CENTRE COUNTY — The State College 12U Little League team entered the Finals in the Section 4 Championships on Tuesday, July 15, needing one win over Hollidaysburg to take home the title.
After SC won the first meeting with Hollidaysburg, 4-1, on Sunday, July 13, the 12Us went into the Final without a loss.
Hollidaysburg had to fight its way through the lower bracket, which it did with two wins, and the teams squared off on Tuesday to decide which would qualify for the Pennsylvania Championship.
A victory for SC in the first game would end things, but Hollidaysburg was ready and knocked out 15 hits, including six home runs, in a 10-1 victory that set up a winner-take-all Game 2.
And although Game 2 unfolded in a completely different way, the outcome was the same: a Hollidaysburg win, 2-1 that finished the sweep and gave it the Sectional Championship.
Hollidaysburg struck first with an unearned run in the top of the third inning, but State College immediately got that run back on a home run by Andrew Maynard in the bottom of the inning.
Then in the top of the fifth, Hollidaysburg went ahead 2-1 on a solo home run–the team’s seventh of the day–and left State College with just six outs to get back in contention.
It wasn’t to be, though, as the Hollidaysburg pitchers struck out the final six State College batters on the way to a 2-1 victory and the Title.
State College collected six hits all told in the game, with Joey Trego, Brighton Bean, Graham Rogers, Nolan Schenck, Miles Laskowski and Maynard each getting one.
On the mound, SC’s Tucker Sowash and Bean combined to give up two runs on six hits with three walks and four strikeouts.
The loss left State College with a final LL Tournament record of 7-2.
BELLEFONTE SWEEPS TO TAKE THE 10U, SECTION 4 LL CHAMPIONSHIP
In what was the exact opposite outcome of the State College, Hollidaysburg 12U Finals, the Bellefonte 10Us defeated Hollidaysburg twice in tense, one-run games to take the Section 4, 10U Little League Championship.
In the first game, Bellefonte took an early 8-2 lead, saw Hollidaysburg tie things with a rally in the fourth inning and then win the game, 9-8, on a clutch single by Oliver S. in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Then in the winner-take-all second game, Bellefonte did it again, this time scoring two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning on a two-run double by Bryson Tressler that gave his team a 6-4 lead.
But Hollidaysburg threatened in the sixth. With one out and runners on first and third base, Bellefonte catcher Tanner Cain threw out the runner trying to steal second base, but the runner on third scored and brought Hollidaysburg to within 6-5.
With the bases now empty with two outs, pitcher Rylan Shivery got the final out on a ground ball, and Bellefonte was on its way to the state tournament.
Bellefonte knocked out 10 hits altogether in the game, led by Tressler with two and three RBIs, while Tom Terza and Kobie Urbanik had two each.
Terza and Urbanik had triples in the game along with Tressler’s winning double.
Shivery got the win on the mound with two innings pitched with one hit, one run, two walks and two strikeouts.
The victory qualified the 10Us for the Pennsylvania State Championships, which will take place at the Valley East Little League Complex in Drums, on Monday, July 21, through Sunday, July 27.
There will be eight teams from across the state taking part in the double-elimination format, with the Finals scheduled for Sunday, July 27.
