6/13/2017
Holy Redeemer heading to state baseball
championships
Tom Robinson - Times Leader
Holy Redeemer’s Rob McClay scored the first run off the bat of Tucker Ell in the seventh inning. Fred Adams | For Times
Leader
Holy Redeemeer’s Sean Wills reacts after scoring the second run against Loyalsock in the seventh inning. Fred Adams | For
Times Leader
Holy Redeemer’s Tim Cavanaugh reacts after scoring in the seventh inning. Fred Adams | For Times Leader
Holy Redeemer outfielders Sean Wills, front, and Rob McClay, still holding the ball he caught to end the game, run to join the
infield celebration after the Royals beating Loyalsock in the Class 3A PIAA semifinals at Central Columia H.S. on Monday.
Fred Adams | For Times Leader
Holy Redeemer celebrates its 4-0 win over Loyalsock. Fred Adams | For Times Leader
ESPY — Each time the opposing offenses put together a threat, Holy Redeemer pitcher Tony
Molitoris and the Loyalsock Township defense got tougher.
For six innings.
Molitoris never budged, but Tucker Ell’s clutch, seventh-inning hit led to a Loyalsock defensive
breakdown as Holy Redeemer pulled away for a 4-0 victory in the PIAA Class 3A baseball
semifinals at Central Columbia’s Don Engle Memorial Field. Ell, the only player with more than
one hit in the game, made it to third base twice as a runner. When roles were reversed in the
seventh inning and Ell had a chance to drive in, rather than score, the game’s first run — he
delivered.
“We haven’t been shut out all year,” said Molitoris, who threw a four-hitter with a walk and six
strikeouts for his second straight state tournament shutout. “I knew we would get a couple, it just
happened to be we got them in the seventh.”
Ell finished a 3 for 4 effort with a line drive to left field to break the scoreless tie with two out in
the top of the seventh. He was one of three runners that then took advantage of Loyalsock errors
to build the lead to 4-0 before Molitoris took the mound for the last half inning.
Molitoris got the first two outs before Eric Holtz doubled. The senior right hander then brought
an appropriate conclusion to the game, sending Holy Redeemer into Thursday’s state final
against District 6 runner-up Central at Penn State’s Medlar Field at 3 p.m.
With a runner in scoring position, a situation he faced in five of the final six innings, Molitoris
struck out Mike LaPoint to end the game.
Loyalsock hitters finished 0 for 10 with a walk and four strikeouts against Molitoris with runners
in scoring position.
“You can’t do any better job than to throw that gem against a team that’s a state competitor every
year,” Royals coach Chris Ritsick said. “There’s no way to describe how well he threw.”
Holy Redeemer needed that gem when the Royals struggled to get a run across, right from the
start.
The Royals loaded the bases before the Lancers could record an out, but a Logan Edmonds strike
out and a double play ended that threat.
Holy Redeemer put runners on the corners in the sixth, but Loyalsock again turned a double play.
“We were a little deflated in one inning or two,” Ritsick said. “Just like our last game, we left
some opportunities out there. We were just hoping it wasn’t going to bite us at the end.”
Ell would not let it.
Rob McClay drew a one-out walk in the seventh against lefty reliever Anthony Pastore. Ninth
hitter Sean Wills kept the inning alive with a single and when Loyalsock could not pick up the
ball in the outfield, the runners wound up on second and third for Ell.
“It’s been the story of our entire postseason,” Ritsick said. “The bottom (of the order) has come
through for us.
“Game against game, they’ve picked us up. It’s been a great job, one through nine.”
Ell made the most of it after taking the first pitch in the dirt.
“Fortunately I was the one with the opportunity,” the junior shortstop said.
Ell knew when he stroked the line drive that it was over the infield and in front of the left fielder.
“I peeked a little just to make sure he wasn’t laying out to try to get it,” Ell said.
Left fielder Larry Van Stavoren never had a shot. From there, the Lancers finally gave in. Wills
scored the second run on a wild pitch.
Tim Cavanaugh’s fly ball was then misplayed in right field, allowing Ell to score and a wild
relay throw meant Cavanaugh circled the bases for the fourth run.
The Royals are now a win from bringing the school a spring state title for the third straight year.
The school’s softball team won state championships in 2015 and 2016.
“We talk about all year, our goals,” Ell said. “We set one goal, we achieve that and we moved to
the next one.
“At the beginning of the season, we set out for a district title and went after that. We kept
moving on. Probably, about halfway through districts, I said, ‘hey guys, let’s keep moving,
we’ve got a shot at this.’”
