Brownsville tops Avonworth to claim 1st WPIAL Class 3A baseball title
By:
Wednesday, May 30, 2018 | 4:30 PM
Nearly two decades had passed since a Brownsville baseball team played for a WPIAL baseball championship.
The Falcons suffered a loss to Waynesburg in the 1999 Class AA title game.
But there were no such sour feelings Wednesday for the Brownsville players and coaches or their hundreds of fans at Wild Things Park in Washington.
The Falcons, the No. 4 seed in the Class 3A playoffs, brought home their first WPIAL baseball title with a 5-2 victory over No. 2 Avonworth.
“You can see what this means to the community,” said Brownsville coach Scooter Roebuck as he pointed to the throng of supporters that remained to soak in the title victory.
“Everybody was on board supporting somebody and making good out of this ride.”
Brownsville (15-2), which upset No. 1 Riverside in the semifinals, also is the first Fayette County school to win a WPIAL baseball title since Connellsville in 1989.
The Falcons, as the WPIAL champ, will face District 10 runner-up Mercyhurst Prep in the first round of the PIAA playoffs Monday.
Avonworth (16-5), which also was seeking its first WPIAL title, will enter the PIAA tournament Monday against District 6 champion Huntingdon.
“Today wasn't our day, but they still battled, no matter what,” Antelopes coach Dan Pomposelli said. “We faced adversities all year, and we overcame them. I expect the same thing going into the state playoffs. This team has shown so much character.”
Brownsville scored twice in the top of the first and led 3-0 before Avonworth closed the gap to 3-2 in the bottom of the third.
But the Falcons gained a little breathing room late with single runs in the sixth and seventh innings.
“The guys were pretty loose early on,” Roebuck said. “I got a really good vibe from them. I got a little nervous when it was 3-2, but they battled back and finished strong.”
DJ Zimcosky doubled home a run in the top of the first and singled with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh to plate Brownsville's final run of the contest.
Rocco Frisco, who finished 2 for 3 with a double, delivered an RBI groundout to short in the top of the sixth to make it 4-2.
“You just have to put the bat on the ball in certain situations, and we've been real lucky in getting that done,” Roebuck said.
The extra runs pleased Falcons starter Dylan Brosky, who struck out two in the bottom of the seventh, including the final batter he faced, to end the game and wrap up the title.
“My confidence is boosted and my teammates' (confidence) is boosted,” Brosky said. “It's much easier to pitch with a lead like that, especially late in the game. There was a little less pressure getting those final outs.”
Brosky, who also tallied the game-winning hit in the semifinal victory over Riverside, fired seven complete innings and gave up eight hits and no walks while striking out seven. He approached the 100-pitch limit but was able to finish what he started.
“There were some nerves, I'm sure,” Roebuck said. “Although, he's pitched in some big games. There were some college guys here to watch him, and I'm sure he knew about it.”
Colton Dellarose and Ricky Marucci added a pair of hits as part of Brownsville's 11-hit attack. Dellarose also recorded an RBI groundout in the third.
Trevor Stewart drew a walk to start the game off Avonworth starter Ryan Felter. He later scored on a double steal.
Avonworth batters collected eight hits off of Brosky. Felter and Jack Reed each singled twice to pace the Antelopes.
Reed produced an infield single to lead off the bottom of the third, and Turner Grau followed with a one-out single.
Jax Miller kept the offense moving with a single of his own to drive in Reed with the Antelope's first run.
Grau advanced to third on the play and later scored on an error.
Felter took the loss for Avonworth. He surrendered seven hits and one walk over four-plus innings.
“Brosky was on for them,” Pomposelli said. “He was sitting 85 to 87, and we hadn't seen much of that this year. We did have eight hits, so we were on him a little bit, but they had a few more hits and made a few more plays than we did.”
Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Mlove_Trib.
Tags: Avonworth, Brownsville
More High School Baseball
• Hampton trio to play Division I baseball next season• GCC baseball coach Reist organizes fundraiser for team, less-privileged children
• Rivals from North Allegheny, Pine-Richland to join forces at Penn State
• Shaler Area’s Rispoli commits to play baseball at Dayton
• Hampton selects Long as new baseball coach
