STATE COLLEGE – It was deja vu for Indiana, until it wasn’t.
Indiana wins their second straight PIAA 4A State Championship with a 6-5 win over Holy Ghost Prep, despite a fierce comeback for the Firebirds in the bottom of the seventh, eerily similar to their comeback late in 2024.
This time, Charlie Manzi was the X factor for Indiana, as the Seton Hill recruit homered, doubled twice, and also threw three innings of relief in the win.
“It’s so exciting, Holy Ghost didn’t go down without a fight,” said Indiana Head Coach Dan Petroff on the win. “But with Charlie on the mound, we knew he wasn’t going down without a fight either, so it was just man on man.”
Indiana got their offense going early when Ethan Shank was hit by a pitch and Charlie Manzi crushed a double, but it actually took an unfortunate Indiana bounce as it went over the fence and caused courtesy runner Jace Brocious to have to stay at third when he would have easily scored.
That ultimately did not end up mattering, as both runs scored after a little dribbler was thrown up the first base line by Holy Ghost starter Matthew Riendeau. Riendeau was able to limit the damage by picking up a strikeout to strand two runners and end the inning.
The Holy Ghost offense was clearly unfazed, as they started their half of the first inning by loading the bases with nobody out. After a line out, Matthew Baker tied the game up at 2-2 after a two-run single right back up the middle. Great teams pick up their teammates after a mistake, and that error from Riendeau was a thing of the past.
Just like Riendeau was able to limit the damage in his half of the first inning, Indiana starter Brady Oakes did the same, picking up two straight strikeouts to strand runners at second and third and keep it tied at 2-2.
Riendeau again found himself in trouble in the second inning as he walked the first three Indiana hitters that he faced, which ended his day a lot earlier than expected and brought in Christopher Schnauffer.
After Schnauffer got a pop out, Ethan Shank drilled a single to score a run and put Indiana back ahead 3-2. It looked like Schanuffer had a chance to escape the inning with only the one run allowed, but Sully Vanhoose came up clutch with a two-out, two-run single to extend the Indians lead to 5-2.
After the first two innings were a bit chaotic, both pitchers retired the side in order in the third inning for our first scoreless inning of the day.
The had gotten a little too quiet after a scoreless fourth inning, and right on cue, Charlie Manzi kept his stellar day going with a solo blast out to left center field. After the ground rule double his first time up, he made sure that didn’t happen again.
Manzi would then come into pitch in the bottom of the fifth, ending a very strong outing from Brady Oakes, as he allowed two earned runs with four strikeouts on six hits over his four innings.
“I had a hard time taking Brady out because I thought he was throwing well,” said Petroff. “They were bringing their leadoff man back up for the third or fourth time so I thought I’d give them a different look but he did awesome, he could have kept going.”
Holy Ghost got back on the board for the first time since the bottom of the first after a two-out triple from Matthew Evans followed by a bloop single from Tyler Bergkoetter. The Firebirds had two on with two outs but were unable to add another, as Manzi picked up a huge strikeout to keep the Indiana lead at 6-3.
Holy Ghost was only still in this game because of the outstanding relief effort from Christopher Schnauffer, who really stopped the bleeding for the Firebirds as he threw six innings and allowed just one earned run.
There was certainly a lull in this game in the middle, but all of that suspense was building up for the last inning.
To set the scene, these two teams met in the 2024 title on this same field. Indiana held a 5-3 lead in going into the bottom of the sixth, and Holy Ghost proceeded to score three unanswered and later walked that one off.
Fast forward to this year, Indiana led 6-3 going into the bottom of the seventh with Manzi looking to close it out. Jake Keaser got the rally going as he was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning.
The Indiana stomachs really got nervous when Matthew Evans crushed an RBI triple, making it 6-4 and putting the tying run at the plate. Tyler Bergkoetter then proceeded to rip a double, scoring Evans and putting the tying run on second base.
It was starting to feel like 2024 again, but Charlie Manzi wanted no part of that.
Manzi picked up a strikeout of Matthew Baker for a huge first out, then got Jonathan Posivak to fly out to center field for out number two.
The tension was at an all-time high, but it did not last for long, as Colin Davis flew out to right field on the first pitch to wrap up a second consecutive state championship for Indiana in their third straight trip.
“They put some good swings on the ball in that last inning, but throughout the game, those couple of double plays that we had, those little plays all mattered in the end,” said Petroff. “Chace Force had some great plays in the field, Ethan Shank blocked like a big league catcher out there.”
This has been just a remarkable stretch for Indiana, who has now made the state championship three years in a row with two wins. All three of those games have been one run affairs, as they led by one last year when Montoursville had the bases loaded and no outs when they escaped that one.
“They always do just enough, we only need one more run on the scoreboard. However it is, we don’t have to beat every team 10-0 even though we’d love to.”
Charlie Manzi had three of the five hits for Indiana today. Sully Vanhoose and Ethan Shank had the other hits, while Vanhoose drove in two runs.
For Holy Ghost, Matthew Evans led the way going 3/4. Eddie Rosado, Tyler Bergkoetter and Matthew Baker all had two hits for the Firebirds.
Congratulations to Head Coach Greg Olenski and his Holy Ghost staff for an unbelievable season as well as the Firebirds finish their season at 16-10 with a second state title appearance in three years.
But today, Indiana reigns supreme again.
Photo: Indiana OF Jace Brocious and Head Coach Dan Petroff
