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SLIPPERY ROCK — The Saegertown baseball team’s season ended Thursday afternoon with a 4-2 loss against Neshannock in the PIAA Class 2A quarterfinals at Jack Critchfield Park on the campus of Slippery Rock University.
Saegertown held a 2-0 lead after two innings, but a three-run fifth inning by Neshannock guided the Lancers to the state semifinals. They will face Mercyhurst Prep at a site and time to be determined.
“First of all, I mean, cannot say enough good things about this group”, Panthers head coach Nick Leslie said.
“I’m super proud of how we played this year – how the older guys kind of wrapped their arms around the younger guys and kind of taught them what Saegertown baseball is all about.”
One of those veteran players, senior William Shaffer, led Saegertown in its PIAA first-round win against District 6 champion Mount Union. The starting pitcher struck out three across four innings, allowing one earned run on one hit. He helped his cause by also going 3 for 3 with two RBI and one run scored.
Through 4 2/3 innings Thursday, though, Shaffer had given up two earned runs on four hits, leading Leslie to make a change with two outs and a 2-1 lead.
“[Neshannock was] putting some really good swings on the ball [in the fifth inning],” Leslie said.
“I think that was maybe like the third time through the lineup, and it just seemed like we needed to make a change right there with two out. You know, sometimes that works out, sometimes it doesn’t.”
Levi Gardner replaced Shaffer on the mound with two on at the top of the fifth. Neshannock’s Anthony Eakin stepped to the plate following the pitching change and hit a two-run single to give the Lancers a 3-2 lead.
The Lancers’ Mason Moroz was next in the lineup, and after Eakin stole second, Moroz hit a line-drive single to right field to score the third run of the inning.
The Panthers recorded just two hits over the next two innings, striking out in their last two at-bats of the season.
Blake Leslie and Luke Young scored the two runs for Saegertown in the bottom of the first and second innings.
In the bottom of the first, Leslie battled back down 0-2 to eventually walk. With Blake Burchill at the plate, Leslie stole second. He then stole third, and on an error on a pickoff attempt by Neshannock’s Hayden Tatterson, Leslie came all the way home for the 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the second, Young hit a leadoff double. He advanced to third on a groundout by Tyler Cherpak and then scored on a Quinton Burchill sacrifice bunt.
The Panthers led 2-0 and had two outs in the top of the third before Neshannock scored its first run of the day.
Ryan Cameron singled to get things started for the Lancers. Then Eakin hit a ground ball to Quinton Burchill. The routine groundout turned into an error that allowed Cameron to go all the way around from first for the score.
The Panthers — who were the District 10 runners-up — finish the 2026 season with a 19-3 record.
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Neshannock (4)
(AB-R-H-BI) Rickel 4-1-2-0, Pagley 4-0-1-0, Cameron 3-2-0-0, Eakin 4-1-2-2, Moroz 2-0-1-1, DiMuccio 2-0-0-0, Hutchinson 3-0-0-0, Quahliero 1-0-0-0, Tatterson 3-0-1-0, Gierlach 2-0-1-0
Saegertown (2)
(AB-R-H-BI) Gardner 3-0-0-0, Leslie 2-1-1-0, B. Burchill 2-0-1-0, Shaffer 3-0-0-0, Young 3-1-1-0, Cherpak 3-0-0-0, Q. Burchill 2-0-0-1, Wilkinson 3-0-0-0, E. Gardner 2-0-2-0
Neshannock 001 030 0 — 4 8 1
Saegertown 110 000 0 — 2 5 1
BATTING
2B: N — Eakin; S — Young
PITCHING
(IP-H-R-ER-BB-SO) N — Joseph 7-5-2-1-2-2; S — Shaffer 4.2-4-3-2-3-5, L. Gardner 2.1-4-1-1-2-3
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Saegertown held a 2-0 lead after two innings, but a three-run fifth inning by Neshannock guided the Lancers to the state semifinals. They will face Mercyhurst Prep at a site and time to be determined.
“First of all, I mean, cannot say enough good things about this group”, Panthers head coach Nick Leslie said.
“I’m super proud of how we played this year – how the older guys kind of wrapped their arms around the younger guys and kind of taught them what Saegertown baseball is all about.”
One of those veteran players, senior William Shaffer, led Saegertown in its PIAA first-round win against District 6 champion Mount Union. The starting pitcher struck out three across four innings, allowing one earned run on one hit. He helped his cause by also going 3 for 3 with two RBI and one run scored.
Through 4 2/3 innings Thursday, though, Shaffer had given up two earned runs on four hits, leading Leslie to make a change with two outs and a 2-1 lead.
“[Neshannock was] putting some really good swings on the ball [in the fifth inning],” Leslie said.
“I think that was maybe like the third time through the lineup, and it just seemed like we needed to make a change right there with two out. You know, sometimes that works out, sometimes it doesn’t.”
Levi Gardner replaced Shaffer on the mound with two on at the top of the fifth. Neshannock’s Anthony Eakin stepped to the plate following the pitching change and hit a two-run single to give the Lancers a 3-2 lead.
The Lancers’ Mason Moroz was next in the lineup, and after Eakin stole second, Moroz hit a line-drive single to right field to score the third run of the inning.
The Panthers recorded just two hits over the next two innings, striking out in their last two at-bats of the season.
Blake Leslie and Luke Young scored the two runs for Saegertown in the bottom of the first and second innings.
In the bottom of the first, Leslie battled back down 0-2 to eventually walk. With Blake Burchill at the plate, Leslie stole second. He then stole third, and on an error on a pickoff attempt by Neshannock’s Hayden Tatterson, Leslie came all the way home for the 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the second, Young hit a leadoff double. He advanced to third on a groundout by Tyler Cherpak and then scored on a Quinton Burchill sacrifice bunt.
The Panthers led 2-0 and had two outs in the top of the third before Neshannock scored its first run of the day.
Ryan Cameron singled to get things started for the Lancers. Then Eakin hit a ground ball to Quinton Burchill. The routine groundout turned into an error that allowed Cameron to go all the way around from first for the score.
The Panthers — who were the District 10 runners-up — finish the 2026 season with a 19-3 record.
------------
Neshannock (4)
(AB-R-H-BI) Rickel 4-1-2-0, Pagley 4-0-1-0, Cameron 3-2-0-0, Eakin 4-1-2-2, Moroz 2-0-1-1, DiMuccio 2-0-0-0, Hutchinson 3-0-0-0, Quahliero 1-0-0-0, Tatterson 3-0-1-0, Gierlach 2-0-1-0
Saegertown (2)
(AB-R-H-BI) Gardner 3-0-0-0, Leslie 2-1-1-0, B. Burchill 2-0-1-0, Shaffer 3-0-0-0, Young 3-1-1-0, Cherpak 3-0-0-0, Q. Burchill 2-0-0-1, Wilkinson 3-0-0-0, E. Gardner 2-0-2-0
Neshannock 001 030 0 — 4 8 1
Saegertown 110 000 0 — 2 5 1
BATTING
2B: N — Eakin; S — Young
PITCHING
(IP-H-R-ER-BB-SO) N — Joseph 7-5-2-1-2-2; S — Shaffer 4.2-4-3-2-3-5, L. Gardner 2.1-4-1-1-2-3
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