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Burgettstown loses more than a game

4 min read
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Riverside’s baseball team took more than the third-place game from Burgettstown in the WPIAL Class 2A playoffs.

They took Nathan Klodowski, the Blue Devils’ starting pitcher and arguably best player, and his father, Mike, an assistant coach for Burgettstown from Monday’s game against Johnsonburg High School in the first round of the PIAA playoffs.

The site and time of the game have yet to be determined.

The two Klodowskis were ejected in the fifth inning of Tuesday’s 6-4 loss by the Blue Devils to the Panthers at Washington & Jefferson’s Ross Memorial Park.

“(Riverside’s) coaches were asking me what he said,” said Burgettstown head coach Doug Tunno. “They didn’t hear anything. It must have been the gesture because he thought he had the kid struck out.”

PIAA rules require that a player who is ejected to be suspended for the following game.

“It happened on the same pitch we got called out on,” said Tunno. “He was frustrated and that (umpire) tossed him. The umpire said he’s gone. Get him out. What were you going to say?”

Interestingly, this game was worth nothing but seeding criteria for the state playoffs. Burgettstown (14-5) came in as the No. 6 seed and Riverside (16-6), which plays Mt. Union Monday, was the fifth seed.

“I didn’t hear him say anything,” said Riverside head coach Dan Oliaster of the ejection of Nate Klodowski. “I’m so into the game. If he said something, I didn’t hear it. Obviously, the umpire did.”

Riverside won four state titles in this century but this year’s team has struggled of late, losing four out of five at the end of the regular season and one of three – to WPIAL champions Serra – in the postseason.

Nathan Klodowski is headed for Saint Bonaventure next fall and catcher A.J. Kuzior to Marywood University in Scranton.

“What hurt him was he couldn’t throw the slider,” Tunno said of Klodowski. “His hands were too (sweaty). We tried to find someone to get us (a rosin bag). That’s his best pitch. It’s unhittable.”

Klodowski walked four and struck out two in four innings.

Riverside scored a run in the fourth, fifth and sixth to rally, then win the game. The last two won the game. One run scored on a fielder’s choice and the second on a single by Bo Fornataro.

Riverside starter Logan Greer lasted only three batters before being yanked by Oliastro.

Greer got a groundout by Klodowski but hit center fielder Eric Kovach with a pitch, then allowed a line-drive single down the left-field line for an RBI double.

That was it for Greer. Right-hander Christian Lucarelli came on and gave up a bloop single to left that scored Kovach.

Burgettstown made in 4-0 in the top of the third. Kovach reached second base on a throwing error by Riverside shortstop Evan Burry and scored on a single to left by A.J. Kuzior.

Pinch-runner James Luice moved to third base on a pair of wild pitches and scored on a sacrifice fly by first baseman Andrew Bredel.

Riverside got back in the game with three runs at the bottom of the inning. First baseman Mitch Garvin opened the inning by being hit with a pitch. One out later, right fielder Ashton Schlosser got on via infield single and Baron Hardy popped out to shortstop.

Riverside loaded the bases and Burry hit a popup in the infield that that was not played by anyone and fell to the turf. The infield fly rule was called and Schlosser scored. Catcher Darren McDade then tripled in two runs to cut Burgettstown’s lead to 4-3.

Riverside tied it in the fourth on a bases-loaded walk to Boehm and went ahead, 5-4, in the fifth on a fielder’s choice with the bases loaded.

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