Remember When?: Russell’s arm, McClintock’s bat carry BV Area to 6-1 playoff win

By MARK KABOLY

For the Valley Independent

ROBINSON TOWNSHIP – You would think either Belle Vernon Area’s ace pitcher Jesse Cramer or the Leps’ undefeated hurler Jake Cuthbert with his 8-0 record would take the hill in the first-round WPIAL playoff game at Montour High School against New Brighton.

But instead of the expected, BVA coach Jim Russell threw the unexpected at the third-ranked team in Class AA.

Lefty Ryan Russell got the call for the Leps in their first playoff game in six years and was just masterful.

Russell, the coach’s son, held the Lions to just a pair of hits on 73 pitches and became the first BVA pitcher to win a playoff game since Tony Watson did it in 1993 as the Leps advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-1 victory over New Brighton.

BVA (16-4) meets Freedom (10-5) next.

“He has pitched well on the road all year,” said Russell about his son. “He just has the reputation of doing that. He was just tremendous with his curveball. He was only hit hard once all day.”

In fact, going into the last inning, Russell threw just 49 pitches (39 strikes and 10 balls) and had innings of five, 12, 12, eight, six and six pitches and at one point retired 13 straight batters before an error in the seventh broke that string.

“I was a little surprised I got the start because we’ve got guys like Jake Cuthbert and Tink (Cramer),” said Ryan Russell. “I got the start and got the job done. I had a lot of confidence in myself.”

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