Vipers Outlast Upper St. Clair in Thrilling Extra-Inning Win

The Allegheny Vision Vipers showed their resilience Tuesday night, battling back to defeat Upper St. Clair 5-3 in a hard-fought extra-inning showdown at Boyce Mayview Park Upper St. Clair struck first in the opening inning when James Gardner laced an RBI double to give the home team an early 1-0 advantage. The Vipers answered in emphatic fashion in the fourth as Nico Knight launched a solo home run over the left-field fence, knotting the game at 1-1 and igniting the Allegheny Vision offense. The Vipers seized momentum in the fifth inning, manufacturing two runs to take a 3-1 lead. Nick Arnoni and Adam Crawford each delivered productive fielder's choices that plated runs, putting Allegheny Vision in front. Upper St. Clair refused to go away, rallying in the bottom of the seventh to even the score at 3-3 on an RBI single from Nick Manko and a bases-loaded walk drawn by Anthony DeFillpo, forcing extra innings. With the game hanging in the balance, the Vipers answered in the top of the ninth - Elias Lippincott came through with a clutch RBI double to break the tie before Brady Benedetti followed with a run-scoring single, extending the lead to 5-3 and giving Allegheny Vision the cushion it needed. Joey Pugh was lights out in relief, earning the victory after tossing 2⅔ scoreless innings while allowing just one hit, striking out five, and issuing no walks. Jack Baumgartel also delivered an important scoreless inning out of the bullpen with two strikeouts. Starter Matt Bamford set the tone early, surrendering just one run on one hit over five innings while punching out eight. The Vipers offense produced 10 hits on the night, with Jason Nuttridge leading the charge from the seventh spot in the lineup by going 3-for-4. Lippincott, Crawford, Knight, and Benedetti each drove in a run, while the defense turned a key double play to help preserve the victory.

Date: June 30, 2026     Time: 6:15pm      Venue: Boyce Mayview Park