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By RAY WILDE
Sports correspondent
This is the fourth in a series of Babe Ruth state champions, from 2010-2021. There is no state tournament this year. Mifflin County is the all-time leader in Pennsylvania in state champions with 25.
2013
The 2013 14-year-old state tournament was played in Wrightstown (Tri-Township), Bucks County. Mifflin County worked its way into the final four with wins over Springford and Drexel Hill. But it also had two losses to West End, Williamsport and the host team, Tri-Township.
The tournament stretched into Monday and Mifflin County was playing Tri-Township. The game was tied 5-5 when it started to rain. The tournament was then moved to the next Saturday. Mifflin County then pulled out the win with an 8-7 victory.
In the finals, Mifflin County met Valley of Hazleton and won going away, 12-2. Mifflin County pounded out 12 hits with Ty Bodorf getting four and Isaac Maclay and Jake Spickler each getting two.
Bodtorf was the winning pitcher in the state championship game, but he was not the only big time pitcher on the team. The other key hurler was Cade Artick.
On offense, it was the bats of Attick, Bodtorf and Maclay that led the team. Mifflin County had a great defensive outfield with players like Tyler Bedelyon, Gage Boreman, Kenny Cavanaugh and Jonah Kile.
The manager of the team was Kevin Reigle. For the Reigle family, it marked the third generation of a family member winning a state title. Bob Reigle won one in 1983, his son Scott won two in 2002 and 2008 (and would win another in 2016) and then Kevin in 2013.
Scott had started as the manager in 2013, but had to step down because of illness.
No other family in Pennsylvania Babe Ruth history has won state titles from three generations.
2016
The Mifflin County 13-year-old All-Stars put on such a show in the first seven games that it was just plain dizzying. Between districts and states it won all seven games by a 10-run rule.
The districts were held in Milroy, but the states were only 10 miles to the west of Belleville.
West End of Williamsport was in the state finals and fell by a 14-2 score. The whole line-up was full of hitters, Brian Yetter, Casey Conner, Ethan Eichhorn, Cole Schlegel, Colby Bodtorf, Bryce Dobson, Brycen Hassinger and Connor Cherry.
And the pitching staff was just as good as the hitters. How good was this team? They went on to win the national title.
Yetter got off to the fastest start of any player in history. In the first seven games, he hit seven home runs, had 15 hits and drove in 25 runs.
But, he wasn't the only one doing some big hitting. Against Drexel Hill, Casey Conner drilled a ball to center field that cleared the fence at the 350 sign and headed toward the library. The ball was so close to the entrance that it could have taken out a book.
Three years later (2019), when I went to Drexel Hill to see the opening game of the state tournament between Mifflin County and Tri-Township, the fans were still talking about that home run.
2017
For the second straight year, Belleville hosted a state tournament. This time it was the 15-year-olds.
Again Mifflin County met West End of Williamsport in the state finals. Mifflin County won the title 12-8, but they had to score a lot of runs late to clinch the title. Mifflin County scored seven runs in the top of the sixth inning with no hits. West End committed four errors, walked six, hit a batter and had a balk.
Earlier in the game, Jacob Krepps hit a grand slam home run. It was the second of his career and he is still the all-time leader with two.
In the semifinal win over Roxborough, Seth Benson hit a two-out, two-run pinch-hit double to clinch a 3-1 win.
The first year All-Star manager, Bub Parker got offensive help throughout the lineup from Noah Wright, Evan Smith, Camden Shawver, Hudson First, Jace Shoemaker, Krepps and Benson.
On the mound, Parker used eight pitchers with Shawver, Smith and Shane Dippery each getting two wins.
The team won 11 straight games in a row before losing in the Mid-Atlantic Regional final, 5-4 to Southern New Jersey.
2018
The Mifflin County 15-year-old All-Stars were out to prove a point in 2018. As 13-year-olds, they won the national title, but as 14-year-olds, they got beat in the state finals by West End of Williamsport. In 2018, they were back. The state tournament was held in Williamsport.
Mifflin County came out swinging. In the first nine games, they scored 10 or more runs in every game. Mifflin County scored 111 runs in the first nine games.
