The Allegheny Athletics, who play their home games at North Allegheny High School, are representing Cleveland in the All-American Amateur Baseball Association (AAABA) World Series in Johnstown this week.

The mixed-up geography was prompted by the Athletics winning the Great Lakes League championship based in Cleveland because there is no AAABA league organized in Pittsburgh.

Allegheny is the first Pittsburgh team to qualify for the AAABA World Series in 20 years. No Pittsburgh-based team has won the event since 1965.

AAABA is designed for players age 20 and under. Most of the Allegheny team is composed of players who have one or two seasons of college baseball experience.

The Athletics, sponsored by the McCandless Athletic Association, are in their second year of existence. They have also played in the Tri-State Collegiate League, a wooden bat league, the past two seasons. They competed in the Erie Shores League last season before switching to the Great Lakes League, which is AAABA affiliated.

The Athletics (32-14 overall) posted a 12-1 record in the 20-and-under Cleveland-based competition. This enabled them to qualify for a regional AAABA tournament in Zanesville, Ohio (July 29-31). Allegheny swept through the double-elimination regional by going undefeated in three games.

The regional was capped by a 7-6 tournament-clinching victory against the Midlands Warriors from Columbus, Ohio. Patrick Trettel got the game-winning base-hit in the bottom of the ninth inning. A catcher who graduated from North Allegheny in 2005, Trettel starts at Seton Hill University where he played for the Griffins' NAIA College World Series team. Trettel shared the Seton Hill team lead in home runs with four to go along with 29 RBIs.

Trettel has a younger brother on the Allegheny Athletics. Andrew Trettel is an outfielder and left-handed pitcher who is beginning his senior year at North Allegheny. Andrew Trettel and Fox Chapel's Joe Noro are the only high school players on the Athletics roster . Noro, a pitcher/infielder, earned All-Section 1-AAAA honors as a junior pitcher for the Foxes during the spring scholastic season.

"It's nice not being the center-piece of this team [like it is in high school] because there are a bunch of other guys who will pick you up no matter what happens," said Noro.

Other players from the PG North area on the Athletics include 2005 Hampton graduate Jedd Cordisco, North Catholic alumnus Kyle McGuire, Shaler Area graduate Brian Bernardo, North Allegheny grad Harry Austin, who plays at Elon College, a Division I program, and NA grad Josh Hungerman, the son of field manager Dave Hungerman.

Cordisco is a utility player who plays for Division I Charleston (S.C.). McGuire, a Cranberry resident, is an outfielder who plays at Cleveland State. Hungerman, a first baseman/left-handed pitcher, also plays at Cleveland State.

Bernardo plays at Duquesne University where he is an infielder. Bernardo plays on the left side of the infield for Allegheny. He also serves as a relief pitcher for the Athletics, something he does not do for the Division I Dukes.

"It felt good to get back on the mound because I hadn't pitched since last year. It's something I like to do and I didn't get a chance to do it at [Duquesne]," Bernardo said.

"Being the closer was pretty much my role at Shaler. I came to [the Allegheny Athletics] to play in a competitive league and get some at-bats. It's been a pretty good experience to be playing everyday to work on my game."

Bernardo starts most games at third base, but usually gets that itch to pitch late in the game.

"I always joke around with [Dave Hungerman] to bring me in to pitch," said Bernardo who finds pitching and hitting equally challenging. "The way I see it, there's really no pressure to play a baseball game. You just go out there, have some fun and do the best you can do. When you have that attitude, you'll be successful, coming out on top."

Another North area player on the Athletics roster is pitcher Greg Fryman from Deer Lakes, a pitcher at Virginia Tech. Fryman was too old to play in the AAABA-sanctioned games, but he was eligible to pitch for Allegheny's Tri-State Collegiate schedule for a second consecutive season.

The Athletics finished second in the Tri-State Collegiate League to the Pittsburgh Pandas (who play at La Roche College).

The Athletics lost their first game Monday at the AAABA World Series -- a double-elimination tournament -- to Baltimore, 10-1, at Pitt-Johnstown's field.