Reigle’s team still has sights set on World Series
By RAY WILDE, Sentinel correspondentWILLIAMSPORT - It wasn't the way Scott Reigle, the Mifflin County 13-year-olds' manager, had hoped he would get to the Mid-Atlantic regionals, but nevertheless his team is there and has a chance to advance to the World Series.
Reigle was hoping to win the state title, but instead, since West End of Williamsport is the host and also the state champion, it was neccessary to take three teams out of Pennsylvania to complete the 10-team field.
Mifflin County will go as the Pennsylvania state runner-up despite finishing third in the state tournament. ChiChester, which lost the state final, will go as the state champion.
Mifflin County will open play at noon Thursday against Metro New York at Logue Field. On Friday, Mifflin County will play Eastern New York at 7:30 p.m. at Winder Field On Saturday, Mifflin County will be idle, then on Sunday it will tangle with Delaware at 5 p.m. at Logue. Mifflin County closes out pool play on Monday at 7:30 p.m. against Southern New Jersey at Winder. The semi-finals and finals are set for Tuesday, Aug. 11, all at Logue Field.
Logue Field is located near Roosevelt Middle School in Williamsport, accessible from West Fourth and Foresman streets. Winder Field is on Green Street, off Lycoming Creek Road.
The winner of the regionals will advance to the World Series in Murray, Utah, starting on Aug. 22.
The two things that make championship teams, the Mifflin County 13-year-olds did very well: play defense and pitch. Mifflin County's only two losses in the state tournament in Phoenixville were by scores of 2-0 to West End in the semi-finals and to 2-1 to Potter-McKean in pool play.
In seven games at the state level, Mifflin County only gave up 19 runs and in 10 games since the district play started, Mifflin County has only given up 30 runs.
But, it wasn't the pitching and defense that hurt Mifflin County in the latter parts of the state tournament, it was the offense. After scoring in double figures for the first five games (67 runs), the Mifflin County offense could only muster 18 runs in the last five games.
Obviously as the tournament trail grinds on, the competition becomes tougher and tougher. Reigle, however, looks at it another way.
"To win at this level, you have to play defense and get good pitching and we have done that for the most part," Reigle said. "But for whatever reason in the latter stages of the state tournament we didn't get any timely hitting.
"Unlike a lot of 13-year-old tournaments that I have coached in, this one was blessed with good pitching and teams that made very few mistakes," Reigle pointed out.
The top hitters for Mifflin County are Aaron Michaels, who has 12 hits, while Heath Hidlay has 11 and Shane Connahan has 10. Due to an injury, Connahan was limited in playing time in the late stages of the state tournament. Alex Pupo has nine hits, while John Michael Maclay and Hunter Wright each have eight.
Connahan has scored the most runs with 12, while Pupo has crossed the plate 11 times. Maclay has scored nine times and Wright and Hidlay each have scored eight times.
Pupo has driven in 11 runs and Michaels is close behind with 10 RBI. Pupo has led the way with six extra-base hits as he has three doubles, two triples and a home run.
Michaels has two doubles and Kyle Bodtorf has three.
On the mound, the workload has gone to a trio of pitchers, Maclay, Hidlay and Rodney Patterson.
Patterson and Maclay are both 3-0, while Hidlay is 1-2. Hidlay has had some tough luck as he was on the losing end of the 2-1 and 2-0 scores.
Isaac Strohecker picked up a win in the state tournament and Bodtorf saw some action on the mound in the district tournament.
On defense, Mifflin County has committed 22 errors, but during the last five games in Phoenixville, Mifflin County had only five miscues. In the state tournament, Mifflin County's opposition committed just 10 errors and for three straight games - Potter-McKean, ChiChester and Phoenixville - the opponents didn't make an error.
Reigle now has an overall record of 287-114. Reigle's all-star mark is now 60-20 and he has a 7-2 record in regional play. He has now coached or managed in 1,089 Babe Ruth games over his 38-year career.
