Summer Rams open WPSBL playoff tournament with victory

By: Michael Love
Thursday, July 30, 2020 | 7:58 AM

Playing their first game in more than two weeks, the Summer Rams (Highlands) topped Bethel Park, 9-5, on Wednesday at Gateway High School in a first-round contest in the Western Pennsylvania Summer Baseball League playoff tournament.

The Summer Rams, now 9-6 overall this summer, advance to the second round and will face Thomas Jefferson at 6:15 p.m. Thursday at Thomas Jefferson High School.

Twenty-four teams entered the tournament.

The Summer Rams suspended their season earlier this month after learning that one of their players had tested positive for covid-19.

Two practices over the weekend, coach Jeff Campbell said, got the team back in focus and ready for the tournament.

The game started Monday at Boyce-Mayview Park in Upper St. Clair, but rain suspended play with the Summer Rams leading Bethel Park, 2-0, in the bottom of the second. Ethan Hewitt knocked in both runs.

It resumed at Gateway, and the Summer Rams build a 5-1 lead in the fourth.

Bethel Park rallied and trailed 6-5 after six innings, but the Summer Rams pulled away in the seventh on run-scoring hits from Matt Cekada (two RBIs) and Tanner Nulph (one RBI).

Nulph then retired the side in the bottom of the seventh to secure the win.

Nulph, Cekada, Hewitt, Seth Helgert and Trent Bielak each produced multi-hit games. Bielak, Jett Slepak and Dom Fellows also tallied RBIs.

Hewitt started, pitched into the fifth and earned the win. Slepak relieved Hewitt before giving way to Nulph in the sixth.

Tournament information and results can be found at the WPSBL Twitter page.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Highlands