By: Greg Macafee
Sunday, May 30, 2021 | 11:01 AM

When baseball season started in late March, Quaker Valley got off on the wrong foot, losing back-to-back games against eventual Section 2 champion Montour by a combined 10 runs.

That rough start continued, but the Quakers turned their season around in late April, made a playoff push through the beginning of May, and showed just how far they had come when they pushed Montour to the edge in their WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal matchup May 24, at Fox Chapel.

“We got off to a slow start and it’s tough to open up our season against Montour,” Quaker Valley coach Dean Owrey said. “That’s a tall order. But I knew that we could regain our footing, and I thought our second half would be better than our first and it was.”

The Quakers jumped out to a 2-0 lead May 24 in the first inning and after Montour scored three runs in the bottom of the third to retake the lead, the Quakers responded in the top of the fifth with two more runs.

Junior Adam Tanabe and sophomore Jackson Bould split the pitching duties and held the Spartans at bay for most of the evening, but they scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth and never looked back.

“I don’t think anybody gave us much hope to be competitive, and we were,” Owrey said. “We gave them a dog fight, and we gave them a run for their money.”

The Quakers were close, too. During their two-run rally in the fifth, they had the bases loaded with one out and a 4-3 lead. They were on the brink of breaking the game open and possibly upsetting the No. 1 seed.

A comebacker to Montour’s Mason Sike started a pitcher to catcher to first base double play that suddenly ended the inning and allowed the Spartans to limit the damage to just two runs.

“My guy hit a hard ground ball right up the middle. It just happened to go right back to the pitcher,” Owrey said. “A foot either way, especially on a turf infield with the infield up, that’s probably going to get through and we’re going to score two runs. Baseball is a game of inches. These guys just really demonstrated a lot of resolve towards the end of the season.”

The Quakers scored another run in the top of the seventh but ultimately couldn’t push the tying run across.

Quaker Valley gained a lot from its run in the playoffs. Since taking over the program, Owrey has been building, and although the record might not show it, the 2021 season might have been his best yet.

Not one senior played against Montour on May 24. A junior and a sophomore took on the top-seeded Spartans, and three juniors combined to drive in four runs. Not only was the matchup a key moment for their confidence, but it also allowed the Quakers to gain that big game atmosphere experience.

“I only had one player on the field, junior Zeke Hendricks, who was a starter as a freshman. He was the only one on our side that had playoff game experience,” Owrey said. “So for these guys to win one (playoff game) and almost win two, coming in as a No. 9 seed, it was pretty good. There’s no question in my mind that it had to benefit them and they know what it takes now. They know the margin of error. They know the level of preparation and mental focus it takes to pull it off when you get down to the final eight or the final four.”

Despite such a young lineup, the Quakers finished with four hitters over .300, four with double-digit RBIs and tallied 39 extra-base hits as a team. The Quakers also built up their experience on the mound and had three pitchers throw 20-plus innings, including junior Andrew Glas, who threw 44²⁄₃ innings and had a 2.66 ERA.

Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@triblive.com or via Twitter .

By: Don Rebel
Monday, May 31, 2021 | 8:22 PM

The Montour baseball team won the tough Section 2-4A title by two games.

It was a blue collar team with white collar success.

It won 13 of 18 games, but many were nail-biters that were a preview of the Spartans’ postseason.

“We have been in so many close games this season that I am convinced it prepared us for what to expect in the playoffs,” Montour coach Bob Janeda said. “Whether it is strategy or personnel, there isn’t a situation that we really aren’t prepared for. We lost five games this year by a total of six runs. Four of the losses, to Central Valley, Blackhawk, South Fayette and West Allegheny, were by one run and the other loss was by two runs against Central Catholic.”

Montour earned the top seed in the 13-team WPIAL Class 4A playoffs and was awarded a first-round bye.

Janeda said there was good and bad to the 11-day layoff between the regular season and the 4A quarterfinals.

