For the third time in four years, Beaver’s season came to an end against Sewickley Academy.
The Panthers, the nine-time defending WPIAL champions who will go for No. 10 today, swept the Bobcats, 5-0, in the WPIAL Class AA quarterfinals Tuesday.
A year ago, Beaver Area advanced to the playoffs in Class AAA but realignment moved them to Class AA this year. Normally, such a move would make a team a favorite but the Bobcats were moving into Section 5-AA with defending WPIAL Class AA Champ Ellwood City, defending WPIAL Class A champ Neshannock, and defending PIAA Class AA champ Riverside, so nothing could be taken for granted.
The Bobcats, though, did earn a playoff spot and could yet earn the top seed from the section. A key ingredient in that success has been senior righthander Austin Ross and Ross tuned up for the playoffs with a no-hitter against Laurel, winning 11-1. In the five-inning no-hitter, Ross struck out five and walked one and had a single and a double at the plate.
Beaver’s Connor Shallcross made the WPIAL Class AA doubles tournament in 2012 after winning the section title, then made this season’s WPIAL singles tournament after winning another section championship.
Now, the Bobcats senior will get another opportunity to play at the district tournament next week after he and senior Jimmy Cavato placed second in the Class AA Section 2 doubles tournament.
John D' Abruzzo features the Beaver Area baseball team:
"Bruce Herstine knew this season wasn't going to be easy for his Beaver Area baseball team.
After spending the past two years in Class AAA, the Bobcats dropped a classification and were realigned into what many consider one of the most challenging baseball sections in WPIAL Class AA.
"I don't know about the rest of Class AA, but I do know that just about all of the teams in our section can compete with anyone in Triple-A," Herstine said. "It's hard to say how good this section actually is, but I do know that when it's time for the [WPIAL] playoffs, there's going to be a good team left out."
Brad Everett's feature on Beaver's Anthony Keriotis:
"In some ways, Anthony Keriotis has changed in his four years as a standout sprinter at Beaver Area High School.
In his first race as a freshman in 2010, Keriotis was determined to make a name for himself right from the get-go.
"I wanted to go out there in the first meet and show people how I was going to do. I wanted to prove I was the best out there," Keriotis recalled.
His "over-enthusiasm" led to a hamstring injury that plagued him throughout that season."
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