The State High Baseball Team defeated the Chambersburg Trojans on April 26, a special night for the team’s five seniors. The Little Lions picked up a second win over Chambersburg in three days with an 8-1 victory. Buoyed by four no-hit innings on the mound from senior Sam Janik, the Little Lions moved to 7-5 on the season.
After a three up and three down frame by the Trojans, the top of State High’s order scrapped out a run in the bottom of the first. Leadoff batter Jake Hall reached first on an error and was immediately moved to second by a Nick Belinc bunt. Hall then stole third on a passed ball, putting him in position to score on a ground ball by junior Sebastian Rhoades.
The Little Lions continued to play small ball successfully in the second inning. With runners on second and third, sophomore Michael Powell rolled a bunt right between the pitcher and the charging third baseman and managed to reach first safely while recording the first run of the inning.
Powell moved himself into scoring position, stealing second, but didn’t stay there for long. Hall snuck a ground ball past the Trojans’ third baseman, easily scoring senior Logan Shannon from third. Powell, who had no business advancing past third, turned on the jets and plated another run for the Little Lions off of Hall’s single.
Janik continued his stellar pitching performance in the third inning, keeping the score at 4-0. He was the clear MVP for the Little Lions on his senior night and has won countless games on the mound over his four years. Junior catcher Zach Mazer said, “Janik and Gino [Pighetti] have both pitched great games this year. Some of the teams we beat, we wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.”
In addition to Janik and Pighetti, the Little Lions’ Class of 2024 includes Belinc, Shannon, and Jensen Chesnut. Assistant Coach Jeff Kissell is a big fan of this year’s senior class. “We have really good leaders, and I don’t mean rah-rah type of leaders,” he said, “I mean helping the younger kids whether its technique or just tips that they’re seeing in the dugout, I think we have some really good leaders.”
Kissell isn’t alone in admiring this year’s senior class, college coaches have too. Next year, Belinc and Chesnut will both be playing baseball at Penn State Berks, Janik will be playing baseball at Bucknell, and Pighetti will be playing football at Saint Francis.
In State High’s half of the third, junior Jack Coleman created a spark with a double into right field, but the team couldn’t capitalize, stranding runners on second and third. The score remained 4-0 until the top of the fifth inning when Chambersburg put its first run on the board.
A dropped third strike and a walk set the table for the Trojans with Janik still clinging to his no-hitter. The bid came to an end with the next batter, though, as senior Brady Deneen lined an RBI single into center field. The Little Lions shut down any chance of an extended rally by setting down the next two batters with a strikeout and a line out.
State College looked to extend its 4-1 lead in its half of the fifth but was shut down by a Chambersburg double play. As Janik trotted out for the top of the sixth inning, the Trojans felt their chances of a comeback slipping away. Back to back singles showed a flicker of a rally, but it was shut down immediately by a ground out to Shannon at third base.
The Little Lions slammed the door shut in the bottom of the sixth. Junior Finn Powers started the rally with a pinch-hit single. Another pinch-hitter, junior Derek Moriarta, reached on a dropped third strike and Powers advanced to third. Shannon, who pinch-ran for Powers, then stole home on a passed ball to score the first run of the inning.
With runners on first and second, freshman Rowan Walker loaded the bases with a single. Three pitches and two more singles later, all three runners had scored and State College led 8-1. The State High dugout was fired up and the lights had gone out in the eyes of the Chambersburg Trojans.
Sophomore Cody Norman took the mound in the top of the seventh inning and needed just ten pitches to dispatch the Trojans’ ninth, first, and second batters. Norman threw just two balls and struck out two of the three batters he faced.
Norman relieving Janik symbolizes a changing of the guard in the State High baseball program, moving from the division one commit to the heralded sophomore. While Janik and the rest of the class of 2024 are still around, the team is looking to repeat as District VI Champions later this month. Mazer believes the Little Lions can still do just that, despite currently holding an 0-2 record against Altoona this season.
“We’ve played two really close games against Altoona,” Mazer said, “They’re definitely a beatable team, we’ve just had some little mishaps that have caused two losses to Altoona. I think we got ‘em next time.”
The Little Lions continue their ascent to the District VI Championship at Community Field on Wednesday, May 8, when they take on Central Dauphin.
