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Crissman Tosses Shutout as A-C Valley/Union Wins First Playoff Game; ECC Upsets Otto-Eldred

Bailey Crissman tossed a six-hit shutout of A-C Valley/Union and was named the Allegheny Grille Player of the Game. Photo by Chris Rossetti

EMPORIUM, Pa. – Bailey Crissman tossed a six-hit shutout as fifth-seeded A-C Valley/Union won the first playoff game in the co-op program’s history with a 6-0 blanking of fourth-seeded Cameron County in the District 9 Class 1A quarterfinals at the Cameron County Little League Complex Tuesday afternoon.

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“I was sitting fastball mostly,” Crissman said. “(I was) throwing curveball, it was breaking a little bit but I couldn’t find my release point with my curveball. But fastball, just blew it by them.”

Also see District 9 Class 2A quarterfinal recapsDuBois wins subregional game

               

Crissman walked two and didn’t allow a base runner past second base while being named the Allegheny Grille of Foxburg Player of the Game.

The Falcon Knights offense, meanwhile, saw every one of the starting nine get a base hit led by two hits apiece from Trey Fleming (2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 R) and Sebastian Link (2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 R).

“It was really important,” Crissman said. “We haven’t been hitting the ball very well, and if we did, it was going right to guys. Having all of us hit is pretty good.”

Watch Crissman’s full postgame interview

                          

A-C Valley/Union jumped on the board quickly with three straight hits after one out in the first, as Seth Best doubled and was driven in by a Fleming single. Link followed with a single that put runners at second and third after a throw to third let Link move up 90 feet.

But Estyn Solveson didn’t allow any more damage in the inning striking out Lane Bauer and getting Crissman to ground out to shortstop.

Solveson wasn’t as fortunate in the third when the Falcon Knights tacked on three more runs, two of them earned.

All the action in the third came with two outs, as Fleming started the party with a double to left-center and scored on a Link base hit to left with Link going to second on the throw.

Link went to third on a base hit by Bauer, and Crissman brought him home with a single off the shortstop’s glove that went into center field.

               

Chase Ruth then grounded to the shortstop Ryan Shaffer, but Shaffer’s throw got away from Jesop Farabaugh at third loading the bases, and Adrian Schmoll drew a bases-loaded walk to give A-C Valley/Union a 4-0 lead.

The Falcons Knights then tacked on single runs in the fourth and seventh to complete the scoring.

It is the first postseason win for a team representing A-C Valley since the Falcons beat Cameron County, 12-0, in 2011. It is unknown when a team representing Union last won a postseason game, although it was prior to 2011.

Shaffer led Cameron County going 3-for-4.

Solveson took the loss going 2 ⅔ innings allowing four runs, three earned, on eight hits and a walk. Shaffer went 3 ⅓ innings allowing one unearned run on three hits and a walk, while Farabaugh allowed one run on a hit and a hit batter in an inning of work.

A-C Valley/Union will face two-time defending District 9 champion and defending PIAA champion and top-seeded DuBois Central Catholic in the semifinals at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Kuntz Field in Punxsutawney.

(6) ELK COUNTY CATHOLIC 7, (3) OTTO-ELDRED 1

ELDRED, Pa. – Joe Tettis pitched six dominant innings as No. 6 Elk County Catholic knocked off No. 3 Otto-Eldred 7-1 in the D9 Class 1A quarterfinals in Eldred.

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With the win, ECC advances to play No. 2 Clarion in the semifinals at 1 p.m. Thursday at Showers Field in DuBois. ECC beat Clarion, 10-0, earlier in the season.

Tettis struck out 12 in his six innings of work, striking out 12 and allowing just four hits and two walks.

“I was really working on first-pitch strikes,” Tettis said.

Tettis’ catcher, Isaac Dellaquilla, was one of the offensive stars for ECC, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs.

“He was throwing hard, like usual,” Delaquilla said of Tettis. “They (Otto-Eldred) helped him out a little bit. They were swinging at everything.”

See Tetttis’ and Dellaquilla’s full interview:

Elk County Catholic jumped out to a 2-0 lead right away and never looked back, as David Anderson’s 2-run double got them going.

The Crusaders broke the game open in the fifth on RBI singles from Dellaquilla, Anderson, and Colby Nussbaum, with Nussbaum scoring on a double steal to cap the inning.

Anderson finished with two hits and three RBIs, while Nussbaum and Tettis had two hits each and Wil Wortman, who pitched a scoreless seventh, also had an RBI single to cap the scoring.

Manning Splain had an RBI single in the second inning for Otto-Eldred, while Austin Cousins finished with two hits, including a double.

Max Splain took the loss, allowing six runs (four earned) in five innings on seven hits, striking out seven and walking one.

                       

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