William Allen’s Wally Cartagena dives back to first base after his third-inning single.

By Rich Bevensee

Yorvi Lockhart saved his best pitching for his final appearance of the fall.

Lockhart, the right-handed ace for William Allen of Allentown, Pa., has struggled with consistency this fall, but when the team needed him to provide a playoff push, he responded with an absolute gem.

Lockhart recorded a season-high 12 strikeouts and crafted a two-hit, complete game shutout in propelling ninth-seeded William Allen to a 10-0, five-inning victory over the eighth-seeded Hackettstown Tigers in the first round of the Diamond Nation High School Fall League playoffs on Monday evening in Flemington.

“I am very happy, very proud, very excited,” said Lockhart, a senior at William Allen. “I was just focused, very focused and ready to compete so we could move on to the next round of the playoffs.”

William Allen (3-4-1) earned a berth in the quarterfinals and will face defending champion and top-seeded Whitehouse Post 284 (7-0) on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Hackettstown closed its season at 6-8-1.

All four quarterfinal games will be played Tuesday. The winners move on to the semifinals on Wednesday at 6 p.m., and the championship game follows at 8 p.m.

The shutout is William Allen’s first of the season, and the 10 runs scored is the team’s second-best output this fall. William Allen had an 11-11 tie with the Top Corner Sports Whitehawks on Oct. 6.

“But in that game we scored a lot of runs on errors,” William Allen coach Rob Leskosky said. “We really hit the baseball tonight.”

William Allen scored 10 runs on 10 hits, four for extra bases, and posted a crooked number in each of the last three innings.

“We gotta be ready to make plays,” said senior Joargenis Centeno, who went 2-for-3 with a triple and three RBI. “When the players are on the bases you gotta put the ball in play. That’s what we did tonight.

That was the case, being ready to hit.”

And it was a balanced offensive effort which drove William Allen on Monday. Eight of nine batters scored at least once and seven had at least one base hit. No. 9 hitter Jereck Perez had a key two-run double in the fourth inning.

“We’ve really struggled offensively this season,” Leskosky said. “This game is definitely mental and sometimes our kids (think too much). We went three weeks where we didn’t face a good pitcher and we still didn’t hit.

“I think that it was the playoffs. Our guys locked it in a whole lot better than what we’ve been doing. We haven’t hit the ball like that all fall.”

Joargenis Centeno drives an RBI triple in the second inning for William Allen.

Well before William Allen cranked up its offense, Lockhart was making a statement with his high-70s fastball and sweeper, striking out the side in the bottom of the first inning.

Lockhart walked three but stranded all five baserunners over his five innings. He stranded runners on first and second in both the third and fourth innings.

“I was feeling very good,” Lockhart said. “As every inning went by I was saying to myself, ‘Let’s go! Let’s get it!’”

Lockhart, who was also using a changeup and curveball, retired the final five batters he faced, including striking out the side in the bottom of the fifth to end the game. The five innings he worked was his longest of the season.

“I don’t know if it was deception but he had a ton of swings and misses,” Leskosky said. “He just filled up the zone. And the breaking ball started coming around, certainly better tonight than I’ve seen lately.

“He has the stuff, but it’s a matter of him having the confidence. He’s another one of our pitchers who struggles with confidence. Tonight the difference was he pitched with confidence.”

William Allen went to work in the top of the second when Jayden Mercado and Centeno roped back-to-back triples to give the team a 1-0 lead.

That lead stretched to 3-0 in the third on three hits and an outfield error. Wally Cartagena reached on a two-out single. Emill Roman’s single to left led to a two-base error, allowing Cartagena to score and Roman to reach third. Sebastian Pena singled to center to drive in Roman.

William Allen tacked on five unearned runs in the fourth. Centeno reached on a one-out infield error and stole second. Harold Perez walked and pulled off a double steal with Centeno. After a strikeout for the second out, Jereck Perez drove them both in with a double to left center.

Angelo Mora walked and both he and Perez scored on Cartagena’s two-run double to right center. Cartagena soon scored on a wild pitch to cap William Allen’s five-run rally which provided an 8-0 lead.

William Allen tacked on two more runs in the fifth when Centeno’s single to right drove in Pena and Mercado.

Yorvi Lockhart threw a complete-game, two-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts for William Allen

FIRST ROUND SUMMARY

5-Flemington Post 159 6, 12-Go The Distance 1

Nick Bott, Mike Parillo and Alex Albanese combined to give up one run on five hits for Flemington (10-4-1). Michael Augustus went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI. Bott was 2-for-3 with a triple, and Ben Annese and Albanese both had a double. Thomas Duffy had two hits for Go The Distance (1-7).

6-Bucks County Phillies Scout 9, 11-Zoned RedHawks 16U 1

Cole Forester went 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI, Stephen Pio homered and drove in two runs, and Sam Flansburg and Will Berkey combined on a five-hitter to pace the Phillies (10-5). Zachary Pizzie drove in a run for the RedHawks (2-6).

7-Allentown Legion 11, 10-FBA Jays Blue 7

Damien Porras was 2-for-3 with a triple and three runs scored for Allentown (8-5), which took a 9-3 lead after two innings. Janniel Hernandez and Ryan Rude both had two RBI, while Matteo Pandolfini and R.J. Davis each had a double. For the Jays (4-10-1), Mason Currie and Brandon Bender both went 2-for-3 with a triple, Nate Plebani tripled and drove in two runs, and Jack Budrewicz was 2-for-3 with a double.

QUARTERFINAL PAIRINGS

Tuesday, Oct. 27

9-William Allen (3-4-1) at 1-Whitehouse Post 284 (7-0), 6 p.m.

5-Flemington Post 159 (10-4-1) at 4-Montgomery Superior (15-4), 6 p.m.

7-Allentown (8-5) at 2-Zoned RedHawks 18U (6-0-1), 8 p.m.

6-Bucks County Phillies Scout (10-5) at 3-OOTP Cyclones 18U (7-1), 8 p.m.