Late-Inning Rally Lifts Hopewell Over Ambridge in Friday Night Battle

It was a back-and-forth affair Friday evening at the Raccoon baseball fields, where Team Food Facilities Concepts – Hoffman edged out Ambridge 9-7 in a spirited game full of momentum swings, solid at-bats, and clutch pitching.

Ambridge came out swinging in the top of the first, grabbing an early lead with a pair of singles, including a run-scoring hit. But Hoffman wasted no time answering back in the bottom half. A defensive miscue by Ambridge brought in two runs, and Reed Budavich followed with an RBI single to give Hoffman the lead.

The bats stayed hot in the second inning as Hoffman padded the lead with run-scoring hits from Vin Smetana and Ryan Gaguzis. A wild pitch brought in another in the third, and by the middle innings, Hoffman was up 6-3.

But Ambridge wasn’t going quietly. They clawed their way back and tied things up heading into the bottom of the sixth. That’s when Tyler Hoffman came through in the clutch with a go-ahead RBI single, and a bases-loaded walk drawn by Luke Vukovcan gave them some breathing room.

On the mound, Ryder Kostrick got the start for Hoffman, tossing three innings and allowing just two earned runs while striking out three. Vukovcan came in to shut things down late, pitching two scoreless innings, striking out four, and allowing no hits in a strong relief outing.

At the plate, Vukovcan also chipped in with two RBIs, while Noah Honess led the team with two hits out of the nine-spot. Gaguzis showed patience, drawing three of the team’s eight walks, and Vukovcan added some hustle with two stolen bases.

For Ambridge, Bruner and Reed Leseiko each tallied two hits. Bruner finished 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and helped keep his team in the game until the final inning. Ambridge also flashed some leather, turning a double play to keep things tight.

With the win, Hoffman looks ahead to their next matchup on Tuesday at CV2 lOLl – Pony. It’s shaping up to be another exciting chapter in what’s already been a fun season.