LEWISTOWN - It was not a night for the faint of heart in the Mifflin County Babe Ruth League.
Two of the top three teams were upset as Strodes Mills stunned second place Beaver Springs 8-6, and McVeytown eliminated Reedsville from the pennant race with an 8-5 victory.
The win for McVeytown moved it out of last place. Meanwhile, Lewistown, the top team in the league, moved a step closer to the 2012 title with a 22-4 win over Milroy. The West (22-0) now has a five-game lead over second place Beaver Springs (16-4). Lewistown has five games remaining, while the Springs has seven.
With the Milroy loss and Belleville's 12-5 win over Belltown, the Big Valley club moved back into fourth place.
Strodes Mills 8, Beaver Springs 6
LEWISTOWN - Back in 2009 when Scott Wright, the Beaver Springs manager, was an assistant coach for the Springs he had a talk with the team after a loss to Yeagertown. He explained to the newest team in the league that no matter who you were playing you better give it your all because these teams won't give up.
And Wright knew what he was talking about as he was a former player and manager at Belltown.
His point was driven home Wednesday night as seventh place Strodes Mills (9-13) put a damper on the Beaver Springs pennant chase with a come-from-behind 8-6 win.
Beaver Springs led 6-3 going into the bottom of the sixth, but the Mills boys rallied for five runs and the win.
Jonah Kile started the Strodes Mills rally with a double. Matt Hass followed with a single and Nick Smith was hit by a pitch. Dylan Pandel reached on a fielder's choice as Kile was forced at home.
Luke Amspacker singled home a run and Andrew Larson forced home a run with a bases loaded walk. Derrick Kepner was hit by a pitch with the bases full and another run scored. Andrew Bernstein knocked in a run with a ground out and a passed ball helped Strodes Mills score its fifth run of the inning.
Strodes Mills used three pitchers to gain the win. Kepner started and went three innings. Kevin Cahill pitched the middle three innings and got the win. Larson finished in the seventh and picked up the save.
The trio combined for a four-hitter. The Springs' Andrew Bishop had two of the four hits, while Alex Hackenberg had a triple and Hunter Shuff singled.
Strodes Mills finished with eight hits with Amspacker, Hass and Bernstein each getting two. Kile and Hass each had doubles.
McVeytown 8, Reedsville 5
MILROY - For the first six weeks of the season when McVeytown appeared on the schedule, most teams couldn't wait to get to the ball park. McVeytown didn't win a game through the the first 16 it played.
Now,when McVeytown appears on the schedule, most teams don't want to show up. On Wednesday, McVeytown won its fifth game out of its last seven beating third-place Reedsville, 8-5, and moved out of last place.
For Reedsville, the loss mathematically eliminated it from the pennant race.
McVeytown scored three runs in the top of the seventh to help gain the win. McVeytown led 5-4 going into the top of the seventh.
Harlee Harshbarger started the seventh inning scoring spree with a single. Isaiah Harshbarger reached on an error and Carter Spade drew an intentional walk. Lucas Harshbarger singled home a run and Christian Hagans knocked in two more with a base hit.
Spade was the winning pitcher although he went three innings. Lucas Harshbarger pitched the next three and Drew Harshbarger picked up the save in the seventh.
Hunter Walker and Dalton Sinkus each had two hits for Reedsville. Sinkus and Keenan Walker each had doubles.
McVeytown had 12 hits with Dylan Fleisher collecting three Spade, Drew Harshbarger and Hagans each had two hits. Spade had McVeytown's only extra-base hit, a double.
Lewistown 22, Milroy 4
MILROY - While two of the top three teams were getting upset on Wednesday, the league leaders, Lewistown, kept rolling with a 22-4 win over Milroy. The win for the West stopped a five game winning streak for Milroy, which fell to fifth place.
Lewistown pounded out 14 hits with Max Remy getting three. Blaise Roush and Willie Duncan each had two hits.
Duncan led the West with two extra-base hits as he smashed a triple and a double. Lucas McKay also had a double and Isaiah Kearns smashed a triple.
Peyton Reesman and Remy combined for a three-hitter. Reesman went the first three innings giving up just one hit, striking out six and walking two. Remy finished for the West by giving up the other two hits.
The win was another milestone for the West's manager Bernie Howard. It was 350th victory. Howard is now 350-86.
Yeagertown 12, Burnham 1
BURNHAM - Yeagertown's rookie pitcher, Ty Bodtorf, spun a three-hitter on Wednesday as he stopped Burnham, 12-1.
Bodtorf struck out 10 and walked none. The 13-year-old was backed by a 10-hit attack.
Burnham scored its lone run in the third inning when Tyler Powell drove in Matt Short.
The top half of the Yeagertown lineup provided all the offense as the top six hitters combined for nine of the 10 hits.
Yeagertown scored twice in the first as Nate Earnest singled and one out later Chase Fredericks tripled. Bo Cherry, who finished with three hits and three RBI's, singled home Fredericks.
In the third, Yeagertown made it 4-0 and the runs came with two outs. Bodtorf singled and Fredericks then smashed his second triple of the night. Cherry then drove Fredericks home with a base hit.
In the fifth, Yeagertown wrapped up the game as it scored eight runs on only three hits.
Belleville 12, Belltown 5
BELLEVILLE - Belleville snapped its two-game losing streak with a 12-5 win over Belltown on Wednesday and combined with Milroy's loss moved back into fourth place.
Zach Stauffer, Trent Yoder and Philip Yoder combined for a seven-hitter for Belleville. Stauffer started and got the win as he went three innings. Stauffer gave up four hits, walked two and struck out one.
Zach Hostetler and Keith Corson each had two hits for Belltown. Hostetler had Belltown's only extra-base hit, a double.
Belleville had an 11-hit attack with Trent Yoder and Tyler Bedelyon, a 13-year-old, each getting three hits. Ross Torquato finished with two hits and Trent Yoder had the only extra-base hit for Belleville, a double.
For Belltown manager Butch Bender, it was a milestone game as he now has managed in 400 games and becomes the eighth manager in the 58-year history of the league to manage in at least 400 games.