“I was very concerned,” Janeda said. “We worked hard over those 11 days in practice and had a scrimmage with Seneca Valley, which helped. However, after coming out of a very tough conference schedule and then finishing the season with two very good nonsection games against South Fayette and West Allegheny, the 11-day layoff was nice as it provided us the time to rest and get healthy. It was four or five days longer than I would have preferred.”

Montour opened its postseason against a familiar foe in Quaker Valley. The Quakers defeated Knoch in the first round to set up a third meeting with the Spartans, who won twice twice in the regular season.

“I was worried about this game for a number of reasons,” Janeda said. “First, the extended lay off and secondly, Quaker Valley is a very good team who improved as the season went on. They were a much different team than the one we opened up against in late March. Finally, we are a very young team and I wasn’t sure how the guys were going to react to the pressure of WPIAL playoff baseball.

After falling behind 2-0 in the first inning, Montour scored three runs in the third to take the lead.

The Quakers regained the lead in the fifth inning and were poised for the upset before the Spartans answered with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead for good.

“I couldn’t have been more proud of how they responded,” Janeda said. “(Dylan) Mathiesen wasn’t as sharp as he was all year, but he was able to give us five innings. From a pitching perspective, we hoped for five out of him, we then used (Mason) Sike for a bridge inning in the sixth and felt very good bringing in our senior lefty (Gannon) Kadlecik for the final three outs. Offensively, we did just enough to win the game and we were able to deliver some quality at-bats and clutch hits when they were needed most.”

Following the 6-5 win, Montour moved on to the final four and a showdown with the WPIAL Class 5A runner-up from 2019, Laurel Highlands.

“When we boarded the bus on campus to leave for Fox Chapel, I sensed a very loose and relaxed team,” Janeda said. “It was a much different feeling than the day before. The guys had the music playing, and there was a lot of positive energy on the bus trip. Winning the tight game the night before and getting the rust off from having eleven days off helped tremendously.

“Secondly, and most importantly, Kadlecik was lights out on the mound. He gave us six strong innings allowing only one run. We got exactly what we hoped for from our senior leader in a big game.”

Sike had two doubles and four RBIs, and Aidan Deluca added two hits and two runs batted in. Each had a pair of hits as the Spartans scored two runs each in the second, third, fifth and sixth innings and cruised to an 8-1 victory.

Montour is one win from the school’s first baseball championship in nearly a half-century. The Spartans, which won gold in 1972, will face a familiar opponent in New Castle, a team Montour defeated twice this season.

“I think it is going to be a great ballgame, just like the prior two were earlier in the season,” Janeda said. “New Castle doesn’t have many weaknesses. We have seen their ace twice so I suspect we will see him again. He is a tremendous pitcher, and we will have to work very hard to put together some quality at-bats. We also have some pretty good pitching, as well, so I expect it to be a close, low-scoring game.”

Noah Hiles

Beaver County Times

FOX CHAPEL — A common goal for most low seeded teams is to pull off an upset over a top-ranked opponent. The Quaker Valley boys baseball team was in a prime position to do just that in its quarterfinal match up against No. 1 seed Montour on Monday. 

The No. 9 Quakers took a 4-3 lead into the start of the sixth inning, looking to add a few more insurance runs in the final two frames. After loading the bases with only one out, it seemed as though Quaker Valley was about to blow the game wide open. 

Then, one pitch changed everything. 

A hard-hit ground ball up the middle ended the top of the sixth inning without Quaker Valley scoring any additional runs. Montour went on to score three runs in the bottom half, which was enough to help it escape the upset, coming out on top by a final of 6-5 at Fox Chapel high school. 

"We came here to win, but I'm so proud of this group," head coach Dean Owrey said. "They showed poise tonight. I'm proud of how they played. We got better. We were really one hit away." 

Quaker Valley fought hard against Montour until the very end, as it has done all season long.

