Bethel Park ace shuts down Hempfield baseball team
Before the WPIAL baseball committee released the Class AAAA pairings last week, Hempfield coach Tim Buzzard said that Bethel Park would be a tough draw for opponents because of pitcher Corey Augenstein.
The Pitt recruit proved Buzzard right. Even though the left-hander allowed seven hits and three walks, Augenstein was at his best against adversity.
Augenstein struck out 13, worked out of two bases-loaded jams and helped No. 13 Bethel Park defeat No. 4 Hempfield, 3-0, on Wednesday in a WPIAL Class AAAA first-round game at Gateway. Hempfield (14-7) stranded 11 runners.
The Black Hawks (12-7) will face No. 5 Fox Chapel on Monday at a site and time to be determined. Augenstein and his coach, Tony Fisher, wouldn't mind returning to Gateway.
“Two years ago on this same day, Corey defeated Franklin Regional,” Fisher said. “You think Fox Chapel would mind if we played here?”
Augenstein told his coach after the game he wanted the ball.
Augenstein's first jam came in the second inning, when Hempfield loaded the bases on a single by Eric Loucks and bunt singles by Niko Honaker and Noah Beasley. But Augenstein found a little extra and struck out the next three.
“He buckled down,” Fisher said. “He believed in his pitches, and he executed. That's why he's going to be playing at a higher level.”
Augenstein said: “I had to get tough. I just tried to throw a little harder.”
Augenstein's performance impressed Buzzard, a pitcher himself at Pitt-Johnstown and Hempfield.
“We had our opportunities,” Buzzard said. “We just didn't get the key hit with guys in scoring position. He made the pitches when he had to.”
Bethel Park took advantage of two Hempfield errors in the fourth inning to grab a 1-0 lead. John Scarsella reached on an error and scored on a single by Rob Morosetti.
Honaker denied Bethel Park a second run in the fourth inning, when he gunned down Joe Zufall, who also reached on an error, at home plate.
Hempfield stranded runners on second and third in the fourth inning and two more in the fifth.
“Getting the run in the fourth inning gave us some early momentum,” Fisher said. “But getting two more runs in the sixth inning was even bigger.”
Scarsella opened the sixth by reaching on a misplayed double to right. Tyler Shoemaker reached on a sacrifice bunt courtesy of a Spartans defensive lapse. Scarsella moved to third on the play. Zufall then singled home Scarsella, and Shoemaker scored on a sacrifice fly by Morosetti.
Hempfield loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Augenstein fanned Loucks and Honaker to end the game.
“It was a tough matchup, and he's an outstanding pitcher,” Buzzard said. “He just buckled down with runners on bases. Not scoring in the second inning was huge. We never were able to get the momentum.”
Paul Schofield is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at pschofield@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Schofield_Trib.
