Hopewell flashes shades of its 2021 squad with dominant WPIAL playoff quarterfinal victory
MCKEES ROCKS — When Anthony LaSala ran across home plate to put an end to this one in the fifth inning, his teammates and head coach couldn’t help but get hit with a feeling of déjà vu.
The Hopewell High School senior shortstop’s run put into effect a 10-run mercy rule and sealed an 11-1 victory for the No. 1-seed Vikings (15-6) over the No. 8-seed Deer Lakes Lancers (10-12) in Thursday night’s WPIAL Class 3A playoff quarterfinal matchup at Burkett Field. More importantly, it showed head coach Morgan Singletary’s group how dominant it can be when it puts it all together.
“This was our first complete game,” Singletary said. “We played defense well. We hit well. And we pitched well. We put everything together this game — the first game where we can say that we did everything the way we want to do it. I’d say that we’re progressing right where we need to be.”
For the first time this season, Hopewell looked like the team that won last year’s WPIAL title. Though it’s taken some weeks for the Vikings to get to this point, they’re certainly peaking at the right time.
The Vikings came out hot, putting five runs on the board in the bottom of the first. Before the first inning even concluded, the Lancers, who couldn't get their offense to click for most of the contest, pulled their starting pitcher. And by the end of the third inning, their deficit had grown to eight runs.
Four different Hopewell players tallied at least two RBIs in the outing.
LaSala — who led the way with a team-high three runs and two RBIs — is also starting to see similarities between his current team and the 2021 Vikings.
“We knew coming into the season what we had and what we could do,” said LaSala, who played a key role in the program capturing its fourth WPIAL title last spring. “But we just knew we had to mesh as a team. And throughout the season, we became a lot closer. And now, we’re starting to get hot at the right moment.”
As stellar as Hopewell’s offense was, its effort on the other end was also impressive.
Junior pitcher Lucas Arington gave up only four hits and one run and chalked up two strikeouts in 5.0 innings. He also was responsible for closing things out, driving home LaSala for the game-winning RBI that set off a dugout-clearing Vikings celebration.
“I just went out there, and I gave it everything I had,” Arington said. “That’s all you can always do. I threw my game; I threw my pitches. And I tried to compete out there, and it worked out pretty well.”
It was just a month ago that Singletary had questions about his ball club's maturity and readiness. Now, he speaks with pride about how members of his roster have grown into their roles.
As Hopewell gets set to play in Monday’s WPIAL Class 3A playoff semifinal, the third-year coach knows nothing will come easy the rest of the way.
“I know this team has the ability,” Singletary said. “But they need to earn it. Every game’s a battle. We’ve been through this. We know what it is when you get to the playoffs.”
Still, the Vikings have been there, done that. And finally, they’re starting to look like it.
“It’s comfortable, almost, to be in the same position,” Arington said. “We know how to do it. We know we can do it.”
Contact Parth Upadhyaya at pupadhyaya@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @pupadhyaya_.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Hopewell plays 'first complete game' in WPIAL playoff quarterfinal win
