After a 7-11 finish in Class 1A a year ago, Riverview wasn’t on the radar of championship contenders for many going into the season — especially after bumping up to Class 2A.
The Raiders won’t be catching opponents by surprise much longer, though. After splitting a series with perennial title contender Serra Catholic on Tuesday and Wednesday, Riverview (6-2, 5-1) is tied with Ligonier Valley atop a loaded section that also includes the Eagles and Greensburg Central Catholic. And with his team only two years removed from an appearance in the WPIAL Class 1A championship game, Raiders coach Bill Gras is already starting to notice similarities between that 2021 team and this year’s bunch.
“This group also is the same guys who went to that WPIAL championship game,” Gras said. “As I’m on my way home tonight, I was thinking, boy, this is starting to mirror that year.”
After Johnny Bertucci’s sixth-inning sacrifice fly lifted Riverview to a 2-1 home win against Serra on Tuesday, the Raiders came out flat in a one-sided, 12-0 defeat against the Eagles at their place on Wednesday. And although he would have loved to steal a series sweep, Gras said he’s more than satisfied with a split against such a formidable foe.
“So far so good — until today,” Gras said. “It’s like they forgot everything that they’ve known. You would have thought they were a bunch of little leaguers out there. We just couldn’t do anything right.”
Gras pointed to an eerily similar scenario in 2021, nearly two years to the date, when Riverview beat Eden Christian, 7-6, in the first game of a home-and-home series before dropping the second game, 12-1. His players found a way to bounce back from the disappointing defeat to reach the WPIAL title game that year, and he thinks this group can also take away some valuable lessons from Wednesday’s blowout loss.
“These kids learned back then, and I think they learned a big lesson today,” Gras said. “Just because you won yesterday doesn’t mean this team is going to roll over for you tomorrow. You’ve got to stay up.”
Leading the way for the Raiders this year are a pair of standout seniors in shortstop Luke Migely and pitcher Enzo Lio. Migely leads the team in most offensive categories with a .565 batting average, 13 hits, 10 RBIs, 10 runs scored and 9 stolen bases. Lio, meanwhile, is hitting .389 with a pair of doubles, a triple and seven RBIs.
On the mound, Lio has solidified himself as one of the most untouchable left-handers in the area, with a fastball in the mid-80s and a wipeout curveball allowing him to rack up a 4-0 record with 39 strikeouts to only five walks in 22 2/3 innings. Lio’s ERA and WHIP both sit at a measly 0.62.
“Luke’s our star player. He’s our leadoff hitter,” Gras said. “I call [Lio] the bulldog. Give him the ball, and he’ll go out and give you six or seven innings.”
Of course, while Riverview has several players remaining from that 2021 WPIAL runner-up finish, the Raiders have their sights set even higher this year — and they know it won’t be easy in Class 2A. But if they can find a way to emerge with a section title, they should find themselves in prime position to make a deep playoff run, and possibly even to capture their first WPIAL title.
“I think they’re hungry. They want to get back to where they were. They want to get back to that championship game,” Gras said. “I’ve got eight seniors on the team, and they’ve played multiple sports. They’ve gone through this. I pledged to them today that we’re going to bounce back from it.”
South Side surging to scintillating start
Not many teams in recent memory can say they have started with an eight-game stretch as dominant as South Side’s streak to begin the 2023 season.
Not only are the Rams winning games, they’re doing so in style. South Side has won each of its first eight games by 10 runs or more, outscoring its opponents by a combined score of 139-4. Yes, you read that right.
The Rams (8-0, 6-0) added to their lofty numbers with a 27-0 win at Aliquippa on Wednesday, one day after a 15-0 home win against the Quips. The back-to-black blowouts came on the heels of a pair of lopsided wins against Freedom and Laurel to establish sole possession of first place in Class 2A Section 2.
South Side features six players with 10 RBIs or more and eight players with 10 runs or more through the team’s first eight games, including a whopping 22 RBIs for senior Alex Arrigo. Arrigo is batting .636 with 4 doubles, a triple, a home run and 12 runs scored. Senior Christian Mzyk leads the team with a .647 average, and senior Luke McCoy and sophomore Carter Wilson aren’t far behind at .632 and .625, respectively. McCoy has a pair of doubles and a pair of homers along with 16 RBIs and 13 runs scored, and Wilson has 4 doubles, 2 triples, a home run, 12 RBIs and 14 runs.
McCoy, Wilson and Arrigo are all slugging above 1.000, and each own an OPS of 1.700 or higher — and the talented trio are each taking turns shutting opposing hitters down on the mound as well. Wilson leads the team with 19 strikeouts in 12 innings, while Arrigo has struck out 14 in 10 innings and McCoy has 13 strikeouts to only one walk and no hits or runs allowed in six innings of work. Each of them has an ERA of 0.70 or lower.
Barnett bashing the ball for North Allegheny
Spencer Barnett had big shoes to fill as North Allegheny’s go-to hitter following Cole Young’s graduation, and he appears to be more than equipped for the job.
Through the first six games in 2023, Barnett has helped the Tigers to a 5-1 start with a 2-0 mark in section play after a 3-2 win against Butler on Wednesday. The former second baseman is now starring in Young’s former place at shortstop, batting a team-high .647 to go with 2 doubles, 2 triples, 5 RBIs and 11 runs scored.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound lefty boasts an OPS of .750 and a slugging percentage of 1.000 on the year, and he is also tied for the team lead with six stolen bases. Barnett is committed to play at West Virginia next year.
Steve is a sports writer at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he's currently on strike. Email him at srotstein@unionprogress.com.
