Pennsylvania

American Legion Baseball

Northwest Regional Champion

Record

33-12

National Regional Results

Defeated Wausau, Wisconsin 14-0

Defeated Boise, Idaho 16-5

Defeated Kelso, Washington 8-4

Defeated Missoula, Montana 9-7

Defeated Kelso, Washington 6-3

Top Hitters

Cameron Newell: .563 avg, 8 runs, 9 hits, 2 doubles, 3 rbi, 6 walks, 2 strikeouts

Mitch Huff: .389 avg, 9 runs, 7 hits, 3 doubles, 1 hr, 8 rbi, 6 walks, 4 strikeouts

Josh Graham: .348 avg, 6 runs, 8 hits, 3 hr, 11 rbi, .783 slugging, 1 double

Top Pitchers

Brandon Jackson: 1.56 era, 17.1 ip, 2 cg, 1 sv, 14 hits, 4 runs, 3 er, 0 walks, 7 ks

Dakota Cavens: 5.00 era, 1 cg, 9.0 ip, 10 hits, 7 runs, 5 er, 2 walks, 3 strikeouts

Jared Priestley: 3.86 era, 7.0 ip, 10 hits, 3 runs, 3 er, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts

Team Totals

Hitting: .333 avg, 53 runs, 60 hits, 15 doubles, 5 hr, 24 walks, 21 strikeouts

Pitching: 3.35 era, .263 opp avg, 44 hits, 19 runs, 16 er, 11 walks, 18 strikeouts

First Game

Game 4 vs. Eden Prairie, Minnesota

Keys To Success

• They relied quite heavily on Brandon Jackson, who had two wins and a save.  They need the rest of the staff to step up to help him out
• They showed a good amount of power, smacking five homeruns last week.  If they do the same this week, they'll be in good shape
• Their pitching would be aided by more strikeouts, as they averaged just over 3 a game
• If their hitting mirrors last week and continues to draw more walks than strikeouts, it could be a long week for the competition

Central Plains Regional Champion

Record

40-7

Regional Tournament Results

Defeated Blue Springs, Missouri 12-1

Defeated Kearney, Nebraska 11-2

Defeated Festus, Missouri 9-8

Defeated Rapid City, South Dakota 5-2

Lost to Festus, Missouri 6-1

Defeated Festus, Missouri 15-5

Top Hitters

Caleb Phillips: .500 avg, 3 runs, 6 hits, 2 doubles, 4 rbi, 4 walks, 2 hbp

Blake Schmit:  .407 avg, 11 runs, 11 hits, 3 doubles, 1 hr, 6 rbi, .630 slugging

Matt Halloran: .360 avg, 10 runs, 9 hits, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 2 hrs, 9 rbi

Top Pitchers

Grant Soderberg: 1.64 era, 11.0 ip, 9 hits, 2 runs, 2 er, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts

Adam Bray: 3.86 era, 14.0 ip, 10 hits, 6 runs, 6 er, 4 walks, 14 strikeouts

Caleb Phillips: 3.95 era, 13.2 ip, 15 hits, 7 runs, 6 er, 7 walks, 9 hits

Team Totals

Hitting: .310 avg, 53 runs, 66 hits, 13 doubles, 2 triples, 4 hrs, 25 walks, 45 ks

Pitching: .257 avg, 3.96 era, 47 hits, 24 runs, 22 er, 26 walks, 45 strikeouts

First Game

Game 4 vs. Roseburg, Oregon

Keys To Success

• They need to continue their trend of stellar defense, they surrendered just 2 unearned runs last week
• Their mix of a potent offense and solid pitching makes them a favorite
• They put a ton of pressure on their opponents, forcing over three errors a game, they'll certainly hope to continue that trend
• The pitching has been very good, but not unstoppable. If their top three starters pitch well, look out for a title game appearance