After getting off to a slow start in the regular season, the Quakers got hot at the right time. Their strong-late season push earned them fourth place in the loaded Section 2-4A and a WPIAL playoff birth. "Every game in our section is a tough one," Owrey said. "There isn't an easy win. Even teams that didn't make the playoffs like Ambridge or Central Valley aren't a cakewalk. It's a dog fight every night. It prepares us for tough games in the playoffs." 

A one-run victory over Knoch in the opening round wasn't enough to satisfy Quaker Valley. Its play early on showed it was hungry to keep its season alive. The Quakers jumped out ahead to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning, after Jack Gardinier and Zeke Hendricks brought home Ethan Faris and Hunter Doherty. 

Even after surrendering the lead in the sixth, the Quakers refused to go down easily. Back-to-back doubles by Gardinier and Hendricks to start the top of the seventh brought Quaker Valley within a one, with the tying run in scoring position. A clutch save from Gannon Kadlecik was required for Montour to hang on. 

Despite the loss, Owrey says his club's solid showing in May paired with the bulk of the roster returning has him excited for what has yet to come. 

"We played four sophomores and five juniors today," Owrey said. "[Montour] knows how to win, but we're learning. I love my guys and I can't wait to see what they can do next season." 

By: Chris Harlan
Monday, May 24, 2021 | 11:51 PM

With two runners on, no outs and trailing by a run, Montour’s Mason Sike was told to be ready to lay down a bunt.

To his surprise, the bunt sign never came.

“I was really thinking it was going to happen, and he gave me the green light,” said Sike, who instead lined an RBI double to left, part of a three-run, sixth-inning rally to defeat Quaker Valley, 6-5, in a WPIAL Class 4A quarterfinal Monday at Fox Chapel.

“He trusted me enough to let me swing,” Sike said, “and it ended up paying off.”

In a one-run game, as Montour knows well this season, small decisions can make big differences.

“I was torn,” Spartans coach Bob Janeda said. “I’m happy with the results.”

The back-and-forth win carried top-seeded Montour (14-5) to the semifinals to face No. 5 Laurel Highlands at 3 p.m. Tuesday back at Fox Chapel.

Against No. 9 Quaker Valley (9-12), the Spartans had trailed 2-0, led 3-2, trailed 4-3 and led 6-4. The Quakers tried to retake the lead again in the seventh, but Montour closer Gannon Kadlecik shut down the Quakers’ rally after one run.

“It was a hard game throughout,” Sike said. “We ended up coming clutch.”

Montour’s bats did damage in two innings, scoring three runs each in the third and sixth innings. Kadlecik keyed the third-inning rally with a two-run double.

In the sixth, Montour’s Ryan Gallagher followed Sike’s double with a sacrifice fly that scored Matt Luchovick. Sike then jogged home for a 6-4 lead when Quaker Valley’s arrant relay throw to the plate bounced out of play.

“The fans, the Burkett Birds (student section), they were all going nuts,” Sike said. “It’s the playoffs, bottom six and you’ve got the lead? That’s the best feeling in the world.”

Sike’s double wasn’t the only time he made Janeda’s strategy look flawless Monday.

In the top of the sixth, with Sike pitching in relief, Janeda decided to load the bases with an intentional walk. Sike promptly forced a comebacker that sparked a pitcher, to catcher to first base double-play to escape the jam unfazed.

Quaker Valley’s lead seemed destined to grow, but instead stayed 4-3.

“We were one hit away,” QV coach Dean Owrey said. “That ground ball back to the pitcher, six inches (farther away) and it gets through there and I get two runs.”

Sike pitched a scoreless sixth inning to earn the win in relief.

Montour starter Dylan Mathiesen allowed four runs on four hits over five innings, walked three and hit one batter. Luchovick relieved Sike and retired three of the four batters he faced to earn the save.

Quaker Valley scored two runs each in the first and fifth innings off Mathiesen and one in the seventh charged to Sike. Hunter Doherty and Jack Gardinier each scored twice for the Quakers, and Zeke Hendricks had three RBIs.

