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LAURELTON - Juniata County put up three first-inning runs, a respectable start in the opening round of the District 13 Area II Majors tournament.

It just wasn't enough. Milton doubled Juniata's first-inning tally in the bottom of the frame, and went on to win 12-4.

"I can't say enough about their effort. Down three runs in the first inning and they came back," Milton skipper John Adami said. "We really hit the ball well today."

And for three innings, they did. The key hit early was Hunter Snyder's three-run double, which put the Northumberland County club ahead for good. He drove in another run in the second, making him responsible for five including the one he scored.

It was a combination of walks and hits in the early going, trouble enough that Juniata County manager Tom Allen decided to switch pitchers before the first ended.

"We had a tough night. The bunts hurt us trying to field the ball," Allen said. "They played well enough to beat us and they did."

Juniata led off the game with a John Ruble single, the Kevin Allen doubled. But Allen was caught at the plate for the second out, and Chace Burdick - who drove in two with a single - also was tagged by the younger John Adami as he attempted to score.

Adami led off the bottom with a walk, Lance Fogelman reached on an error and Blake Wargo singled to load the bases. Cole Wirt was hit by a pitch, then Snyder smacked his three-run shot. Milton added three more in the second as Adami and Snyder each singled with a Wirt double sandwiched between. Three more runs came in the third as Juniata's defense started to break down.

Milton held Juniata's offense in check after the first, giving up just one run in the final turn. Burdick, who reached on an error, was driven in by Grant Leonard, who tried to stretch a single into a double, and it cost his team - he was caught for the third out.

"I wasn't real concerned because I know what kind of pitcher I have on the mound," the elder Adami said. "After I knew what to do with mixing those pitches up, we were OK."

Juniata also may have struggled because the game was played under miserable conditions. The opener at Laurelton's Field of Dreams ran eight innings, and rain started to fall as the second of three contests at the site began. Unfortunately, it was less damaging for Milton, which had a huge lead when the level of rain picked up.

"I think it's a shame we had to play in a monsoon," Allen said. "I felt that the weather should have allowed us to wait a little bit."

Snyder County 10, Lewisburg 7

LAURELTON - For three innings in the first round of the District 13 Area II Major division matchup, Snyder County was never out of the game, but hardly was in it.

But when you're hot, you're hot - and the west end team lit up the scoreboard in the fourth en route to a 10-7 win over Lewisburg.

The Union County team got out front quickly, shutting down Snyder County in the first then turning a leadoff single by Drew Newcomb, two walks and an Ethan Aurand double into a 4-0 lead. Aurand, who plated three with his hit, crossed on a wild pitch before Snyder County's Zac Frymoyer struck out two to get his team out of trouble.

"I think jitters was a big part. I also think (getting) here today at 3 o'clock and we didn't start until 7, sitting around in the rain and damp for four hours, didn't help matters," Snyder County manager Brian Arbogast explained. "I think the biggest thing was they were a little tight, especially our pitcher."

In the second, Snyder County started the comeback effort with a single by Trevor Stuck. Starting catcher Alex Hackenburg, who had been hurt when Aurand slid into him in the first frame, made his final contribution by drawing a walk before Ty Ross took his place. Sacrifices by Adrian Martin and Ryan Kerstetter put the two runners across the plate.

Logan Aikey managed to score one for Lewisburg before an unusual double play ended the second. Aikey singled and advanced on an error, while Newcomb and Zach Pyers had consecutive base hits. But Newcomb was caught off second, then Pyers was caught trying to steal before another batter entered the box.

When the fourth began, the game ended. Snyder County batted around, with hits by the first three batters of the inning, scoring four runs before the first out was registered. An error and a hit batter compounded Lewisburg's woes.

"One bad inning is what killed us. What are you going to do?," Lewisburg manager Andrew Host lamented. "Sometimes that's all it takes to lose."

Stuck, Ross and Martin loaded the bases on hits, and Kerstetter boarded and drove one in on a fielder's choice in which no play was made. Andrew Bishop was struck, advancing another run. Ascher Marks put up a sacrifice fly and Tyler Arbogast another fielder's choice, followed by the error. Stuck singled again to plate the final run in his second plate appearance.

"The thing about this team here is they're here to play ball," Arbogast said.

Lewisburg managed two more, as Joey Orr was hit by a pitch and scored on a sacrifice by Aikey in the fourth. In the fifth, Michael Cooper scored the final run for his team after boarding on a fielder's choice; Hendry doubled to drive him in.

Snyder County iced the game in the top of the sixth when a pair of errors allowed two runs to cross without a hit being recorded.

"We had a few errors, and not smart plays out in the field. It didn't help," Host said.

Relief pitchers on both sides were instrumental in keeping the scoring down after the fourth.

"Shuff was exceptional tonight with the curveball," Arbogast said. "He's not overpowering, but he's going to throw strikes."