MILROY — Fifty years ago this summer, 1976, there was a Babe Ruth state tournament game played at the Armagh Memorial Field that will never be duplicated.

It was the opening game of the 13-year-old Pennsylvania Babe Ruth state tournament between Mifflin County and Phoenixville.

Phoenixville won 2-0 in 16 innings. Mifflin County’s Pete Roth had a no-hitter for nine and a third innings before being taken out after 10 innings.

In those days, pitchers were allowed 10 innings in a game before being removed. Today pitchers are on a pitch count. When a game goes into extra innings today, a ghost runner for each team is put on second so that the game is sped up.

What made this so remarkable was that it was played by 13-year-olds and was scoreless for 15 innings.

The game started on Saturday, Aug. 8 about 9 p.m. It was not over until Sunday, Aug. 9 until the early morning hours. This was not supposed to be the opening game of the tournament, but due to rain, it turned out to be the first game played.

Roth gave up a single to Paul Kanaskie with one out in the 10th, but was still credited with a no-hitter as it went at least seven innings. Roth struck out seven and walked nine.

But, just as good as Roth was, so was Phoenixville’s Brian Fulmer. In 10 innings, he struck out 11 and walked seven.

After Fulmer and Roth left the mound, the battle began between Mifflin County’s Kris Kratzer and Phoenixville’s Kanaskie.

Phoenixville won the game on two RBIs singles in the top of the 16th. What really hurt Mifflin County was it hit into four double plays during the course of the game. And not one suicide squeeze worked.

One of the players, Roger Herto, looked back on that game and All-Star season.

“I thought we had a solid infield, ” Hero related. “We had solid pitching. Late in the game (ninth inning), I laid down a bunt for a suicide squeeze. But our runner hesitated and was out. I was surprised we went to a bunt as I had not bunted much during the regular season.”

But, this was not the end of the story, it was just the beginning.

Mifflin County then rattled off four wins in a row to get itself into the Pennsylvania Final Four. Mifflin County beat Valley (Hazleton), 6-5; Blue Valley (Pen Argil), 1-0; Hatboro, 5-2 and East End of Williamsport, 3-0.

That put Mifflin County into the semi-finals against Pennsbury on a Friday night. Mifflin County lost, 4-2, in extra innings. Pennsbury was going to play Drexel Hill for the state title.

But, fog rolled in from the Seven Mountains and the game could not be played. In those days there was no World Series for 13-year-olds. But, there were the Mid-Atlantic Regionals, which were to be played in Claymont, Delaware, the next day.

“After the Pennsbury lost on Friday night, we were rejected, “Herto said,” But within hours we were rejoicing as they told us we were going to Delaware to be in the regionals.”

The state commissioner had made a mistake in scheduling the tournament and it started Saturday in Delaware. Pennsbury and Drexel Hill decided to stay in Milroy to play for the state title and Mifflin County was sent to the regionals.

I left Milroy and went to Claymont to cover the game. Riding along with me was Belleville’s Bill Corbin.

The manager of the team was Reedsville’s Bob Reigle and the coaches were Scott Reigle of Reedsville and Gary Ciecierski of Strodes Mills. Ciecierski, however, did not make the trip, so the Reigles asked Corbin to fill in. It would be the start of his long coaching career in Babe Ruth baseball.

Mifflin County finished fifth in the regionals. It went 1-2 winning the first game against Northern NewYork, 5-1 and then losing to Northern New Jersey, 12-6 and Southern New Jersey, 4-2.

“We were housed in a school with a team from Baltimore,” Herto recalled, “It was a lot of fun. It was like being housed in a dorm.”

As for Pennsbury and Drexel Hill, the state championship game was never played. It rained the whole weekend in Milroy and it was the only time in Pennsylvania Babe Ruth history that a state championship wasn’t decided.

Mifflin County only hit .200 in nine games and scored 30 runs. But it was the pitching and defense that kept them in games. Mifflin County only gave up 30 runs in 72 innings. The WHIP for the Mifflin County pitchers was 1.39. The team gave up 56 hits and walked just 44 and committed just 13 errors. The team played in three extra-inning games with a 1-2 record.

Members of the team were Terry Fultz, Mike Metz, Dave Long and Jimmy Rodgers, Belleville; Rick Lash, Pete Roth, Belltown; Scott Eby, Burnham; Todd Armstrong, Brian Lukens, DJ Treaster, Milroy; Scott Fultz, Roger Herto, Tom Woodring, Reedsville; Kris Kratzer, Tim Sheriff, Strodes Mills.

The state commissioner in 1976 was George Denke of Hazleton. Denke was the state commissioner for two years, 1975 and 1976, but the mess up in the scheduling proved to be Denke’s downfall and he was replaced. When Denke retired from Babe Ruth in 2011, he had the most years (1955-2011) in Pennsylvania Babe Ruth with 57. He died in 2015.

However, this year, I tied him (Denke) for the state record with 57 years (1970-2026). And now you know the whole story.