QV starter Adam Tanabe pitched the first three innings, and Jackson Bould handled the final three. They each allowed three runs.

As section foes, this was the third time Montour and Quaker Valley played one another this season. Montour won 11-3 and 7-5 in March.

“This is not the team that played them March 29 and March 30,” Owrey said. “I’ve got four sophomores and five juniors. I don’t have a senior on the field. … We were playing our best baseball at the end of the season.”

Montour played its share of close games this spring, losing five by a combined six runs.

But memories of another one-run loss loomed larger Monday. The last time the WPIAL held playoffs, Montour lost 5-4 in the first round in 2019.

“We remembered how that felt walking out of there,” Janeda said. “We said today, we’ve got to be on the other end of this.”Chris Harlan is a Tribune-Review Staff Writer. You can contact Chris by email at charlan@triblive.com or via Twitter .

By: Greg Macafee 
Sunday, May 2, 2021 | 11:01 AM

Christopher Horner | Tribune-Review 

Quaker Valley’s Zeke Hendricks bats during a game against New Castle on April 20, 2021, at Esmark Field.

This season has been filled with ups and downs for the Quaker Valley baseball team.

The Quakers recently hit one of their highest points during their Section 2-4A series against Trib HSSN’s Class 4A No. 1 team, Blackhawk.

On April 26, the Quakers (4-8, 3-5) dropped a 5-4 decision to the Cougars but scored their four runs in the sixth and seventh innings to put Blackhawk on the ropes. After a lack of production all season, it was a nice sight to see for coach Dean Owrey.

When the Cougars visited Quaker Valley the next day, the Quakers continued to hit. They plated four runs in the first, one in the second, two in both the third and the fourth and then capped off the 12-2 win with three runs in the fifth to 10-run rule the first-place Cougars.

“We gave them a run in the sixth and the seventh inning on Monday and then that turned into one, two, three, four and five innings (the next day),” Owrey said. “So, that’s kind of how the last two games have gone, and that’s encouraging, but one game doesn’t make a trend. So while we were satisfied (that) night, we can’t remain satisfied. That’s the enemy of greatness.”

Through the first part of the season, the Quakers battled some of the top teams in their section and played a tough nonsection schedule, as well. Their four victories have come against South Side, Central Valley (twice) and Blackhawk. They’ve played the top three teams in the section — Blackhawk, Montour and New Castle — and still have matchups against both Beaver and Ambridge, who have combined for five total wins.

The Quakers have been competitive in losses, as well. They lost to Montour by two runs, dropped a tough one-run nonsection game to Hopewell, and also lost to Moon by one run. So, although their record may not reflect the improvements they’ve made, Owrey said their tough schedule has prepared them for the second half of the season.

“We have a tough section schedule and we have an equally difficult nonsection purposely because guys need to know what tough competition looks like,” Owrey said. “I expect that our second half will be better than our first half, and I have no reason to believe that (Blackhawk) was an aberration because I’ve seen this team do this before.”

So far this year, junior Jack Gardinier has been leading the way for the Quakers with a .343 batting average, 12 hits, three RBIs and four doubles. He also has pitched 13¹⁄₃ innings and has produced a 3.68 ERA.

“Jack is an athlete, there’s no other better description, he’s just an athlete,” Owrey said. “He’s a game planner, he’s been the most consistent out of the bunch. He’s got guys around him as well who are also talented, but they’ve just had a little more inconsistency.”

Consistency and run production are two things the Quakers have lacked. When they are hitting well, they might not be fielding or pitching well and vice versa. It’s happened on multiple occasions. Their win over Blackhawk was the first time that everything came together at once.

Owrey is hoping his team can build on that win because a game like that can often open things up mentally for players and allow them to relax at the plate and deliver in big situations.

“We tell the guys that’s it’s not good enough to just hit the baseball; you have to hit the baseball hard and for a moment you got to have some aggression,” Owrey said. “So, when they are hitting the ball hard and other guys are seeing their teammates hit the ball hard, it’s a contagious element of the game and we saw that against Blackhawk. It just inspires the next guy.”

