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Thursday, May 2, 2024 | 4:59 PM
Christopher Horner | TribLive
Norwin head coach Craig Spisak watches from the dugout during a game at North Allegheny earlier this season.
Christopher Horner | TribLive
Norwin head coach Craig Spisak watches from the third base coach’s box during a game at North Allegheny earlier this season.
Christopher Horner | TribLive
Norwin head coach Craig Spisak talks with Matt O’Neil during a game at North Allegheny earlier this season.
A three-game losing streak — the product of a Section 2-6A sweep by Mt. Lebanon — stung in the short term, but it did not deter Norwin baseball from its long-range goals.
After the Knights lost Game 3 at home, second-year coach Craig Spisak held his chin high and showed no signs of concern.
The retired state trooper knew his team would do the right thing.
A week later, he was celebrating a three-game sweep of Central Catholic, and his Knights were pulling closer to a WPIAL playoff spot.
“Our kids know there is going to be a lot of adversity in this game,” Spisak said. “I know they are going to battle.”
Norwin (9-8, 7-6) beat Central Catholic, 8-4, to move 2.5 games ahead of the Vikings for fourth place in the standings. The sweep was the first for Spisak since he took over the program.
The Knights won games 1 and 2 by scores of 3-2 and 5-4.
The top four teams make the playoffs, and Norwin became one of them when it defeated Hempfield, 10-8, in the first game of the teams’ three-game set.
Keegan Carr went 3 for 5 with three RBIs, and Nate Silberman, Jackson Huss and Nolan Ryan drove in two each in the win over Hempfield.
The third-place Knights may have a near-.500 record, but they are way above that mark when it comes to young potential and talent.
“We started out a little rough, but we’ve worked hard and we’re having fun now,” said Carr, a senior second baseman who is an IUP commit. “The thing is, we all want to win. We keep getting better.”
It’s been an up and down season, and the numbers show it: The Knights had scored 86 runs and allowed 93 heading into their last section game of the season against Hempfield.
Asked if his team had an identity, Spisak pointed to a benevolent attitude.
“Our kids are unselfish. It’s more about the name on the front of their shirt than the back,” he said. “They’re more worried about the team. If a kid goes 3 for 3 and we lose, he’s upset. The personal achievements come second.”
Norwin recently honored its five seniors: Carr, Ty Cupp (Mercyhurst), Nate Helphenstine, Nolan Ryan (Penn State Greater Allegheny) and Will Griffiths.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at [email protected].
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