Great Lakes Regional Champion

Record

41-7

Regional Tournament Results

Defeated La Crosse, Wisconsin 12-2

Defeated Terre Haute, Indiana 6-4

Defeated Midland, Michigan 24-5

Defeated Eagan, Minnesota 8-7

Lost to Terre Haute, Indiana 11-2

Defeated Terre Haute, Indiana 8-5

Top Hitters

Tom Lindauer: .458 avg, 10 runs, 11 hits, 5 rbi, 7 walks, 6 strikeouts, 3-5 sb

Drew Osborn: .417 avg, 6 runs, 10 hits, 9 rbi, 1 walk, 1 strikeout, .448 on base

Eric Ashcraft: .345 avg, 5 runs, 10 hits, 10 rbi, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts

Top Pitchers

Seth Fuller: 3.75 era, 12.0 ip, 13 hits, 6 runs, 5 er, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts

Dakota Bacus: 3.75 era, 12.0 ip, 8 hits, 5 runs, 5 er, 5 walks, 16 strikeouts

Sam Welvaert: 6.00 era, 6.0 ip, 9 hits, 5 runs, 4 er, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts

Team Totals

Hitting: .332 avg, 60 runs, 70 hits, 8 doubles, 36 walks, 55 strikeouts, 3-7 sb

Pitching: .272 opp avg, 4.24 era, 55 hits, 34 runs, 24 er, 19 walks, 38 strikeouts

First Game

Game 3 vs. Branford, Connecticut

Keys To Success

• They relied quite heavily on their top two pitchers, who both threw double the innings of anybody else, the rest of the staff needs to help them out
• Ten of the 34 runs they gave up were unearned, shoddy defense will not cut it this week
• They don't look to run often, but they need to pick their spots better as they stole less than half the bases attempted
• Need to cut down on the 9 strikeouts a game against better pitching, though they're a solid hitting team that could easily be in the final day

Mid-South Regional Champion

Record

62-9

Regional Tournament Results

Lost to Gonzales, Louisiana 6-4

Defeated Papillion, Nebraska 8-6

Defeated Texarkana, Texas 12-2

Defeated Pontotoc, Mississippi 5-1

Defeated League City, Texas 8-0

Defeated Pontotoc, Mississippi 7-2

Top Hitters

Jacob Realmuto: .480 avg, 6 runs, 12 hits, 6 doubles, 1 hr, 8 rbi, .920 slugging

Turner Coon: .429 avg, 6 runs, 6 hits, 6 rbi, .643 slugging, 5 stolen bases

Dalton Bernardi: .348 avg, 6 runs, 8 hits, 5 rbi, 4 walks, 7 stolen bases

Top Pitchers

Kevin Hill: 2.95 era, 18.1 ip, 15 hits, 6 runs, 6 er, 3 walks, 13 strikeouts

Dalton Bernardi: 1.74 era, 10.1 ip, 9 hits, 2 runs, 2 er, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts

Chris Mullins: 3.86 era, 7.0 ip, 6 hits, 5 runs, 3 er, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts

Team Totals

Hitting: .307 avg, 44 runs, 59 hits, 18 doubles, 32 walks, 31 strikeouts, 31-39 sb

Pitching: 2.52 era, .242 opp avg, 17 runs, 14 er, 45 hits, 17 walks, 37 strikeouts

First Game

Game 2 vs. Chesapeake, Virginia

Keys To Success

• Solid hitting team led by Oklahoma State recruit Realmuto who crushed the ball last week, if you don't stop him you don't stop this team
• They put a lot of runners on base, and they move them around.  If they steal another 6 bases a game they'll be tough to stop
• Pitching was very good, if they can keep their numbers near where they were last week they've got a good chance to make the final day
• Strikeout to walk ratio of over 2:1 is pretty solid, they need to continue that

