West Mifflin earns top seed in Allegheny South Legion playoffs

By Keith Barnes

Published: Friday, July 12, 2013, 10:27 p.m.
Updated 15 hours ago

A small late-season winless streak wasn't enough to knock West Mifflin out of the top spot in the Allegheny South League American Legion playoffs.

West Mifflin (10-1-1), the defending champ that ended the regular season 0-1-1 after four starters went on vacation, won the “B” Division and received a first-round bye in the tournament. Play is set to begin Saturday at, if last year is any indication, both Peterswood Park in Peters Township and Boyce Mayview Park in Upper St. Clair.

Coaches and league officials met Friday evening to determine scheduling, but sites and times were not released.

“Having the bye gives us a little more freedom with our pitching staff, especially since we're going to be missing a couple guys Saturday who we might have on Sunday,” West Mifflin coach Tom Simcho said. “That's a nice thing.”

In a tournament like this, where the team could be playing every day, having an extra off-day to line up pitching is extremely beneficial. So, too, is staying in the winner's bracket where it's easier to keep a rotation intact.

American Legion tournament rules dictate that each pitcher cannot throw more than 12 innings or make more than four appearances in any three-day period.

About the only downside to the bye is the team won't be able to get an extra practice or game in before it plays its first contest Sunday at a site and time to be determined. Most of the players on the West Mifflin Legion team also play for Quinn Construction in the Daily News League, but the Mudcats don't have a game scheduled in the next couple of days.

“We were trying to get a couple Mudcats games for (Saturday) but we don't have anything scheduled,” Simcho said. “A lot of the guys like Zack Salmon, (Ryan) Kandsberger and (Zack) Miller, they've been playing Daily News League, so they should be fine, but the rest of them, who knows?”

First baseman Joe Stavor, left fielder Dan Howard, leadoff hitter and second baseman Zach Lapko and right fielder Jim Carassanesi should return for the playoffs and bring back some of the offensive thrust that had the team averaging 8.5 runs per game during its season-opening 10-game winning streak.

The extra day also means that third baseman Zach Fodor and pitcher Cody Gross likely won't have to miss any games as they were expected to miss only Saturday because of vacations.

About the only challenge now that the full lineup is intact is what to do with outfielder Chuck Scales, who performed well in the leadoff spot and in left field while Howard and Lapko were away. In limited action Scales, who is a rising senior at Shady Side Academy, hit .692 (9 for 13) with two doubles, a triple, six RBI and four stolen bases.

“He's been a pleasant surprise,” Simcho said. “He's been doing better at the plate than I thought, and he's run down a lot of balls in the outfield. He's that hot and he's been hitting the ball that well, I want to get him up near the top of the order, so I might put him in the two spot because Zach Lapko is a prototypical guy in that one spot.”

Still, if coming up with a lineup is the most difficult thing West Mifflin has to do in the tournament, then a spot in the Region 6 finals July 20-24 at Blackhawk is a virtual lock.

“I'm pretty good at putting together a lineup,” Simcho said. “I usually just do it five minutes before a game, so we'll be fine.”

Keith Barnes is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. Reach him at kbarnes@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KBarnes_Trib.

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Edible flowers du jour at annual South Park fest

By Emma Deihle

Published: Friday, July 12, 2013, 7:20 p.m.
Updated 3 hours ago

This year's 13th annual Edible Flowers Food Fest is set to pack its own punch.

Strawberry-lavender punch, to be precise.

At 7 p.m. July 18, guests will enjoy bites garnished with the créme de la créme of edible eats — roses, lavender and nasturtiums.

Denise Schreiber, a horticulturalist at Allegheny County Parks and owner of Schreiber Horticultural Consulting, arranges the dinner every year. She prepares by hand all the floral-flavored dishes with the help of Penn State Master Gardeners, friends and family.

The idea for the event took root when Schreiber went to visit the gardens of England, where she tasted a tea-time treat blossoming with savory sweetness — rose-petal ice cream.

“I put it in my mouth, and it was the flavor of a rose. You know the phrase, ‘It smells good enough to eat'? That's exactly what happened,” Schreiber says.

Her inspiration blossomed from there, surfing the web for recipes and planning the first-ever Edible Flowers Food Fest.

Expecting a turnout of 30 or 40, she was shocked when about 200 people came to sample the flowery foods.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Nasturtiums and Spring Greens with Lavender-Blueberry Vinegar headlines the appetizer portion of this year's menu, while Chicken with Lavender and Honey, Beef with a Cherry-Rose Chutney, and Shrimp with Orange Ginger Sauce and edible flowers round out the entrees.

A glass of crisp Basil Lemonade pairs nicely with the Russian Teacakes with Lavender or a scoop of that signature Rose Petal Ice Cream. The majority of offerings this year are gluten-free.

The edible flowers give all of the items on the menu a distinctive flavor, but they also brighten the plate aesthetically, giving each dish a unique floral flare.

“Most of the flowers we use are fresh, so there's a crunchiness to (the dishes),” Schreiber says. “Visually, they are beautiful — you've got pretty much every color under the rainbow.”

Edible flowers and edible flower additives can be purchased at area supermarkets such as Giant Eagle, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and East End Co-op, Schreiber says.

Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. in the Strip District sells floral accoutrements, such as rose-petal jam.

Several online vendors, such as the Village Herb Shop, offer safe, pesticide-free seasonings and dry flowers for cooking.

While it can be convenient to purchase these items, as Schreiber points out, you can grow some of your own ingredients, like lavender or rosemary. She cautions people to “make sure they're are not contaminated by pesticides. And never pick from the side of the road.”

Emma Deihle is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-320-7834 or edeihle@tribweb.com.

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