Mifflin County takes state opener in extras
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ALTOONA – For the Mifflin County Babe Ruth League it was win No. 738, but for the 13-year-olds it was win No. 1.
And what a win it was.
Mifflin County defeated Altoona Gold, 4-3, in 10 innings in the first game of the Pennsylvania Babe Ruth 13-year-old state tournament.
Mifflin County trailed 3-0 going into the top of the sixth, but finally got on the scoreboard with a single run.
Kyle Shupp, who finished with three hits, singled to start the sixth. He stole second and when Easton Lepley flew out to right field, Shupp moved up to third. But, he didn't stay there very long. When the ball was overthrown, Shupp raced home with Mifflin County's first run.
Mifflin County tied the game in the seventh. Carson Cherry and Jarren Kenny were hit by a pitch. Evan Breon was sent into pinch run for Cherry. Lucas Hartung moved them up with a sacrifice bunt. Blaze Schreffler then hit a SAC fly to right as Breon scored. Karl Shirey then singled home Kenny to tie the game, 3-3.
The game, which was held up by rain for two and half hours, then went 10 innings.
In the 10th, Mifflin County finally went ahead as Shupp singled with one out. He stole second. Then Lepley and Thad Gerwick were walked intentionally to load the bases. Wyatt Parkes drew a walk to give Mifflin County a 4-3 lead.
"We had to do what we had to do to win this game," said JL McCloskey, the Mifflin County manager, "We played Mifflin County baseball. It was a gritty win."
Mifflin County used four pitchers. Gerwick got the start and went 3 ⅓ innings. Gerwick was charged with all three runs in the third, Altoona scored the three runs on two hits, a walk, a SAC fly and two stolen bases at home on double steals.
From that point on Mifflin County threw shutout ball for six innings, Brayden Benfer finished the fourth and pitched the sixth and seventh. Schreffler then came in and went the next two innings.
Schreffler walked a man to open the sixth and then Karl Shirey scored. On the first pitch, Shirey got a 1-6-3 double play. Shitry finished the ninth and then in the tenth, Shirey made
it interesting.
He struck out the first batter, but Cody Chathams reached on a throwing error by Shirey. He got to third with one out as Shirey tried to pick him off at first and threw the ball away. But, Shirey got the next two batters to strike out.
Shirey got the win. The four pitchers walked seven and struck out 11. They gave up four hits.
NOTES -- This marked the second time in the last three games in Altoona that Mifflin County had to go extra innings. In last year's 13-year-old Mid-Atlantic Regional semifinal Mifflin County beat Northern New Jersey, 5-4, in 14 inning...Altoona's only multiple hitter was Justin Pfeffer, who came off the bench with two hits…Mifflin County had eight hits and Lepley had the only extra-base, a double in the first.