Southeast Regional Champion

Record

31-15

Regional Tournament Results

Defeated Tuscaloosa, Alabama 8-7

Defeated Sumter, South Carolina 6-2

Defeated Bayamon, Puerto Rico 6-1

Lost to Columbia, Tennessee 12-1

Defeated Columbia, Tennessee 10-2

Top Hitters

Andrew Smith: .429 avg, 5 runs, 9 hits, 4 rbi, .429 slugging, .500 on base

Alex Swim: .360 avg, 5 runs, 9 hits, 3 doubles, 5 rbi, .480 slugging, 2 sb

Brandon Harrison: .348 avg, 4 runs, 8 hits, 1 hr, 8 rbi, .522 slugging, 2 sb

Top Pitchers

Pete Schultz: 0.00 era, 2 wins, 10.1 ip, 8 hits, 1 run, 0 er, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts

Nick Rhodes: 1.74 era, 10.1 ip, 11 hits, 2 runs, 2 er, 3 walks, 0 strikeouts

Kevin Parrish: 3.86 era, 1 cg, 10 hits, 4 runs, 4 er, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts

Team Totals

Hitting: .281 avg, 31 runs, 52 hits, 10 doubles, 22 walks, 13 strikeouts, 4 sb

Pitching: .307 opp avg, 3.20 era, 58 hits, 24 runs, 16 er, 13 walks, 19 strikeouts

First Game

Game 1 vs. Las Vegas, Nevada

Keys To Success

• The team as a whole didn't hit all that well last week, they'll need to improve upon that this week
• They averaged 6 strikeouts a game and about 4 walks, reversing those numbers this week could go a long way
• Pitching was solid but not great, they rely heavily on their defense
• With just 19 strikeouts in 5 games they'll need their defense to surrender a lot less than the 8 unearned runs last week
• Pete Schultz is good enough to beat any team he'll see this week, but the starters behind him will have to pitch well for them to be there on the final day

Mid-Atlantic Regional Champion

Record

29-6

Regional Tournament Results

Defeated West Lawn, Pennsylvania 13-9

Defeated Brooklawn, New Jersey 5-4

Defeated Salisbury, Maryland 4-1

Defeated Newark, Delaware 18-8

Defeated Brooklawn 6-2

Top Hitters

Matt Dickason: .636 avg, 14 hits, 10 runs, 3 doubles, 6 rbi, .773 slugging

Dean Ali: .417 avg, 10 hits, 7 runs, 2 triples, 8 rbi, .625 slugging

Leland Clemmons: .389 avg, 7 hits, 8 runs, 2 hrs, 6 rbi, 6 walks, .889 slugging

Top Pitchers

Cody Cox: 0.00 era, 8 ip, 4 runs, 0 er, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts, .000 avg against

Dean Ali: 0.90 era, 10 ip, 1 run, 1 er, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts, .289 avg against

Jordan Adair: 1.00 era, 9 ip, 3 runs, 1 er, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts, .161 avg against

Team Totals

Hitting: .351 avg, 46 runs, 59 hits, .494 slugging, 28 walks, 29 strikeouts

Pitching: 3.20 era, .213 avg against, 24 runs, 16 er, 33 walks, 44 strikeouts

First Game

Game 2 vs. Midwest City, Oklahoma

Keys To Success

• Chesapeake has some of the gaudiest offensive and defensive stats in the tournament
• If they continue hitting near .351 and average 7 runs a game again, they've got a great shot at the title
• Their lineup hits very well for average and stole 16 of 23 bases, so they need to be aggressive but not overly so
• Their top three pitchers are as good as any in the tournament
• If everything comes together, they could be there on the last day

Northeast Regional Champion

Record

28-7

Regional Results

Defeated Essex Junction, Vermont 6-5

Defeated Auburn, Maine 6-4

Defeated Goffstown, New Hampshire 5-0

Lost to East Longmeadow, Massachusetts 8-1

Defeated East Longmeadow, Massachusetts 2-1

Top Hitters

Oliver Hart: .368 avg, 5 rbi, .421 slugging

Mike Forgione: .313 avg, 3 runs, 1 hr, 2 rbi, .563 slugging

Joe Perez: .278 avg, 3 runs, 2 rbi, .278 slugging

Top Pitchers

Pat Simone: 15.1 innings, 2.35 era, 23 strikeouts, .182 avg against

Jeff Stoddard: 9.1 innings, 0.00 era, 12 strikeouts, .152 avg against

Shane Coughlin: 9.1 innings, 1.93 era, 7 strikeouts, .289 avg against

Team Totals

Hitting: .214 avg, 34 hits, .252 slugging, 21 walks, 27 strikeouts, 8-9 stolen bases

