Latrobe bows out of state Legion baseball tournament

Louie Amatucci, a rising senior at Latrobe, in at least one respect, is like many of his American Legion baseball teammates. He’s young and eager to return.

“A lot of these guys are eligible to come back,” said the Latrobe Legion team’s leading hitter.

Coincidentally, Amatucci’s older brother, Vinny, is the only player whose eligibility was used up Wednesday at the American Legion State Tournament in Derry Township after the Jethawks’ 5-2 loss to Bucks County-based Falls of Region 3.

“The lights were too big for us now. I don’t really know,” Louie Amatucci said.

Could be. After all, Latrobe entered the five-day tournament as the third-place team from the District 31 League of Region 7 and qualified only by way of hosting the event.

The eight-team field includes the Jethawks plus the champions of Pennsylvania’s seven regional tournaments.

Elsewhere on Wednesday, Charleroi eliminated Wesleyville with an 8-0 victory in the losers’ bracket, and Quakertown rallied for six runs in the top of the seventh inning to hand Harrisburg Paxton its first loss, 8-3, in a winners’ bracket game.

“We have a lot to be proud of,” said Zach Bush, a Latrobe assistant who managed the team’s three games while his dad, Latrobe head coach and state tournament director Jason Bush, tended to the business side of things.

With Latrobe out of the double-elimination tournament, father and son reflected on the week.

“We appreciate the support we’ve received here,” said Jason Bush, who also serves as director of Region 7. “It starts with the Latrobe-Derry Area Teener League facility and those folks allowing us to run this tournament as we see fit. I can’t say, ‘thank you,’ enough.

Zach Bush was appreciative, as well, adding, “Thanks to Latrobe and the surrounding communities. That goes for fans coming to the games. Our field crew has worked since Sunday, and they’ll work the whole way through the tournament in 90-degree weather. We couldn’t have done this without them.”

Many of the volunteers also support the Latrobe Legion team.

“A lot of them are either parents of players, parents of former players, former players, former teammates,” Zach Bush said. “That just means a lot to look down the sideline and see those former Jethawks that were here to help. It really made it worthwhile.”

It marks the first time a District 31 League team has hosted a state tournament and is just the second time in the past 21 years that the event has been held Western Pennsylvania.

Jason Bush said that Rosa-Oglietti Park, the site of all the tournament’s games, was chosen because it met specific guidelines of Pennsylvania American Legion Baseball, particularly the element of a fence.

Although the distance from home plate is shorter than at traditional fields, Jason Bush said there have been no complaints. He also said that having a lighted field was a factor.

Two of the Latrobe area’s main baseball fields were passed over for various reasons. The Latrobe High School field in Unity offers lights but limited seating, and Legion Keener Park in Latrobe possesses no fence or lights.

In its latest game, Latrobe (1-2) couldn’t build on Monday’s tournament-opening, 7-1 victory over Region 8 champion Wesleyville.

Falls right-hander Wyatt Spinks pitched 6²⁄₃ innings without giving up an earned run and combined with Kevin Pickard to hold off Latrobe, which scored its only two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning on Vinny Amatucci’s two-run single.

Ryan Cavanaugh drove in three runs, and James Baker was 3 for 4 for Falls (2-1), which faces Region 2 champion Quakertown in the semifinals at 6:45 p.m. Thursday.

Charleroi 8, Wesleyville 0 — Ben Shields gave Region 6 champion Charleroi a lift on the mound and at the plate in a losers’ bracket victory that eliminated Region 8 champion Wesleyville.

Shields tossed a shutout and went 3 for 4 with three RBIs for Charleroi (2-1), which advances to face Paxton at 3:40 p.m. Thursday.

Ashton Ray added two hits and two RBIs, and Lorenzo Glasser also collected two hits for Charleroi.

Jake Manendo led Wesleyville (1-2) with two hits.

Shields scattered six hits, walked one and struck out eight. He doubled home a run in the fourth and singled in two more during a five-run outburst in the fifth.

Quakertown 8, Paxton 3 — Daniel Qualteria singled home the tying run, and Brandon Pierce hit a go-ahead single, igniting a six-run seventh inning that carried Quakertown (2-1) past Region 4 champion Paxton (2-1).

Quakertown will play Falls in the semifinals at 3:40 p.m. Thursday.

Cooper Natisin pitched six effective innings for Quakertown before giving way to Qualteria in the seventh.

Qualteria, Ethan Beil and Ty Everitt had two RBIs each for Quakertown. Christian Foltz drove in all three of Paxton’s runs.