PIAA Class 3A baseball semifinals
Holy Redeemer 4, Loyalsock Township 0
Holy Redeemer`AB`R`H`BI
Ell ss`4`1`3`1
Cavanaugh 2b`2`1`0`0
Borum c`3`0`1`0
Flanley 3b`3`0`0`0
Choman 1b`3`0`1`0
Molitoris p`3`0`0`0
McClay cf`2`1`0`0
Bozentka dh`2`0`0`0
Ambosie lf-pr`1`0`0`0
Wills rf`3`1`1`0
Totals`26`4`6`1
Loyalsock Twp.`AB`R`H`BI
Van Stavoren lf`3`0`0`0
McNulty rf`2`0`0`0
Melito ph`1`0`1`0
Webb cf`3`0`1`0
Malone 3b`3`0`0`0
Watkins dh`2`0`1`0
Raemore 2b`0`0`0`0
Edmonds p`2`0`0`0
Pastore p`0`0`0`0
Fischetti ph`1`0`0`0
Holtz c`3`0`1`0
LaPoint ss`2`0`0`0
Totals`22`0`4`0
Holy Redeemer`000`000`4`—`4
Loyalsock Twp. W`000`000`0`—`0
E: Holy Redeemer 3, Loyalsock Twp. 4. DP: Loyalsock Twp. 2. LOB: Holy Redeemer 5,
Loyalsock Twp. 6. 2B: Holtz. 3B: Watkins. SAC: LaPoint.
Holy Redeemer`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Molitoris (W)`7`4`0`0`1`6
Loyalsock Twp.`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Edmonds`5`3`0`0`2`8
Pastore (L)`2`3`4`1`1`3
WP: Pastore.
HBP: Cavanaugh (Edmonds).
6/13/2017
PIAA baseball: Holy Redeemer blanks
Loyalsock in semifinal
Steve Bennett – Citizens Voic
WARREN RUDA / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Holy Redeemer’s Tony Molitoris delivers a
pitch against Loyalsock in Monday’s PIAA Class 3A semifinal at Central Columbia High
School.
Warren Ruda / Staff PhotographerHoly Redeemer’s Rob McClay makes a catch in front of
teammate Tucker Ell in Monday’s PIAA Class 3A semifinal at Central Columbia.
ESPY — Nothing rejuvenates a pitcher on a hot afternoon more than a few runs.
When those runs come in the top of the seventh in the state semifinals, the excitement can bring
out an assortment of emotions.
Holy Redeemer’s Tony Molitoris thought he was going to cry.
That’s what happened Monday when the Royals broke open a scoreless game with four runs in
the top of the seventh inning to knock off Loyalsock Township, 4-0, at Central Columbia High
School.
The win sends Holy Redeemer to the PIAA Class 3A Championship game at 3 p.m. Thursday at
Penn State’s Medlar Field.
The Royals will face District 6 runner-up Central.
Holy Redeemer’s game-winning rally was started by the bottom of the order, which should come
as no surprise as that part of the lineup has come up clutch on several occasions for the Royals in
the postseason.
This time it was Robb McClay, who drew a one-out off Loyalsock reliever Anthony Pastore.
After Pastore recorded the second out of the inning, Sean Wills lined a single to right. An error
allowed McClay to easily take third with Wills advancing to second. Tucker Ell then singled to
left to score McClay with the first run of the game.
“It’s been the story the entire postseason. The bottom came through for us again,” Holy
Redeemer manager Chris Ritsick said. “It has been game after game. They picked us up again. It
was a great job one through nine.”
Wills came in to score on a wild pitch to make it 2-0, and with the way Molitoris was pitching,
that seemed like plenty of support. However, the Royals weren’t finished.
Tim Cavanaugh hit a ball to the gap in right-center, but the ball was misplayed.
Ell scored without a problem. As Cavanaugh was sliding in to third, an errant relay throw
skipped past the third baseman. Cavanaugh got to his feet and scored as well.
“Two outs I was running on contact,” said Ell, who finished the day with three hits. “I heard
coach yelling that he dropped the ball. I had to turn on the burners. I’m still out of breath from
running and I see Tim scoring.”
There was nobody happier in the excited Holy Redeemer dugout than Molitoris, who still needed
to get the final three outs of the game.
“I started breaking out in tears a little bit,” said the right-hander who not only finished off the
Lancers in the seventh, but improved to 7-1 on the season and saw his ERA drop to 0.65.
In eight starts this season, Molitoris has thrown six complete games. It was also his third shutout
of the season.
“We knew they were a really good hitting team,” Molitoris said. “I just had to pound the zone as
much as possible and keep them off balance with my secondary pitches. The defense was making
good plays, and we got the runs when we needed them.”
The Royals put together a threat in the first when they loaded the bases with nobody out.
Loyalsock Township starter Logan Edmonds got a strikeout and a double play to end the inning.
In the sixth, Redeemer had runners on the corners with one out, but Pastroe got a double play to
keep the game scoreless.
“We were a little deflated one inning or two,” Ritsick said. “Just like (against Oley Valley), we
left some opportunities out there. We were just hoping it wasn’t going to bite us.”
Molitoris was able to keep Loyalsock Township’s scoring opportunities to a minimum. Two of
the three hits he allowed game when there were two out.
Molitoris stranded Connor Watkins at third in the second after Watkins tripled with two out.
In the fourth he worked out of a first and third jam when he got a groundout to end the inning.
After Chase McNulty reached on an error leading off the sixth, Molitoris needed just nine pitches
to end that scoring chance.
In all, Loyalsock Township was 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position.
“You can’t do any better of a job,” Ritsick said of Molitoris. “To come out and throw a gem
against a state competitor every year, there are just no words to describe it.”