Breaking the Scotties

After suffering a difficult loss on Friday to Kittaning during severe weather conditions, the GS baseball team hoped to recover during a section match up Monday night against Southmoreland. Senior pitcher Ben Yasika proved that GS will not bow when facing adversity after pitching a complete game shutout in a 6-0 victory.

Yasika allowed zero runs on 3 hits in a 7 inning outing in which he struck out three. Throughout the game, GS struggled to get timely hits with runners on base and the team needed Yasika's near perfect performance to overcome a fine pitching performance by Southmoreland's pitching staff. GS got on the board in the bottom of the first inning with a single by senior Nate Sphon, scoring seniors Dan Ranieri and Nick Diehl. The Lions went quiet until the third inning when Ranieri drove in Diehl on a single after a hard hit triple by Diehl earlier. Senior Vinnie Mongelluzo capped the scoring in the fifth with a two RBI double, scoring Yasika and junior Jordan Truscott. Despite the lack of offense, GS showed solid pitching depth behind Sphon who is considered the ace of the staff. Pitching will be key if the Lions hope to contend for a WPIAL championship later this spring.