BOYS VARSITY BASEBALL · JUN 9

The Upper St. Clair Baseball team lost a heartbreaker in their PIAA Quarterfinal matchup today, succumbing to Warwick Township 5-3 in extra innings. The Panthers took an early 3-1 lead in the third inning, ignited by Charlie Eberle’s triple into the right centerfield gap.  Warwick would cut the lead to 3-2 in the fifth inning and then tie it in the top of the seventh, maximizing a wild pitch and a throwing error to plate the third run. Joe Altvater kept the Warwick bats at bay most of the game, allowing three runs in 7 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts.  Several outstanding plays by Mateo Cepullio in center field helped hold off potential Warwick runs. Altvater was forced to leave the game with one out in the eighth as he exceeded the allowable pitch count per game. Peter Janoski relieved, yielding two hits that provided the winning runs for Warwick. Despite a leadoff single by Jack Shearer in the bottom of the 8th, the Panthers could not rally to overcome the 2-run deficit. The loss ends the Upper St. Clair season, a season which saw the Panthers reach their first WPIAL Championship game in 17 years in Head Coach Jeff Donati’s debut season.