In Monday's edition of The Sentinel was a PIAA high school baseball notebook. Tacked onto the end of that were my projections regarding who will wear gold medals around their necks in a week at Blair County Ballpark.
A call to my cellphone early Monday evening labeled "Vets Box" (the number of the press box at Veterans Field in Altoona) brought good news: Seton LaSalle, the WPIAL third-place finisher and my dark horse state titlist, had beaten defending state champ Bald Eagle Area.
Later on, a text message from our writer covering Camp Hill declared that Christopher Dock, my pick in Class A, stomped GAMP 16-1.
So I was feeling pretty good about myself. I figured my pick in Class AAA, Sun Valley, was pretty much a lock. The District 1 champion Vanguards were 22-1 and playing close to home against an upstart Fleetwood team.
In AAAA I had Plum, the WPIAL No. 2 that was opening with District 6 champion Central Mountain. Now, District 6 is a little awkward. The Wildcats had to win one game to make it into the state field, so I figured their stay would be a short one.
A few minutes later word circulated through Bowman Field that Plum was gone, having been on the wrong end of a 9-7 decision.
Then the bottom fell out. Scouring the MSA Sportsnetwork page for the final few results brought a shock: Fleetwood 1, Sun Valley 0. The one pick I had the most confidence in couldn't even plate a single run to force extra innings.
I'd like to say 2-for-4 isn't bad but if I go the route I went Monday, I'll have exactly one predicted state champion remaining as we head to semifinals. Ouch.
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