Gateway baseball reflects on 3rd straight trip to postseason
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Saturday, May 19, 2018 | 12:06 AM
The Gateway baseball team was on the cusp of ending a WPIAL playoff win drought that extended more than two decades.
The Gators and Hampton were tied 2-2 in the seventh inning of their WPIAL Class 5A first-round game May 15, and the contest appeared headed to extra frames.
But then the Talbots' Phil Conti ripped out the hearts of the Gateway faithful with a two-out, two-run home run that sent Hampton to the quarterfinals and brought a sudden end to the Gators' season.
“It was a really good game. Both teams played hard,” Gateway coach Bill Stoops said. “Their pitchers kept us off balance, but we had opportunities to score runs. We didn't get enough hits in key situations. It just wasn't our day.”
The normally potent Gateway lineup was limited to four singles, one each from junior Brendan Majocha and seniors Mike Vojnik, Justin Stancovich and Brian Reid.
Majocha and Stancovich knocked in the Gators' runs.
Despite the way the playoff game transpired, Stoops praised his team for their efforts all season, one that produced a 12-6 overall record and an 11-3, third-place mark in Section 3.
The 12 victories were the most in a campaign since the 2009 squad went 13-6 and earned a trip to the postseason.
“They worked hard,” Stoops said. “A lot of them have been with me for three years. They worked their tails off, and it paid off with wins.”
Gateway made the playoffs for the third straight year after a three-year drought that included back-to-back one-win campaigns in 2013 and '14.
The Gators solidified their playoff standing with a 5-1 record to close section play.
Gateway proved to be a force in the section after winning six section games in a row after losing its opener to Franklin Regional.
The Gators got their revenge against the Panthers by handing them one of only two section losses this season with a 3-0 victory April 23.
Laurel Highlands claimed the section title and handed Gateway its other two losses.
Stoops said it will be tough to see the seniors move on. Seniors Brady Walker and Kris Dick joined Vojnik and Stancovich as captains on this year's team, and Caleb Lehman, Stoops said, was a rock behind the plate.
“You walked into the gym or on the field and you saw those guys putting the time in to get better,” Stoops said. “They set a really good example for the younger guys. They expected to have a good season and did what they needed to do to make it happen.”
Majocha (.413 batting average) and Dick (.414) paced a Gateway offense that finished with a team average of .323, one of the highest in the section.
Dick (1.73 ERA) and Vojnik (3.10 ERA) logged the most innings on the mound at 41 2⁄3 and 40 2⁄3, respectively.
Sophomore Jordan Stancovich, junior Ethan Frenchik and sophomore Santino Communale started the Hampton playoff game and are expected to help form the core of the 2019 Gators.
Junior Mark Caggiano, who played in 16 games this year with five multi-hit performances, also returns.
Frenchik provided one of the most memorable moments of the season when he threw six no-hit innings against Franklin Regional in the section victory. He also tossed five innings of no-hit ball in Gateway's victory over McKeesport five days earlier.
Frenchik logged 17 2⁄3 innings this year and will return to lead the pitching staff.
“We got a good look at some of the younger guys last fall and saw what they could do this spring,” Stoops said. “There will be a lot of opportunities to get on the field next year.”
Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer, Reach him at mlove@tribweb.comor via Twitter @Mlove_Trib.
Tags: Gateway
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