryce Herman took the loss for the Wolves as he allowed two runs and five hits in three innings of work.

St. Joseph’s struggled from the plate throughout the game as it got four hits and failed to draw a walk. Bernier was the only player from St. Joseph’s to get more than one hit and tried to start a seventh-inning rally with a one-out single.

Herman pitched well for the Wolves as he struck out four Southern Fulton batters. Camden Burris relieved Herman in the bottom of the fourth inning, where he allowed one run and four hits with four strikeouts.

This story was originally published June 5, 2018 at 12:03 AM with the headline "BEA baseball advances to PIAA quarterfinals."