Berkley Hills Renegades to host national tournament
August 02, 2012 - For the first time in team history, the Berkley Hills Renegades will represent the host Johnstown entry at the AAABA national tournament. The Renegades won the regular season of the four-team Johnstown City League and advanced to the playoff finals with a 3-1 series win over Laurel Auto Group. The Renegades then defeated defending champions Martella's Pharmacy in four games to win the playoff champions. Martella's also advances to the national tournament as the Johnstown runner-up entry (referred to as "Flood City" on this site).
The Renegades were on top of the AAABA league for the majority of the season and withstood a late season rally by Delweld to retain the top seed. Delweld had made five consecutive national tournament appearances before their first-round loss to arch-rival Martella's. Berkley Hills opened a 2-0 series lead over the Pharmacists, first winning 5-4 in 10 innings and then rolling on to a 13-5 win in Game 2. Martella's scored a 9-1 victory in Game 3 to extend the series, but Ben Weimer and Ryan Uhl pitched the Renegades to a 2-0 shutout in Game 4.
For the national tournament, the Renegades will pick-up four players: Marcus Shippey (Delweld), Ben Legath (Delweld), John Szmed (Delweld), and Dylan Wolsonovich (Laurel Auto). The Pharmacists will also pick-up four players: Ian Helsel (Delweld), Zach Solarczyk (Delweld), Josh Staniscia (Delweld), and Ian Stiffler (Delweld).