Pitching: 3.00 era, .235 avg against, 40 hits,  18 runs, 15 er, 18 walks, 51 strikeouts

First Game

Game 3 vs. Moline, IL

Keys To Success

• As evident by the stats, Branford will rely heavily on their pitching
• Their hitting must step it up against tougher competition than they faced this week
• A total .214 avg shouldn't cut it this week, they'll need to raise that by nearly a hundred points for a shot at the title
• Their top three pitchers are solid enough to get them into the championship round if the hitting comes around

This is part two of the exclusive interview with Pennridge manager Rocky Wright.  Fresh off a Bux-Mont League title, PA Region 2 title, and PA runner-up finish, Coach Wright was gracious enough to do an extensive interview with us.  We hope you enjoy it!  Be sure to leave a comment if you like the interview or have any questions for Rocky, he frequents the site and can see the comments personally.

Interview Part 2:

PA ALB:

How did the team get out to Illinois?  How was the experience of traveling out of state with your team?

Coach Wright:

Our travel experience didn't quite go as planned.  We all met at the Lansdale interchange of the turnpike and proceeded to the airport.  We boarded the plane for our 6:30 AM flight to Chicago/Midway only to be told that there was a "ground stop" at both airports in Chicago because of bad weather.  We could not take off until all was clear on the other end. We finally took off at 9:50 AM!   We were to change planes in Chicago for a quick flight to Indianapolis! {back to the Eastern time zone}! Southwest Airlines held our flight so we wouldn't miss it! Once we got to Indy we still had a 2 1/2 hour bus ride!!  Great planning, huh!  Some of our fans and parents who drove out beat us!  After our elimination on Saturday we were bussed back to the hotel so we could get cleaned up, get our rooms inspected and get ready for immediate travel home!  The travel agent could not get us any flights that night so they decided to put us on a motor coach at 6:00 PM and bus us home! UGH! 14 long hours!  We had to be dropped off at the Phila.  Airport because that is where we were parked! Then we had another hour home.  We arrived home at 10:00 AM Sunday morning!  So, good or bad the travel was definitely an experience that we won't soon forget.

PA ALB:

You got to play a bunch of teams from the Midwest, how was that experience? Did those teams play a similar style game as to what you see in PA?

Coach Wright:

Mattoon, Illinois was a great experience!  Great facilities,great fans, friendly staff , very organized.  The teams that were there were really good but I do not think we were out-classed in the least!

PA ALB:

How did the travel affect your team, if at all? Did it change the way you prepared for the game or cause any fatigue?

Coach Wright:

I think we were just flat for our first game.  We did not pitch, field, or hit well.  Maybe our "planes,trains, and automobiles" experience did have something to do with it but I will not make any excuses!

PA ALB:

The team was eliminated by Terre Haute, Indiana on the third day of the tournament.  They ended up making it to the Great Lakes Regional final on Monday.  How good was that team?

Coach Wright:

The Terre Haute team was very good.  We lost to them 6-2.  Their coach told me after that game that they were very happy to get past us. The game was much closer than the score indicated.  We could just as easily have beaten them with a little luck or a timely hit.  I thought Terre Haute was the best team there but it is very difficult to beat a team twice in a tournament.{as we found out earlier at States}.

PA ALB:

Finally, how will these experiences help shape the program in the coming years? What can we expect from Pennridge next year?

