North Allegheny rallies past Hempfield to reach 12th WPIAL baseball title game

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, May 23, 2018 | 10:12 PM

North Allegheny needed a replacement outfielder, so senior Ben Surman grabbed a batting helmet and started getting ready, until coach Andrew Heck called for someone else.

Surman was clearly disappointment.

Center fielder Turner White was injured running the bases, but Heck wasn’t certain Surman was healthy either. But after seeing Surman’s reaction, Heck reconsidered and Surman later sparked a four-run rally to defeat Hempfield, 6-4, in a WPIAL Class 6A semifinal Wednesday at Upper St. Clair’s Boyce-Mayview Park.

“I really wanted to make an impact,” Surman said. “When I saw that we needed someone to go in, I wanted to make sure that it was me.”

A hip injury has kept Surman out of the starting lineup for more than two weeks, but he hit a key RBI triple in NA’s sixth-inning comeback and scored the tying run on a single by Luke Trueman.

Surman also scored in the third.

“I hate putting guys in there that are still injured,” Heck said. “Whether he was 100 percent or not, he told me he was 100, so that’s why we went with him.”

With a 4-2 lead, No. 3 seed Hempfield (16-6) was only five outs away from its first championship appearance in team history. Instead, No. 10 North Allegheny (13-10) will face No. 4 Canon-McMillan (16-5) in the WPIAL finals May 30 at Wild Things Park in Washington.

The Class 6A final is 7:30 p.m.

The WPIAL championship appearance is the 12th for North Allegheny, which upset three higher-seeded teams along the way.

“Just get there and any anything can happen,” Heck said of these WPIAL playoffs. “It doesn’t really matter what seed you are.”

His Tigers were WPIAL runners-up last season.

Your Tigers are advancing to the 2018 WPIAL Championship! Tigers win 6-4 over Hempfield in the Semi-Finals! #TCB #LetsRide @NorthAllegheny pic.twitter.com/M7TGjVs177

— NA Baseball TCB (@natigerbaseball) May 24, 2018

We’re back!!!!!!! WPIAL CHAMPIONSHIP HERE WE COME!!!!! #letsrideeeeeeeee pic.twitter.com/jgez9tK32N

— PhitwitPhil (@pcoffin10) May 24, 2018

What a game! @natigerbaseball rallies against Hempfield for a 6-4 win, advancing to their second straight #WPIAL Championship. Big time performance out of the pen by @AnthonyHattrup. Clutch hits by @bsurman7 and @TruemanLuke

See all of @NorthAllegheny next Wednesday!

— NATigers (@NATigers17) May 24, 2018

This was the third time in six seasons that Hempfield reached the WPIAL semifinals and lost, including a 3-0 loss to North Allegheny in 2013. The Spartans also lost in the 2016 semifinals when this year’s seniors were sophomores.

“I thought this one might have been a little different,” Hempfield coach Tim Buzzard said. “We had that lead but it just didn’t work out.”

The teams combined for nine errors including six by North Allegheny. But Hempfield made two crucial miscues in the sixth inning as its lead slipped away.

North Allegheny’s winning rally started when C.J. Weller hit a one-out single and Surman tripled to deep right. Trueman singled to score Surman for a 4-4 tie.

NA’s rally could have ended there.

But Justin Hamm reached on a two-out fielding error, Trueman scored on an errant pick-off throw and Hamm later scored on a single by Caiden Wood to lead 6-4.

“We had a chance to kind of limit the damage and made another bad play,” Buzzard said. “It happens. I don’t think our kids panicked. I just think we have plays we’d want back.”

Hempfield reliever Tyler Dancu allowed four runs on four hits in 2 2/3 innings. He relieved starter Justin Wright, who was replaced in the fifth after three consecutive NA batters reached base. Wright allowed two runs on five hits, one walk and hit three batters.

The WPIAL scheduled the baseball playoffs so that no team could throw its ace in the quarterfinals and semifinals, so Wednesday’s matchup tested everyone’s pitching depth.

North Allegheny pitcher Anthony Hattrup allowed five hits and one run in 42⁄3 innings of relief. Hattrup walked none and struck out seven. The junior was forced into action after NA’s starter was injured.

“(Hattrup) was one of our best arms last year, but he’s had some struggles this year,” Heck said. “We’ve made some mechanical changes with him and I think he’s responded really well. He’s pitching a lot better, as of late, and we trust him. We always have.”

NA starter Kevin Schott left after a third-inning collision with his first baseman. Schott had allowed three runs on four hits and a walk.

Hempfield’s Isaiah DiAndreth went 3 for 4 with two runs and an RBI as the Spartans scored once in the first, twice in the third and once in the fourth to lead 4-1.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed,” Buzzard said. “I’m disappointed. Everyone is disappointed. This one is going to hurt for awhile. Everyone’s aware of that. I feel for them, I do.”

Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at charlan@tribweb.com or via Twitter @CHarlan_Trib.

Tags: Hempfield Area, North Allegheny