Altoona was the first game in the state tourney. Mifflin County won going away 14-1 as Bryce Dobson and Casey Conner each had three hits.
Mifflin County won back-to-back games by 14-1 scores as it downed Franklin Township (Leighton). The big hit came from Casey Conner, a two-run homer. In the next game against Drexel Hill, a 10-0 win, Brycen Hassinger got himself into-the-record books with a 5-for-5 effort.
Next up was Lansford and Jaxon Pupo and Colby Bodtorf took care of business with three hits apiece. Pupo drove in five runs. In the semifinals, Mifflin County took on Broomall-Newtown and it was much the same with Mifflin County winning, 14-4. Bodtorf was the big hitter with four and Ethan Eichhorn also had a big day with three.
In the state finals, Mifflin County met Roxborough and came out on top, 10-3. Brian Yetter and Bryce Dobson each had three hits. But, the star of the game was Marshall Maidens as he had two hits and made two great defensive plays at second base.
Justin Yoder was the manager. He saw his team rip off two 10 game winning streaks. Mifflin County finished as the national runner-up losing to Northern Florida in the national finals.
2019
Every time a Bill Corbin coached team won a state championship it was a close game. It would be no different in 2019 (1-0). In the five state championship games that Corbin won the margin of victory was 1.4 runs.
The state tournament was played in Milroy and Corbin had never won a state title at home. This time his 13-year-olds would be up to the task.
Mifflin County met Milesburg in the finals. In the championship game, Xavier Smith was the star as he threw a complete game. He gave up just three hits and walked just two.
Mifflin County scored its only run in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs, Ryan Hine walked, stole second and went to third on an overthrow. Deakon Shaeffer was the hero as he had a base that scored Hine.
Mifflin County opened the tournament with a 14-4 win over West End. It was Corbin's 700th win and it also was the league's 700th win. Mifflin County broke the game wide open with eight runs in the fifth inning. Shaeffer, Smith and Trevor Sheaffer each had two hits in the game.
Another big win for Mifflin County was an 11-0 rout of Drexel Hill. Mifflin County scored seven runs in the first inning and never looked back. Deakon Schaeffer had a triple in the inning and Tucker Gill added an RBI base hit. Caden Wolfley was the winning pitcher as he tossed a one-hitter.
It only took five innings in the semi-final as Mifflin County beat Franklin Township, 11-1.
Ryan Kanagy, Landen Eichhorn, Tucker Gill and Hunter Bailey each had two hits.
2021
Denny Yetter, the McVeytown manager, was in his rookie year. No other manager was interested in taking the Mifflin County 13-year-old All-Stars. Yetter said he would take the challenge.
Good choice. Mifflin County won nine games in a row, lost in the Mid-Atlantic Regional final to the eventual national champion, Atlantic Shore. It was quite a year.
Mifflin County didn't have to travel too far for the state tournament as it was in nearby McAlisterville in Juniata County.
In the first two games of pool play, Mifflin County barely won as it beat Scranton, 8-7, and Drexel Hill, 11-8.
Then in the third game, Mifflin County exploded against Broomall-Newtown winning, 15-3.
Logan Ruth collected four hits, while Nsate Parkes had a three-hit game. Madden Weaver, Reese Christine and Chase Lesiter each had two hits.
On the mound, Leister got the win and Austin McKnight closed out the game in relief.
It was all Madden Weaver for Mifflin County in the semifinals. He tossed a two-hitter against Pine Forge in a 1-0 win. Weaver scored the team's only run. He walked, stole second and scored on a single from Chase Lesiter.
In the state championship game, Mifflin County faced West End of Williamsport. Mifflin County pounded out 17 hits in an 11-4 win. Mifflin County jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning. Christine, who finished with three hits, had a two-run double in the big inning.
Logan Ruth started for Mifflin County on the mound and got the win. He went five innings and Evan Storodecker closed out the championship win.
In the regional semifinals, Mifflin County played its second longest game ever as it beat Northern New Jersey, 5-4, in 14 innings.