While their run production has been inconsistent, Owrey has gotten a lot on the mound from junior Andrew Glas. He’s appeared in six games, throwing 26²⁄₃ innings with a 2.10 ERA.

He has pitched five or more innings on three occasions and threw a complete-game four-hitter against South Side on April 6. But, Owrey is still looking to provide Glas with a little more run support.

“He’s done an outstanding job for us; we just haven’t given him any run support,” Owrey said. “He’s pitched really top of the shelf. He’s done everything that we’ve asked him to do, we just haven’t given him any run support. He can throw a two- or three-run game, and we have to be able to score that many runs.”

Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@triblive.com or via Twitter .

By: Greg Macafee 
Sunday, March 28, 2021 | 10:01 AM

In his first season, Owrey and the Quakers captured 11 games and punched their ticket to the WPIAL Class 4A playoffs before losing to South Park, 2-1, in the first round. Now, even after a canceled 2020 season, the Quakers have continued to make strides as they look to return to the playoffs.

“That was kind of a disappointing outcome to otherwise what was a good season and a rebounding season for Quaker Valley because the year before that, they struggled and they had some turnover,” Owrey said. “With losing last year, we lost a fair amount of time, but we were fortunately able to run our late summer/fall program.

“So, these kids ended up having 45-50 touches between games and practices. So, I feel like in the fall, we kind of recaptured what we lost with the canceled 2020 season, and it gave us a little momentum coming into this year.”

The Quakers are in the same boat as most teams this season as they won’t have much experience coming back from 2019. Junior Zeke Hendricks, who is primarily a catcher but will also pitch and play third base, is the lone starter returning. Owrey will also return juniors Jack Gardinier and Ethan Faris, along with senior Caleb Piatt.

All four players were varsity letter winners the last time Quaker Valley took the field, and they all provide this year’s team with athleticism and versatility.

“They have a lot of raw athleticism. They are just fast, gritty, and you can do a lot with grit and athleticism,” Owrey said. “Those four have it, but there are a few others that are around them that make them even better and not so one-dimensional. I would say we were a little more one-dimensional in 2019 with some of our offense. But with those four and a couple other guys, we have the opportunity to be explosive.”

Owrey said sophomore Jimmy Zugai and junior Tomasso Floro will provide Quaker Valley with power. Adam Tanabe, a junior left hander, could also be a big bat in the lineup, Owrey said.

“He’s kind of a lanky left-hander that’s sneaky powerful,” Owrey said. “He doesn’t impose his dominance on you when you look at him, but he can hit the ball hard.”

Overall, the Quakers have a little bit of everything, and Owrey believes that they are going to have more layers to their offense this season than they did two years ago.

“We have speed that will match anyone’s and we have power,” Owrey said. “In 2019, we had Christian Johnston, who changed the dimension of the game with one swing. This year, I have three or four guys that can go deep with one swing. So, we have a little bit more up and down the lineup.”

While their bats might be a strength this season, Owrey said the Quakers will rely on several pitchers. Without one true ace, Owrey said they’ll start the season with a committee approach to keep teams off guard each time they go through the lineup.

“We don’t have a pitcher that’s going to throw it through the opposing team,” Owrey said. “We don’t have a guy that’s going to just shut it down. We have a lot of guys who are decent pitchers, but none that are dominant, so we are going to have to pitch by committee.”

With a number of pitchers set to eat up innings, the Quakers also have a lot of versatility defensively and have multiple guys who will play multiple positions. Owrey believes they will need that this year as playing solid defense will be a key to his team coming away with wins.

“I think we are going to score runs, and I think we are going to be effective baserunners, but I think we have to play sound defense in order to complement our pitching,” Owrey said. “I just gotta have eight guys behind the pitcher who can play defense and make the routine plays.”

Greg Macafee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Greg by email at gmacafee@triblive.com or via Twitter .