By:
Giustino Racchini
Tuesday, May 27, 2025 | 7:42 PM
Christopher Horner | TribLive
Indiana’s Charlie Manzi is greeted at home plate by teammates after hitting a walk-off 2-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning of the WPIAL Class 4A championship game against Elizabeth Forward on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at EQT Park.
Charlie Manzi came through in the clutch and paid the price for it.
The Indiana junior third baseman smashed an opposite field walk-off homer in the bottom of the 10th inning Tuesday evening to lead the top-seeded Little Indians to a 4-2 victory over No. 3 Elizabeth Forward in the WPIAL Class 4A baseball championship at EQT Park in Washington.
It was Indiana’s first WPIAL title.
Manzi, who went 2 for 5 with two runs scored, was mobbed by teammates as he crossed home plate and limped away from the ensuing celebratory dog pile that included the entirety of the 21-member roster
Left fielder Tim Birch also knocked in a run for the Indians.
The starting pitchers for both teams were highly regarded among the best in the WPIAL. Elizabeth Forward’s Cy Herchelroath, an Akron recruit, and Indiana’s Greg Minnick, who is headed to Texas Tech, had to battle soggy conditions when they took the mound.
Indiana (22-1) got on the board first after a balk was called on Herchelroath and led to a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning.
Elizabeth Forward (16-4) answered in the third when Herchelroath’s sacrifice fly evened the score.
Minnick was chased from the game in the top of the fourth inning after allowing two runs on three hits with four walks in 3 ⅔ innings.
JB Crovak’s RBI single off reliever Ryan Okopal put the Warriors ahead 2-1 in the top of the fourth and the lead stood until the seventh inning.
Indiana put runners on the corners, and with one out, Birch smacked an RBI groundout off Crovak, who came on in relief in the seventh, to tie the game.
Both teams had scoring opportunities in extra innings, but couldn’t capitalize until Manzi’s heroics.
Crovak, who tossed four innings of relief and took the loss, went 3 for 5 with a walk for the Warriors.
Both teams advance to the PIAA tournament.
This story will be updated.
Tags: Elizabeth Forward, Indiana