Coach Wright:

The future of Pennridge Post 255 is very bright!  We return 12 players from this years roster that will be one year older,wiser, and stronger, not to mention that they know what it takes to win at the next level!  Winning breeds winning. We may now get the AAU player or the good player who didn't want to play summer baseball.  I think that Pennridge Legion Baseball has jumped to the next level and can now be mentioned in the same breath as the Spring City's and the Boyertown's.  It also helps that league in which we play {Bux-Mont } is in my opinion the best in the State of Pennsylvania!!

Once again, we'd like to express our gratitude towards Coach Wright for taking the time to answer our questions and share his thoughts and experiences with fans from across the state.  Pennridge represented the state admirably this season and will surely be back contending for the state title next year!

Pennridge Post #255 from the Bux-Mont League in PA's Region 2 had their best season ever this summer.  The team won the Bux-Mont League Tournament, won the PA Region 2 title, and finished second at the PA State Tournament.  They traveled to Mattoon, Illinois this week for the Great Lakes Regional where they went 1-2 and were eliminated by eventual regional runner-up Terre Haute, Indiana.

Rocky Wright, Pennridge's manager, was gracious enough to do an extensive exclusive interview for the site.  There are ten questions in all, so we'll post it in two parts over the next couple days as we await the 2010 ALB World Series.

We greatly appreciate Rocky's insight and willingness to share his unique experiences with all of us. 

Interview Part 1:

PA ALB:

First of all, we here at the PA ALB Fan Site would like to congratulate you on an incredible run this postseason!  The team played very well and represented the Bux-Mont League, PA Region 2, and the state quite admirably.

Coach Wright:

First of all, thank you for your kind words concerning my Post #255 team. This was a very magical year for my team as well as all of the parents and all of our fans. Our Legion post was also very excited about our success and really got behind us as well. We had tremendous fan turnouts in West Lawn, Boyertown and believe it or not we had over 30 parents and fans make the 14 hour trek to Mattoon, Ill.!

PA ALB:

What was your outlook for the season back in the early summer? When did you start getting the feeling that you could make a run at the regional and state titles?

Coach Wright:

Early this summer I knew I had a very special group of players.  We had 24 try-out for our team and by rule we are only able to keep 18.  I had to release some very good talent but I was also able to keep "the cream of the crop".  Regional and state titles were not really in my mind.  Our goal from the start was to either win the league or the year end tournament or both.  Winning one or the other would assure us of a regional berth.  After winning our Bux-Mont Tournament I knew we could compete at the Regionals at West Lawn.  At that point we had attained a "refuse to lose" attitude and we were really pitching, fielding and hitting as well as we had all year.

PA ALB:

What were the keys to your team’s success?  Just great coaching?

Coach Wright:

Our success mainly came from playing as a unit.  Our pitching was very good, our defense got better and better, and our hitting at times was contagious!  At this level I don't believe that I coach as much as I manage.  My job is to identify who is playing well and go with the hot hand.  Our players come from 5 different high school programs and getting them to "gel" is also very important.  Getting everyone enough playing time also enters into it. You can only put nine on the field at a time.

PA ALB:

Your team lost to a great team in Spring City in the state tournament.  Was it tough for you and the team to get all the way to the title game and not win it?

Coach Wright:

Spring City is a very good team and they beat us fair and square.  Losing to them twice was hard to accept. We were really in the drivers seat having won the very emotional winners bracket finals game against Boyertown.  I think our team matched up very well with Spring City as well as Boyertown and all of the others that we faced at States.  Maybe we let all of our emotions get the better of us after the Boyertown game.

PA ALB:

What did you think about playing the state tournament in Boyertown’s Bear Stadium?  Is there any field out there than can compare?

Coach Wright:

Boyertown's Bear Stadium is almost like playing at a shrine.  There is an aura of history that envelopes the stadium especially if you happen to be playing against Boyertown.  A very wise coach told me that we had to get past the Boyertown mystique before taking the field against them.  I guess it worked for that game anyhow.

PA ALB:

How well did the team handle the nerves of the postseason, the crowds in Boyertown, the pressure of the state title game?

