MILROY - For the Gettysburg Babe Ruth 14-year-old All-Star team, the game on Sunday night against Mifflin County must have felt like being in a boat with a lot of holes to fill and the water coming in at a high rate.
There just wasn't enough fingers to fill all the holes in the sinking ship.
Mifflin County used a 15-hit attack as it advanced into the District 7 final on Tuesday night as it beat Gettysburg, 25-1. The game ended after five innings due to the 10-run rule.
Article Photos
Sentinel photo by TIM SHUMAKER
Mifflin County’s Tyler Powell (7) slides safe into second base under the tag of Perry County’s Drayton Koser Saturday evening in Milroy.
The game was close for two innings as it was tied going into the third inning, 1-1. But in the third, Mifflin County broke the game wide open with nine runs and then added seven in the fourth and eight in the fifth.
Mifflin County scored its first run in the second as Alex Hackenberg doubled, moved to third on a balk and scored on one of the eight Gettysburg errors.
Gettysburg tied the score in the bottom of the inning as Dustin Baker reached on an error and two outs later scored on its only hit of the night, a single from Chris Kletz.
Mifflin County used three pitchers with Peyton Reesman picking up the win. He worked three innings, struck out three, walked no one and gave up the only hit of the night.
Drew Harshbarger worked a 1-2-3 fourth and in the fifth Andrew Bishop closed the doors with two ground balls, a strike out and a walk.
Gettysburg used five pitchers, but none of them could contain the Mifflin County hitters.
Reesman led the Mifflin County attack with three hits including a triple. Zach Hostetler, Ty Hunter and Hackenberg each had two hits.
Hunter, who didn't enter the game until the third inning finished with two triples and five RBI's. Both of Hackenberg's hits went for extra bases, a double and a triple. Mifflin County's other extra-base hit came from Isaiah Kearns, who tripled in the first inning.
Saturday's game
Mifflin County 9, Perry County 1
MILROY - If pitching is half the game in baseball, then Mifflin County's Isaiah Kearns made it seem like it was the whole package on Saturday as he tossed a four-hitter against Perry County in a 9-1 win in the opening game of the District 7 14-year-old tournament.
Kearns struck out 12 including the side in the third, fifth and seventh innings. He walked only one batter, Brock Sharar in the first. Nate Earnest, the Mifflin County catcher, then threw him out trying to steal.
"Isaiah pitched a heck of game," Mifflin County manager Scott Wright. "He didn't give up a hit until the fourth inning. I thought the reserves came up big tonight. I told the team before the game every spot (in the lineup) is worth something."
Perry County scored its lone run in the fourth inning as Sharar reached on an error and Taijuan Carothers pushed him to third on a base hit. Glenn Miller, who had two of the four Perry County hits, drove him home with a single.
Mifflin County jumped on top early as Tyler Powell and Aaron Sharp drew lead off walks. Both runners advanced on stolen bases. Kearns then drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly. Peyton Reesman clubbed a double for another run and Alex Hackenberg followed with an RBI single.
In the second, Mifflin County added its fourth run as Powell reached on an error and scored on another Perry County miscue.
It stayed close until the fifth inning. With one out, Hackenberg singled and Lucas Harshbarger followed with a base hit. Jared Soles then slammed a two-run double. Earnest drew a walk and then both he and Soles moved up on a wild pitch. Andrew Bishop hit a fly ball to centerfield, scoring Soles on a sacrifice fly.
Earnest then tried to steal third and when the Perry County catcher threw the ball away, he scored.
Mifflin County scored it's final run in the sixth as Reesman walked, stole second, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a fielder's choice from Harshbarger.
Notes: Mifflin County is now 12-2 in opening games for 14-year-olds in the district tournament......Harshbarger and Soles were both reserves when they had their hits in the fifth inning against Perry County.....Drayton Koser had Perry County's other hit, a single in the sixth.....Hackenberg was the only multiple hitter for Mifflin County in the first win with two hits.....In the Gettysburg game, Mifflin County got seven hits from its reserves.......The 24-run margin in the Gettysburg game is the fourth largest in league history dating back to 1955.
