DUBOIS — The subregional matchup pitting the DuBois baseball team against the Pittsburgh City League (District 8) champion has produced its share of tight contests in recent years, and Thursday proved to be no different as the Beavers used strong pitching and some timely hitting to best Taylor Allderdice, 3-1, on a dreary day at Showers Field.

The DuBois duo of Noah Farrell and Alex Sago — who have proven to be the team’s top two arms this season — combined on a three-hitter to help power the Beavers to their third win in four years against a City League foe in a Class 5A subregional game.

The pair were backed by an offense that pounded out nine hits against Dragons starter Zack Shook but managed to score just three runs, including unearned runs in the first and third innings that saw DuBois grab a slim 2-1 lead at that point.

That proved to be all the offense Farrell needed, as he worked into the sixth before hitting the 105-pitch postseason limit. Sago came on that point and stranded a pair of runners in the sixth in closing things out.

Meanwhile, the offense added a big insurance run in the bottom of the sixth on a two-out RBI double by Trey Wingard, who had two hits on the day along with teammate Samson Deeb. 

Farrell notched the win, allowing one unearned run on three hits while striking out 10 and walking three. Sago tossed 1 2/3 innings of no-hit relief, striking out one and walking a pair.

Shook wound up the hard-luck loser for Allderdice. He went the distance for the Dragons, allowing three runs, one earned, on nine hits. He had three strikeouts and a walk. 

DuBois lost in the same game a year ago in Pittsburgh when Obama Academy bested the Beavers by the same 3-1 score. DuBois in turn beat Obama, 5-2, at Showers Field two years ago. The Beavers also collected a more lopsided 10-1 wi vs. Brashear in the subregional matchup in Pittsburgh in 2022.

Next up for DuBois is a showdown with District 10 champ Meadville Tuesday at a District 10 site to be determined in the D-8/9/10 subregional final. The winner of that game moves on to the PIAA playoffs.

“That’s the thing about our team, we have the pitching,” said first-year DuBois coach Josh Johnson, who notched his first postseason win with the program. “So, if the bats come together and give us a couple run lead, the pitchers can relax a little keep pounding the zone.

“This was big win for us, and honestly, I think everyone is really excited right now about what this team can do. I thought about that the other night. This senior class could go out on a pretty nice note here if we keep ourselves locked in and play good baseball (vs. Meadville).”

Allderdice tried to make some noise in the top of the first, with Lucas Stead and Shook each drawing walks after Farrell struck out leadoff man Landon Blank. However, Farrell countered with back-to-back strikeouts of Donovan Snelsire and Satyan Chickering to end the inning and strand a pair of runners in scoring position.

The DuBois offense that got Farrell an early lead to work with by pushing a run across in the bottom of the first.

Deeb led off the frame with a double down the right-field line and scored with two outs when Mason Dinkfelt reached on an error to put the Beavers up 1-0.

Farrell promptly struck out the side in order in the second, posting six Ks in the first two innings,

DuBois threatened to add to the lead in the bottom of the second.

Bryson Kail beat out an infield single to open the inning, then took second and third on wild pitches. Allderdice elected to bring the infield inat that point with no outs, a decision that paid off for the Dragons.

Shook got Madix Clark to ground out to sharply to second on a play where Kail had to hold at third. Talon Hodge followed with a grounder to short, and then time Kail tried to score. However, Snelsire threw him out at the plate to keep it a 1-0 game.

Allderdice carried that momentum into the third and tied the game with an unearned run.

Luke Weldon opened the inning with a walk, while Blank singled. Lucas Stead followed with a grounder to Dinkfelt at first. The Beaver stepped on the bag for the first out of the inning, but his throw to second was off the mark, allowing Weldon to score to even things at 1-1.

Any momentum the Dragons may have gotten from tying the game was quickly take away though as DuBois got that run right back in the bottom of the third.

And, it was Farrell who jump-started things with a two-out single to left. Dinkfelt followed with a single of his own to put runners on the corners before Farrell scored when Tyler Chamberlin reached on a two-out error.

Chamberlin and Dinfelt wound up at second and third, respectively, on that miscue, but Shook wiggled out of the inning when he deflected a sharp comebacker hit by Kail that Snelsire fielded for an inning-ending 1-6-3 putout.

Farrell’s two-out run proved to be the difference in the game though.

The junior righty put up a quick zero on the mound with a 1-2-3 fourth, but found himself in a mini-jam in the fifth when Blank walked and Stead singled with two outs.

However, the defense came up with a huge play to end the inning as Dinkfelt made a nice diving catch in four territory right in front of the Allderdice dugout for the third out. He held onto the ball as he slide into the stone facing of the dugout after making the grab.

Shook also worked out of danger in the bottom of the fifth after Farrell doubled with one out and Dinkfelt reached on another Dragon error. The Beavers eventually stranded a pair though.

Snelsire led off the sixth with a single before Farrell countered with a pair of strikeouts, the second of which saw him hit the 105-pitch limit. Sago came on and walked pinch-hitter Hudson Leventon but fielded a comebacker off the bat of Kingston Mankoski to end the inning.

Wingard then put DuBois up 3-1 in the bottom of the sixth when he ripped his two-out double to left-center to plate Hodge, who had reached on a fielder’s choice. DuBois then loaded the bases on a Farrell walk but could only muster the one run in the inning.

Allderdice got a one-out walk from Blank in the seventh, but the Beavers promptly turned a nice 6-4-3 game-ending double play.

“It was another day where there was drizzle all game long, and it’s a wet baseball out there,” said Johnson. “So, to come away with having just one little throwing error (defensively), that’s still good. And, it’s a testament to these guys taking the ground balls at practice serious and getting all their work in.”

DUBOIS 3,

TAYLOR ALLDERDICE 1

Score by Innings

Allderdice;001;00;0;—;1

DuBois;101;001;—;3

Allderdice—1

Landon Blank dh 2010, Adrian Weise pr 0000, Brendan Maloney c 0000, Lucas Stead 1b 3010, Zack Shook p 2000, Donovan Snelsire ss 3010, Satyan Chickering lf 3000, Bramdon Stecik cf 2000, Noah Landi ph 1000, Chris Graves 2b 2000, Hudson Leventon ph 0000, Kingston Mankoski rf 3000, Viv Friedman cr-rf 0000, Luke Weldon 3b 1100, Nadav Gil ph 1000. Totals: 23-1-3-0.

DuBois—3

Samson Deeb 2b 4120, Trey Wingard c 4011, Noah Farrell p-lf 3120, Wes Clyde cr 0000, Mason Dinkfelt 1b 4010, Lucas Delaney pr 0000, Tyler Chamberlin cf 3000, Bryson Kail rf 3010, Madix Clark dh 3010, Boston Graham 3b 0000, Talon Hodge ss 3100, Walker Thomas lf 2010, Alex Sago p 1000. Totals: 30-3-9-1.

Errors: Allderdice 3, DuBois 1. LOB: Allderdice 7, DuBois 10. DP: DuBois 1. 2B: Deeb, Wingard, Farrell. HBP: Stead (by Farrell). SB: Shook; Thomas.

Pitching

Allderdice: Zack Shook-6 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO.

DuBois: Noah Farrell-5 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 SO, 1 HB; Alex Sago-1 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 SO.

Winning pitcher: Farrell. Losing pitcher: Shook. Save: Sago.