Coach Wright:

I don't think my team ever had a case of the nerves or butterflies. They seemed to never get to high and never get to low. I am not sure that could be said about their coaches however!

We hope you enjoyed the first part of the interview.  Please leave a comment for Rocky if you'd like, as he's a site member and frequents the site he'll be able to see them personally.  We'll post the second half of the interview in the next few days!

We've added the page for the 2010 ALB World Series under the news section!  Here you'll find the eight regional representatives, the bracket, and the results beginning on Friday.

As you can see, Chesapeake, VA, the 2010 Mid-Atlantic champions, open up their tournament run in the second game of the day against Midwest City, Oklahoma.

Stay tuned for much more coverage on the World Series and the Great Lakes & Mid-Atlantic Regionals!

After a bit of a rough start to their tournament, Chesapeake, Virginia rallied to win every one of their games to sweep their way to the Mid-Atlantic National Regional Championship.

It was another impressive performance by the Virginia state champs on Monday afternoon, as they held Brooklawn, NJ to just two hits and no earned runs.  Jordan Adair was the star of the game, going seven innings and striking out six batters.

Chesapeake advances to the 2010 ALB World Series in Spokane, Washington which commences on Friday.  We'll have more details about who they play and a wrap-up of the Mid-Atlantic Tournament coming soon.

Congratulations are certainly in order to the new Mid-Atlantic champs, and to Brooklawn on what was an incredible run.  As you may remember, Brooklawn lost one of their coaches a few months ago in a tragic accident.  The team rallied to a New Jersey state title and National Regional runner-up finish in his honor.

We'll post results from around the country here throughout the day!

Region 1 (Northeast)

Long Meadow, MA (2) vs. Goffstown, NH (1)

Long Meadow, MA (1) vs. Branford, CT (2)

*Branford, CT wins Northeast title

Region 2 (Mid-Atlantic)

Brooklawn, NJ (2) vs. Chesapeake, VA (6)

*Chesapeake, VA wins Mid-Atlantic title

Region 3 (Southeast)

Conyers, GA (9) vs. Columbia, TN (15)

Columbia, TN (2) vs. Kernersville, NC (10)

*Kernersville, NC wins Southeast title

Region 4 (Mid-South)

League City, TX (0) vs. Midwest City, OK (8)

Midwest City, OK (7) vs. Pontotoc, MS (2)

*Midwest City, OK wins Mid-South title

Region 5 (Great Lakes)

Moline, IL (2) vs. Terre Haute, IN (11)

Moline, IL (8) vs. Terre Haute, IN (5)

*Moline, IL wins Great Lakes title

Region 6 (Central Plains)

Festus, MO (6) vs. Eden Prairie, MN (1)

Festus, MO (5) vs. Eden Prairie, MN (15)

*Eden Prairie, MN wins Central Plains title

Region 7 (Northwest)

Kelso, WA (3) vs. Roseburg, OR (6)

*Roseburg, OR wins Northwest title

Region 8 (Western)

Las Vegas Lions (state champs), NV  (15) vs. Waipahu, HI (4)

Las Vegas Lions (state champs), NV (9)  vs. Las Vegas Titans (hosts), NV (0)

*Las Vegas (Sierra Vista Lions), NV wins Western title

American Legion Baseball will officially crown a new champion, as defending national champion Midland, Michigan was ousted from the Great Lakes Regional Tournament this afternoon.  

Midland, who defeated Medford, Oregon in the national championship last year, was downed 10-6 by Terre Haute, Indiana.  They finish their impressive run with a 2-2 record in the Great Lakes Regional, and an overall record of 46-12.

Terre Haute is the same team who eliminated PA runner-up Pennridge yesterday.

Stay tuned for more coverage from national regionals from across the country!

