PIAA BASEBALL Ellwood City edges Hickory, 3-1

The Wolverines needed eight innings to pull off the win.
By BILL ALBRIGHT
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
CHIPPEWA PARK, Pa. -- Ellwood City and Hickory couldn't decide their PIAA baseball playoff in a regulation seven innings Thursday, so the teams played an extra inning.
In the eighth, the Wolverines scored two runs to post a 3-1 win over the Hornets for their 12th straight win.
"We have been in tight games all year, especially in our league," said Ellwood City coach Jeff Fotla. "We are used to playing in this type of game and we just didn't buckle. It has just been an amazing season for us up to this point.
"You can't get to the big one [state championship game] unless you take each step one at a time. Hickory has a great ball club, but our kids were ready for them. They have some great players on that team, but today, the ball just went a little bit more our way."
Ellwood City leads early
Tony Cunningham gave the Wolverines (19-6) the initial lead when he singled and scored on Kevin Ricciuti's RBI single to center, but the Hornets (19-5) hung tough until they scratched out their only run of the game in the third.
With two outs, Aaron Brest singled to left and Craig Osborne followed with a single to right, sending Brest to third. When Ricciuti's attempted pickoff throw was wide of first, Brest scampered home.
Although he committed two costly throwing errors and a baserunning blunder, the story of the game for Ellwood City was the strong right arm of Ricciuti. Bound for the University of Akron on a baseball scholarship, Ricciuti went the distance for the win, allowing five hits, striking out 13 while issuing one intentional walk.
"It is the same old story again for us," said Ricciuti. "It is like an old broken record, you know, pitching, defense and getting the hits when we could and scratching around for runs."
Kulka pitches well
Hickory's Dustin Kulka was also strong, allowing the Wolverines' three runs (two were earned) on seven hits. He walked three, one intentional, and struck out eight.
"He [Kulka] pitched a great game," said Hickory coach Gary Hinkson. "He did everything we could have asked from him. We had our chance in the seventh and just couldn't get it done."
The Hornets had the winning run 90 feet from home with one out, but couldn't score. Ricciuti coaxed Steve Lumpp to bounce into a fielder's choice before he retired Brest on a called third strike.
"I really wasn't worried too much in the seventh," said Ricciuti. "It is all about confidence in myself and our defense. If I can just put the ball there, the guys behind me have made great plays all year and they did it again today. Jeremy [Honsaker] just made a great play. It saved the season for us and that is why we are going to the next round. It was just catch and throw for us there and we did it."