LEWISTOWN - Runs and hits were hard to come by on Friday night for two of the top three teams in the Mifflin County Babe Ruth League.
Undefeated Lewistown got just three hits in a 6-1 win over Beaver Springs while third place Reedsville didn't even get a hit in a 2-1 win over Belleville.
Meanwhile, Burnham kept on rolling with a 13-2 win over McVeytown. In only other game played Friday night, Belltown outslugged Strodes Mills, 22-10.
Lewistown 6, Beaver Springs 1
LEWISTOWN - Lewistown scored four runs in the first two innings on two wild pitches, a balk and a Beaver Springs error.
The Beaver Springs starter, Travis Fisher, gave up seven walks and only one hit in two and two third innings of work.
Five of his walks came in the third inning and two of those scored on a wild pitch and a balk.
Nic Snook got the West's only hit, a single in the second inning. Colton Keister came in to close for the Springs and he only walked two, gave up two hits and two runs. Snook had his second hit of the game in the sixth as did Logan Swineford.
The big story for the West was the pitching of Hunter Walker and the Lewistown defense, which played an errorless game.
Walker came in the top of the third with one out and two runners on and worked out of the jam. He finished with nine strikeouts, no walks, a hit batter and gave up one hit.
Mitch Welham started for the West, but he walked two, hit a batter and gave up a single in the first inning to Tyler Wilson. Travis Fisher had the hit off of Walker to open the fourth inning.
The win for Lewistown was its 30th in a row over the last two years and it still holds a three game lead over Burnham. The West is 14-0, while Burnham is 11-3. The five-run margin is as close to Lewistown as any team has been all season.
It also marked the West's 199th win since becoming the league's ninth franchise in 1999. Lewistown can go for victory No. 200 today in a game at Belltown at 4 p.m.
Reedsville 2, Belleville 1
MILROY - Belleville's Dyson Marks and Dalton L. Long combined for a no-hitter Friday night and it still wasn't good enough to beat Reedsville. Reedsville edged Belleville, 2-1, to stay within four and half games of league leading Lewistown.
Marks went the first four and two and third innings. He struck out three and walked seven. Long finished the fifth and closed out the sixth. He struck out three and walked one.
But, just as good as Marks and Long were so was Reedsville's Brady Specht. The Reedsville 15-year-old only gave up two hits, struck out nine and walked four.
Belleville scored a run in the first inning. Kyle Kenepp reached on an error in the first inning and stole second. He later scored on an RBI single off the bat of Josh Rosefsky.
Reedsville scored a run in the second as Josh Edwards walked, Jordan Walters was hit by a pitch and Kyle Drake walked to load the bases. Aaron Michaels then drove home a run with a ground out.
In the fifth, Reedsville scored what turned out to be the winning run on an error. Jeremy Koller, Edwards and Walters walked to load the bases and Clayton Peachey reached on error scoring a run.
Lucas White got Belleville's only other hit, a single in the third inning.
BURNHAM 13, MCVEYTOWN 2
MCVETOWN - The last time McVeytown met Burnham back on April 30, McVeytown pulled off an upset, 11-9, that stopped McVeytown's 52 game losing streak in Burnham.
On Friday, Burnham payed a visit to McVeytown and this time it won going away, 13-2, in a game that was stopped at the end of five innings because of the 10-run mercy.
Cullen Russler went the distance for Burnham as he struck out four, walked four and gave up just four hits.
Burnham had 10 hits as four players each had two hits, Seth Wagner, Michael Zoppetti, Dylan Ritter and Chase Laird. Wagner had the only extra-base hit for Burnham, a double.
McVeytown had four singles off of Ritter, Shawn Stoner, Derek Heimbach, Dane Wakefield and Jared Schmidt.
BELLTOWN 22, STRODES MILLS 10
LEWISTOWN - Belltown used a 13-run third inning to build a 16-0 margin after three innings and then went on to beat Strodes Mills Friday night, 22-10.
Belltown pounded out 16 hits in its late night victory that ended near midnight. Nik Christine and Ryan Combs each had three hits and Christine pounded out two doubles.
Michea Wolfley, Brendon Fultz and Devin Chesney each had two hits for Belltown. Carlous Arnold also smashed a double for Belltown.
Luke Bender worked the first three innings and picked up the win. Fultz worked the last three innings and Hunter Wray closed out the seventh.
Tyson Searer had three hits for Strodes Mills including a double.
