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Tuesday, April 30, 2024 | 7:29 PM
North Catholic’s Brady Koziara celebrates with Blake Primrose after Primrose’s solo home run against Kiski Area on Tuesday.
North Catholic’s Tommy Koroly hits a solo home against Kiski Area on Tuesday at No Offseason Sports.
North Catholic starting pitcher Caden Williams throws against Kiski Area on Tuesday.
North Catholic’s Owen Beatrice tags out Kiski Area’s Tylar Hanley on Tuesday.
North Catholic’s Tommy Koroly round the bases behind Kiski Area pitcher Austin Bachar on Tuesday.
North Catholic celebrates with Blake Primrose after hitting a grand slam against Kiski Area to highlight a nine-run fifth inning Tuesday.
Kiski Area’s Austin Bachar throws against North Catholic on Tuesday.
North Catholic’s Blake Primrose eyes up a pitch for a grand slam against Kiski Area to highlight a nine-run fifth inning Tuesday.
Kiski Area’s John DeLuca can’t get to a ball hit by North Catholic’s Tommy Koroly on Tuesday.
North Catholic’s Owen Beatrice tags out Kiski Area’s John DeLuca on Tuesday.
Kiski Area’s John DeLuca can’t get to a ball hit by North Catholic’s Tommy Koroly on Tuesday.
It’s not something that North Catholic coach Andy Przybylek shouts often, but it might’ve been the socks he was wearing that sparked some inspiration.
As his power-hitting catcher, Blake Primrose, stood in the batter’s box with a 3-0 count and the bases loaded, Przybylek yelled down the first base line: “It has to be in a Pringles can.”
Even with a curve ball on its way from Kiski Area starting pitcher Austin Bachar, the ball was right down the long imaginary cylinder as Primrose sent it to the opposite field for a grand slam to give the Trojans their first lead of the game in the fifth inning Tuesday. They went on to win 12-2 in a Section 4-4A contest.
“Like he said, it’s that one spot,” Primrose said. “It’s a 3-0 count, and I know we have runners on base, and when the pitch’s there, I’m just trying to get a good swing on the ball and it worked in my favor and got out.’
As Przybylek and Primrose relived the moment following the game, the coach pulled up is baseball pants to show off the red socks with the mustache-faced Pringles logo to show off what made him belt out the line of the game. It also worked out that Przyblylek was trying to keep his batter focused in the moment.
“Well, look at the socks, baby,” Przybylek said. “When you’re a hitter, it makes you lasered focus. When you say Pringles can, it lets that player know, ‘Hey, there’s a spot that’s OK to swing at 3-0 and there’s a spot that’s not.’ He’s got to stay on balanced and stay early on it and adjust his swing accordingly, and that’s what the good ones do, and he finds a way to continuously put the ball in play and over the fence.”
The grand slam from Primrose was his second long ball of the day. He evened the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the fourth when he launched one over the left-field fence.
As North Catholic widened its lead in the fifth, the next two batters followed suit with home runs.
First, it was the sophomore Owen Beatrice who cranked one out for his first high school home run as the excitement from the bench continued.
“The kid was smiling. He was having a good time,” Primrose said. “It was the perfect moment for it to happen.”
Back-to-back-to-back jacks ignited the Trojans’ bats and Josef Safar did not waste time welcoming Jonathan Walker into the game. The 6-foot-5 first baseman went over the tallest part of the wooden fence in right field.
The Trojans were not done bringing in runs in the bottom of the fifth as two Kiski Area errors led to Anthony Sewecke, Ryker Kennedy and Tommy Schafale coming around to score in a nine-run inning.
“We had a couple defensive miscues, which, they’re high school players, so that happens, but against a good offensive team, it really hurt us,” Kiski Area coach Mike Manning said.
North Catholic’s (9-4, 9-1) offensive onslaught diminished a solid first three innings on the bump from Bachar for the Cavaliers (10-7, 5-5). He set down nine of the first 11 batters a day after the Trojans jumped out to a lead in the top of the first on the way to a 13-2 win to earn their second consecutive section title.
Looking to bounce back a day later, Bachar’s early work and Blake Fritz’s RBI single that scored Nate Witt in the top of the first put the Cavaliers ahead, 1-0. However, outside of another Fritz RBI in the top of the sixth on a fielder’s choice, that would be it from the Cavs offense as they scored just two runs for the second consecutive day.
“North Catholic is very good and they can hit. Yesterday, I don’t think they swung and missed. Maybe once or twice. Today, we had them in check a little better, but as soon as we tired mentally, they jumped all over us,” Manning said.
Caden Williams, the Trojans’ starting left hander, struck out nine while giving up five hits and two walks in five innings.
“Every game, I tell him before to not try to do too much,” Primrose said. “Just pitch like you know how to pitch and that’s what he did today. He threw strikes, threw pitches that were unhittable, and it was a great performance from the kid.”
Tags: Kiski Area, North Catholic
