Riverside Clinches Section Title, Ellwood City’s Playoff Hopes Dashed

The Riverside baseball team completed its critical two-game sweep of Mohawk on Tuesday, earning a 9-4 road victory and clinching the Section 1-3A title.

The Panthers (13-1 Overall, 11-1 Section 1-3A) used a three-run homerun by Darren McDade in the sixth inning to put the game out of reach.

Riverside got on the board in the third inning, scoring four runs without the aid of a hit. Zach Hare was hit by a pitch and Sam Barber walked, each scoring a run and a fielders choice by McDade and fielding error plated two more Panthers runs in the inning.

Mohawk (16-3 Overall, 10-2 Section 1-3A) responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning as A.J. Verdi homered to left field.

Riverside added a run in the fifth and in the sixth inning Barber rattled an RBI single before the bomb by McDade plated three more runs putting Riverside ahead 9-2

Hunter Garvin earned the win for Riverside, allowing three runs and seven hits over 6 1/3 innings. Garvin struck out eight Warriors.

McDade and Ashton Schlosser each collected three hits for the offense. Barber knocked in three runs and Hare scored three times for the Panthers.

ELLWOOD CITY’S PLAYOFF HOPES DASHED

In win-or-go-home section contest Tuesday to earn a playoff berth, the Wolverines came up short and fell 11-9 at home to the playoff-bound Shenango Wildcats.

The Wolverines finished the regular season 10-8 Overall, 5-7 in Section 1-3A.

On Tuesday, Ellwood City trailed by as many as eight runs but staged a late rally that ultimately fell short. The Wolverines scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Jordan Keller earned a based loaded walk to score a run before Aaron Lake unloaded a based loaded, two-run double. Nate Kennedy brought Lake home with an RBI single to close the gap to 11-8 after six innings.

Ellwood City loaded the bases again in the bottom of the seventh and scored a run after Keller was hit by a pitch, but the offense fizzled and the rally thwarted.

The Wolverines offense gathered 11 walks on the afternoon but left 12 men on base in the defeat.

Lake and Keller led the offense with two RBIs each while John Biskup scored two runs. Owen Andrews took the loss for Ellwood City, allowing five earned runs on six hits in 2 1/3 innings.