MILROY - The Mifflin County Babe Ruth League has played 116 games so far this season and only 12 have seen the winning team score five or less runs.
On Friday, one of those games was played between Belleville and Milroy. Belleville's Ross Torquato and Milroy's Graham Rhoades went toe-to-toe for seven innings. When both pitchers were finished with their required seven innings, the score was tied 2-2. Belleville won the game in the eighth inning, 3-2.
Torquato and Rhoades combined for 23 strikeouts, four walks and 10 hits.
In other games on Friday, Reedsville beat Strodes Mills, 7-4, and Burnham triumphed over Belltown, 17-7.
Tonight at 6 p.m. in Beaver Springs, Lewistown (23-0) will try to wrap up the 2012 title as it trys to eliminate second place Beaver Springs (17-4).
Belleville 3, Milroy 2
MILROY - Belleville solidified fourth place Friday night with a 3-2 eight-inning win over fifth place Milroy.
The Big Valley team won the game in the top of the eighth thanks to two walks and one hit.
Ross Torquato led off the eighth by getting a walk. He stole second and moved to third on Dylan Billett's ground out. Torquato scored on a single by David Walker.
Torquato not only was the star of the day for Belleville by scoring the winning run, but he also was the winning pitcher. He gave up seven hits, struck out 11 and walked one.
Milroy pitcher Graham Rhoades matched Torquato pitch for pitch. Rhoades only gave up three hits and had a no-hitter going into the fourth. The 14-year-old struck out 12 and walked three.
Both pitchers had to exit after seven innings due to the Babe Ruth rule of seven innings per week.
Torquato got the win, while Philip Yoder got the save as he had 1-2-3 eighth.
After Graham departed, Jared Soles came in for Milroy and pitched to four batters getting just one out. He walked two and gave up the hit to Walker.
Barron Vogt finished for Milroy and got the final two outs.
Belleville scored a run in the second as Walker led off with a walk, stole second and scored on an overthrow. Belleville's second run came in the third and again the Milroy defense played a part in the scoring. Torquato walked with two outs and scored when Billett lofted a fly ball to left and it was misplayed and Torquato scored.
Milroy led 1-0 after the first inning. Jacob Walters led off the game with a triple and scored one out later when Drew Hannon singled him home.
Again it was the Walters-Hannon connection that helped Milroy score the tying run in the bottom of the seventh.
Walters, who was the only player in the game with two hits, singled to start the seventh. He stole second and moved to third on a fly ball by Graham. Hannon tied the game with a sacrifice fly to centerfield.
Burnham 17, Belltown 7
BELLTOWN - Jarrett Stull smashed a grand slam in the fifth inning as Burnham snapped a nine-game losing streak on Friday by beating Belltown 17-7. The game ended after five innings due to the 10-run rule.
Belltown led 2-1 going into the fourth inning, but Burnham erupted for 11 runs in the fourth and Stull wrapped up the game with a bases loaded home run in the fifth.
Matt Short pitched the first three for Burnham and Jack Packer finished for Burnham. The two combined for a five-hitter.
Burnham had 11 hits with Jordan Wolfkill and Packer each having three. Wolfkill smashed two doubles, including one in the fourth inning when Burnham scored 11 times.
Belltown scored five times in the bottom of the fifth. Levi Baumgardner and Keith Corson each had singles.
Zach Hostetler had Belltown's only extra-base hit, a double in the first inning.
Short and Stull were the only other Burnham players with multiple hits with two.
The win moved Burnham past McVeytown into eighth place. Burnham now has a 5-17 record and McVeytown is 5-19. The two teams meet on Sunday in McVeytown at 3 p.m.
Reedsville 7, Strodes Mills 4
MILROY - Strodes Mills and Reedsville were locked in a 3-3 tie until the bottom of the sixth inning when Reedsville's Hunter Walker hit a bases loaded triple, which helped Reedsville to a 7-4 win.
Before the play was finished, Walker came home on an overthrow giving Reedsville a four-run cushion.
Strodes Mills jumped off to a 2-0 lead in the first as Luke Amspacker walked and Derrick Kepner tripled him home. Kepner later scored on an error.
Reedsville tied the game in the fourth as Dakotah Schlegel singled home a run and Matt Wagoner walked with the bases loaded. Then in the fifth, Reedsville took a 3-2 lead on a Nate Koller RBI base hit.
The Mills' boys tied the game at three in the sixth as Matt Haas was hit by a pitch and Nate Fortson doubled him home.
Then came the big rally for Reedsville in the bottom of the inning. Cade Attick and Wagoner singled and when Keenan Walker walked the bases were loaded, Strodes Mills got the next two batters out before Hunter Walker unloaded his game-winning triple.
Schlegel pitched into the sixth as he struck out five, walked four and gave up four hits.
