Of the three divisions in the Pittsburgh National Adult Baseball Association, the top-tier five-team AAA level showcases some of the region's top amateur players.

Count Jefferson Hills' Jim Pasquine among them.

A former two-time Presidents' Athletic Conference Player of the Year while at Washington & Jefferson, Pasquine put on quite a show Monday night, helping AAA regular-season champion Jefferson Hills to a 4-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Bulldogs in a NABA playoffs opener at Beedle Park.

He scattered five hits and struck out eight in a complete-game performance on the mound, and didn't issue any walks. He hit two batters.

Pasquine also sparked Jefferson Hills' offense, hitting a two-run homer and a double and drawing a walk in three plate appearances. He scored a pair of runs.

“It was a great game. I'm excited for my teammates,” said Pasquine, a Youngstown, Ohio, native who sometimes drives up to an hour to games from his home in the North Hills.

“I still get excited to come to the field. But it's a little different feeling than in college, where you're out to prove yourself.

“It's all about the team now.”

It was the second NABA team from the Daily News area to open the playoffs with a victory.

On Sunday, the Whittaker-based Mon Valley Dirty Birds, who won the AA regular-season title, defeated the South Side Eagles, 13-1.

The Pittsburgh NABA, in its 13th season, decided to expand to three divisions this year to establish more consistency between teams with various talent levels.

Joe Graff serves as league comissioner of the wooden bat league open to players 18 and older.

“We're in the elite (AAA) division because it just works out better for us,” Jefferson Hills coach Keith Reynolds said.

“It's not a good division for teams who aren't as competitive. The league has put the best and most competitive teams in AAA.”

The nine-team AA division consists of some college and high school players, while the six-team A level is for anyone who simply has a desire to play the game.

“The leagues have done a good job of giving people across the board an opportunity to play,” Reynolds said. “That's why we have 20 teams in the league.”

In Jefferson Hills' playoff opener, Pasquine's two-run homer staked him to a 2-0 lead in the third. Jefferson Hills added two more runs in the sixth on three consecutive doubles by Pasquine, Eric Fairman and Joe Aul.

Dave Mackall is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at dmackall@tribweb.com.

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