Lake-Lehman’s Cole Kaiser (11) is safe at second base after Oley’s shortstop bobbled the ball.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
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Lake-Lehman’s third baseman Corey Bean fires to first during the semi-final game at DeSales University on Monday.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Lake-Lehman starting pitcher Nick Finarelli waves for a pinch runner after driving in Lake-Lehman’s ony run of the game.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Lake-Lehman’s Mike Sholtis (3) gets congratulated from teammate Gavin Wallace after he scored Lake-Lehman’s only run in the top of the seventh inning.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
The Lake-Lehman bench erupted with when starting pitcher Nick Finarelli knocked in the tying run in the top of the 7th inning against Oley in the PIAA Class 3A semifinal at DeSales University on Monday.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Ty Federici (44) is on deck with the Lake-Lehman fanbase cheering Lake-Lehman on.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
CENTER VALLEY — Lake-Lehman’s second and final hit of Monday’s PIAA Class 3A baseball semifinal was a big one.
Oley Valley’s fourth and final hit was even bigger.
Lehman tied the score in the top of the seventh on Nick Finarelli’s double only to see Oley Valley rally in the bottom of the inning for a 2-1 victory at DeSales University.
District 3 champion Oley Valley (21-5) advanced to Thursday’s championship game and will play either D6 champion Tyrone (20-4) or D6 runner-up Central (22-2). District 2 champ Lehman ended its year at 18-3.
Like in 2019, the Black Knights’ season ended in a state semifinal loss. This one came will elation in the top of the seventh and heartbreak in the bottom of the frame.
Up until the seventh, Lehman had one hit as Max Paczewski led off the game with a single, which came about when two Oley Valley fielders let his foul pop drop between them. Ty Federici and Graedon Finarelli drew walks to load the bases, but Garet Blankenbiller got a strikeout to end the threat.
Blankenbiller allowed just one base runner the rest of the way until Lehman’s Luke Spencer drew a walk with two outs in the seventh. Nick Finarelli then doubled in pinch runner Mike Sholtis to tie the score 1-1.
“He was going. I wasn’t stopping him,” Lehman coach Mike Sholtis said. “I wasn’t stopping him before (the outfielder) bobbled the ball, but once he did you got to get that run across. It worked out, but unfortunate the bottom of the seventh.”
The bottom got the seventh where Lehman’s jubilation didn’t last long. Oley Valley’s Paul Petersen singled with one out and then scored when the throw home on Lucas Milford’s double was well wide and off the glove of catcher Graedon Finarelli. Petersen initially stopped at third, but then saw no one covering home.
“I was going to send him until he didn’t exactly put the after burners on,” Oley Valley coach Nate Reed said.
Petersen, though, did so to score the winning run.
“I was initially running home,” Petersen said. “I was going to try to take home. Then I saw the throw going in and thought maybe stay back. But as soon as it bounced off the catcher’s glove I knew to run home.”
Nick Finarelli took the loss despite another strong pitching performance. He threw 82 pitches, struck out 10 and walked none. After an infield single by Luke McDonald plated Oley Valley’s first run in the second, he retired 15 in a row until Peterson’s ground single down the left-field line.
“There’s a reason he’s going D-I,” Reed said of Finarelli, who is committed to Virginia Tech. “He had great life on his fastball and looked like he had a great spin rate. He throws off-speed whenever he wants, so that’s two pitches for strikes whenever he wanted.”
Blankenbiller was also effective after a a 29-pitch first inning when Lehman loaded the bases yet failed to score. He allowed just one base runner from the second inning until Spencer’s walk in the seventh.
PIAA Class 3A Semifinals
Oley Valley 2, Lake-Lehman 1
Lehman`AB`R`H`BI
Paczewski ss`3`0`1`0
Morio lf`2`0`0`0
Morgan cf`3`0`0`0
Federici 1b`2`0`0`0
G.Finarelli c`2`0`0`0
Spencer ss`2`0`0`0
Sholtis pr`0`1`0`0
N.Finarelli p`3`0`1`1
Bean 3b`3`0`0`0
Kaiser rf`1`0`0`0
Totals`21`1`2`1
Oley Valley`AB`R`H`BI
Sandhardt 1b`3`0`0`0
Solley c`3`0`0`0
Reifsnyder 3b`3`0`0`0
Blankenbiller p`3`0`1`0
Yerger cr`0`1`0`0
Petersen ss`2`1`1`0
McDonald 2b`3`0`1`1
Milford dh`3`0`1`0
Knowles cf`0`0`0`0
Vaccaro lf`2`0`0`0
McMullen rf`2`0`0`0
Totals`24`2`4`1
Lake-Lehman`000`0`1 — 1
Oley Valley`010“1 — 2
2B — N.Finarelli, Blankenbiller, Milford.
Lehman`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
N.Finarelli L`6.2`4`2`1`0`10
Oley Valley`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Blankenbiller`6.2`2`1`1`4`7
McDonald W`0.1`0`0`0`0`0