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By RAY WILDE
Sports correspondent
OLD BRIDGE, NJ -- For the second time in three games, Mifflin County had a bad first inning and in the end it cost them the game in the 13-year-old Mid-Atlantic Regionals.
Mifflin County was eliminated on Wednesday as it dropped a 10-2 game to the host team, Old Bridge. Mifflin County finished 1-2 in pool play.
Old Bridge scored four runs in the first inning and added two more in the second to take a 6-0 lead.
In the first game of the tournament against Atlantic Shore, Mifflin County fell behind 7-0 after two innings.
On Wednesday, Mifflin County gave up two walks, had two errors and Old Bridge had two hits in the first inning. Mifflin County fell behind 4-0 and it was 6-0 after the second inning.
Mifflin County gave up two more runs on two hits and a walk in the second.
In the third, Mifflin County changed pitchers and Easton Zong put a stop to the Old Bridge scoring.
Over the last five innings, Old Bridge only scored four runs. Zong limited Old Bridge to nine hits. Zong only walked one and struck out one.
"Easton (Zong)) did a good job in relief for us today," said Josh Snook, the Mifflin County manager. “Again, the first inning was trouble for us. Too many walks and errors. I told the team this was a good experience. I'm proud of them. We won a game. The competition was very tough. We had Atlantic Shore, a New Jersey power and the host team."
Mifflin County scored runs in the third and sixth innings. In the third, Cooper Rankin singled with two outs. He stole second and scored on a double from Isaac Sharp.
In the third Andrew Toddes opened with a single. Trey Cline was hit by a pitch. They both moved up on a groundout by Mason Geissinger. One out later Zong had a base hit that scored Toddes.
Rankin and Sharp each had two hits. Mifflin County finished with six hits.
NOTES – Old Bridge (the site) has been tough on the Mifflin County offense. Mifflin County only scored six runs in three games this year. Last year Mifflin County only scored five times in four games...........Isaac Sharp pitched in all the games (three). Sharp was 0-2 with a save.
Sharp led the team in hitting. He had a hit in every game with two doubles and a triple. Mifflin County ended in a three-way tie for seventh. There were 12 teams in the tournament.