So close: Red Raiders fall in tight first-round battle for third year in a row
McMURRAY 鈥� Ken Musko may think he鈥檚 in a recurring nightmare.
The Uniontown baseball coach has guided his team to three consecutive postseason appearances and for the third year in a row the Red Raiders were in a tight battle with a higher-seeded opponent and came up just short.
On Wednesday it was Montour that took advantage of a misplay in the outfield to pull out a 3-1 win over Uniontown in a WPIAL Class AAAA first-round game at Peterswood Park.
鈥淚t stinks to be so close three years in a row,鈥� Musko said. 鈥淲e lost by one run the last two years and two today in a game that could鈥檝e went either way. You just feel for the kids.鈥�
The score was tied 1-1 in the top of the fifth when Red Raiders starting pitcher Tate Musko, the coach鈥檚 son, induced a two-out pop up into short left field with a runner on third base. A miscommunication as three fielders converged on the ball resulted in an error which allowed Matteo Weber to score the go-ahead run.
鈥淐redit to the guys that made the mistakes, they wanted the ball,鈥� Ken Musko said. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 fault them for wanting to make a play but just got a little too aggressive. Small things like that will beat you in a playoff game like this.鈥�
Andrew Porto followed with a run-scoring double that ended Tate Musko鈥檚 outing.
The only other run Montour scored came in the first inning without the benefit of a hit. Weber walked, stole second, advanced to third on a fly out and came home on Jake Robinson鈥檚 ground out.
The left-handed throwing Musko pitched well despite taking the loss, allowing one earned run on four hits with three walks, a hit batter and five strikeouts in 4 鈪� innings.
Austin Grego finished up on the mound from there with 1 鈪� scoreless innings. The right-hander didn鈥檛 allow a hit and struck out three.
Mason Kuhn provided the only offense for Uniontown, crushing a solo home run off winning pitcher Weber leading off the fourth inning to tie the game at 1-1.
鈥淗e was victim of a little bit of trash talk right before that,鈥� Ken Musko pointed out. 鈥淗e made a play and someone said something to him and he retaliated with something. We both got a bench warning so I came in the dugout and kind of flipped out.
鈥淢y speech was take your anger out on the field, on the baseball. And that鈥檚 what he did so I give him credit. He鈥檚 been on the ball all season. He earned that one.鈥�
It was one of just two hits given by Weber, who walked two and struck out two in 5 鈪� innings.
Uniontown threatened to tie the game in the sixth when Kuhn reached on an error and Musko walked with one out. Maddox Tarquinio relieved Weber at that point and snuffed out the potential uprising with a pair of strikeouts.
The Red Raiders鈥� only other hit was a sharp single to center field by Brayden Hinzy leading off the third inning. Hinzy moved up on a wild pitch but then was gunned down trying to steal third base by Spartan catcher Ryan Gamble.
Uniontown got the tying run to the plate in the seventh when Grego reached on an error but Tarquinio retired the next three batters to close out the game and earn the save.
鈥淲e were right there again,鈥� Ken Musko said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just so frustrating. But they did a better job of executing at key times than we did.
Tarquinio didn鈥檛 give up a hit or walk while striking out three in tossing the final 1 鈪� innings.
Tate Musko showed some grit in working out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the second inning after allowing an infield hit, a walk and a hit batter. The Marietta College recruit got a pop out and a strikeout and then some help from catcher Hunter Smiley who quickly gathered in a pitch that went to the backstop and dove to tag out Jonathan Cecil who tried to score on the play.
鈥淭hat was big,鈥� Ken Musko said. 鈥淗e made a great hustle play there.鈥�
Musko went out to the mound to settle his son down at one point during the inning and the talk seemed to work.
鈥淗e said he dug a nail in on his finger and that was kind of bothering him,鈥� Ken Musko said. 鈥淗e just needed a minute to refocus a little bit. I can鈥檛 fault his effort. He left it all out there on the mound.鈥�
Uniontown鈥檚 starting lineup included seven seniors as Tate Musko, Kuhn, Smiley, Grego, Cam Jackson, Tyler Gasper and Wyatt Nehls played their final game.
鈥淚鈥檓 going to miss them,鈥� Ken Musko said. 鈥淚 hope they all go on to be successful in life.
鈥淓very year you come to that moment where you realize you鈥檙e not going to be around those guys anymore. It probably feels like how every parent feels when a kid leaves the house. You just root for them and tell them that we鈥檒l always be here if they need anything. You move on but you always have that spot for each group.鈥�
Musko commended the group for lifting up the Red Raiders baseball program.
鈥淪ome people don鈥檛 make the playoffs at all in high school and those seniors got to do it three straight times,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to be a part of something like that.
鈥淲e just wish we could鈥檝e brought home a win.鈥