STATE COLLEGE - Big Valley's 11-12-year-old Little League all-star squad got off to a good start, winning 16-9 over State College American in the District 5 South tournament Saturday.
Big Valley collcted 18 hits in the game, starting with a leadoff double from Joey Taptich in the first. Ryan Walker singled and Carson King was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. The three all crossed the plate on a hit by Kyle Peachey, a Jake Yoder fielder's choice and a State College error.
In the second, hits from Drew Westover, Taptich, Walker, King and Yoder added five runs to Big Valley's total.
Big Valley managed one run in the third and was held hitless in the fourth, but rallied to score a combined seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings on hits from Taptich, Walker, King, Aaron Wagner, Max Oburn, Davis Wagner and Drew Westover. In the end, both Taptich and Walker had four hits. King contributed three hits, while Peachey and Aaron Wagner each added a pair.
Defensively, five Big Valley pitchers contributed to the team's first victory, holding State College to nine runs on eight hits.
Big Valley will travel to Bellefonte at 6 p.m. today for the second round.
State College National 5, Mifflin County 4
STATE COLLEGE - Mifflin County's 11-12 baseball all-stars were edged out by a run in their opener Saturday, falling 5-4 to State College National. Mifflin County gets a bye in its first consolation game, and will be idle until Wednesday, when it will face an opponent to be determined.
Mifflin County 10, State College National 3
LEWISTOWN - Mifflin County scored seven runs in the fifth to clinch a second-round win over State College National, 10-3, in the District 5 South 9-10 Little League all-star tournament.
Shane Dippery struck out seven for the win. Noah Wright and Jacob Krepps each had two hits; Wright also drove in two runs. Camden Shawver had three RBIs, and Dustin Carolus plated a pair.
Mifflin County plays either State College American or Bellefonte with a trip to the finals on the line Thursday on the road.
District 13
Juniata County 7, Mifflinburg 5 (7 inn.)
LAURELTON - Morgan Strawser drove a home run ball over the center field fence at Field of Dreams, driving in two runs that lifted Juniata County's 11-12 Little League all-star team to a 7-5 win over Mifflinburg in the opening round of the District 13 Area II tournament.
Mifflinburg took the first lead with a pair of runs in the opening frame, then Juniata went ahead in the third - the same inning that Mifflinburg took back the advantage with three of its own. Juniata evened the score in the fifth, setting the stage for extra innings.
In the seventh, Zach Fogle led off with a base hit, representing the go-ahead run that Strawser drove in. Strawser, playing second, also had an unassisted put out in the bottom of the seventh to end the game with Mifflinburg threatening.
Carter Reichenbach and Cade Kreider each had two-run doubles in the win. Kreider also picked up the win on the hill. Zac Piper, Reichenbach and Kreider each had two hits; Kreider had three RBIs.
Snyder County 14, Warrior Run 2
MILTON - Owen Zechman went 4-for-4 with a double, while Jeremy Kratzer had a home run and picked up the win pitching, as the Snyder County Little League 10-11 team won its first game, 14-2, over Warrior Run at the Mary Byers Complex.
Also for the western Snyder club, Aaron McNier was 2-for-3 and Gavin Swineford 2-for-4. Kratzer, who was 2-for-3 and added a double, drove in three with his homer. Snyder County had a total of 14 hits in the game.
Snyder County advances to play Shamokin, which received a first-round bye, at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the same field.
Juniata 10, Milton 0 (4 inn.)
MILTON - Luke Myers went 2-for-3 with a triple and drove in three runs as Juniata stunned Milton, 10-0, in the first round of the District 13 10-11 Little League baseball tournament at Mary Byers Complex.
Bryce Leonard got the win for the locals, who will play Selinsgrove Tuesday.
Along with Myers, Aaron Morder was successful more than once, going 2-for-2 in the game. Chase Kepner drove in five runs and Leonard pushed two across the plate.
Juniata was up 6-0 after just two innings when in the third Morder singled, then three walks were handed out. That's when Myers hit the three-bagger to give Juniata the margin for an early exit. Juniata finished with three quick outs in the top of the fourth to end the game.
Legion baseball
Exeter Legion 2, Mifflin County 0
Baltimore Panthers 7, Mifflin County 2
LEWISTOWN - The Pennsylvania Open wood bat tournament wasn't friendly to Mifflin County's American Legion baseball team, which went 0-4 overall - the final two losses were on Saturday - but manager Larry Wolfe said his young team showed spots of brightness during the tournament, which uses Mifflin County's field as a playing site.
"We obviously weren't hitting well," Wolfe lamented, especially in cases where he had the batters he wanted at the plate, but they failed to deliver. But he got at least one pleasant surprise when Doug Harshbarger was at bat.
"We found out he could hit. Far and away he was out best hitter," Wolfe said. "We need to find a place to play him in the field."
In the early game Saturday, Hayden Snook went the distance on the mound, but took a loss on two unearned runs. The nightcap, against a 19U team from Baltimore, Wolfe described as men against boys.
"They were older, bigger and looked it," he said. Still, he said, "I think we played our best game of the four-game series. We did a lot of things well in that game."
Wolfe said Heath Hidlay had a good tournament at shortstop, and Joey Knepp got a few hits and executed sacrifices when needed. But, he said, the team just isn't stringing hits together. And, he was limited in options for pitching changes with four Central Penn League games this week, starting today at Hollidaysburg.
Mifflin County enters the week at 5-9.
Centre County League
Mifflin County Stars 5, Spring Mills 2
SPRING MILLS - Chris Tressler went the distance for the Mifflin County Stars Sunday, striking out eight and picking up a win in Centre County League action.
"Boy, and he looked good, too," Stars manager Danny Knepp said.
The Stars, trailing by a run, put up five runs in the fourth to clinch the game. Isaac Strohecker and Kalen Gearhart each doubled for Mifflin County; Colton Spade and Zane Specht had two hits apiece.
Mifflin County (5-8) hosts Philipsburg Tuesday.