All good things must inevitably come to an end.  Over the course of the past few weeks, it appeared that the talented bunch from the Chester County League in Southeastern PA would close their season earlier than anticipated.  They dropped their first game of the Region 3 tournament, before rallying for the championship.  They did it again last week, dropping the first game of the state tournament to Millcreek before winning five in a row.

This week, they had the tough task of taking on the top teams in the Mid-Atlantic.  On Thursday they took on one of the most notorious legion teams in the country in Brooklawn, New Jersey.  Despite a hard fought contest, they lost that opener too, heading in the loser's bracket for the third straight week.  Spring City bounced back yesterday with an impressive come from behind win over West Lawn, the tournament's host.

Today they took on Newark, Delaware who has proven themselves to be the top team in the tiny state over the past few years.  The Red Sox jumped out to a two run lead in the top of the first, on two rbi basehits by Ken Pieston and Eric Pizzico.  Newark answered back in their half of the inning, grabbing one run in the first and two more in the second.

Sean Larkin tied the game in the third with an rbi basehit, scoring Pieston.  Again, the Delaware champions rallied.  They put up four unanswered runs, one in the fourth, two in the sixth, and another in the seventh.  All seemed lost, but ever resilient, Spring City had another trick up their sleeve.

Facing elimination, the Red Sox rallied in a big way.  With a little help from their opponent, they plated five runs in the top of the ninth.  With one runner on and two out, the team's bats came alive.  An error by the first baseman, a hit batter, a two rbi double by Pieston, an error by the second baseman, a stolen base, and an rbi basehit by Sean Larkin accounted for the damage.

Things quickly went downhill in the bottom of the inning.  A leadoff walk and basehit put two runners on with nobody out.  A wild pitch after a flyout put both runners in scoring position.  A huge strike out followed for the second out.  An infield hit to the second baseman plated the tying run, with the winning run coming on an errant throw on the same play.

After an incredible season, it was an incredibly tough way to go out.  Walks and errors will come back to haunt you, and this is a great example of that.  That in no way diminishes the historic run by the Red Sox, who claimed their first ever PA legion title last week.

What should come as a bit of a scare for the rest of the competition in PA next year, and across the Mid-Atlantic, is that Spring City has all but one of their players eligible to return next year.  This year was just a preview of things to come.

The best season in Pennridge history has officially come to a close, but not before an incredible run through the state and national regional tournaments.  Pennridge dropped a 6-2 decision against Indiana champion Terre Haute who came into the game with a gaudy 40-6 record.

Things looked good early for for the PA runner-ups, as they went ahead in the bottom of the first on a Tim Eversole single and an rbi double by shortstop Dylan Tice.  Terre Haute answered back with a run of their own in the top of the second inning.  

Dylan Tice scored in the fourth inning after a basehit, fielder's choice, and an error by the first baseman.  The Indiana champions evened things up again in the sixth with a run, before adding two more in the seventh, and one more in both the eighth and ninth innings.  The six runs were more than Pennridge could overcome, as they were outhit 15 to 7 in the game.

Jared Schaffer pitched pretty well for the PA representatives, going eight and a third innings and surrending six runs on fifteen hits.

Pennridge concludes their season, the best in franchise history, with a 30-11-1 record.  They have plenty to be proud of, including a PA Region 2 title, a PA State runner-up finish, and a good showing at national regionals.

Congratulations to Pennridge on a great season!

Remember to keep following along with our Twitter account for updates from today's games.

You can follow via the link on the right side bar of the site or at twitter.com/palegionball.

Pennridge couldn't have been too pleased with their 13-4 loss yesterday at the hands of the Ohio state champions from Tuscarawas County.  They bounced back today, handily defeating the host of the Great Lakes Regional.

The PA runner-ups got three runs in the second inning, and then added another in the third before Mattoon could counter with two of their own in the bottom of the inning.  Pennridge got another two runs in the fourth before breaking things wide open in a crazy sixth inning where they plated six runs.  They took a ten run lead into the bottom of the seventh, but the hosts fought back to extend the game with a run.

Pennridge moves on to play the loser of the Terre Haute, IN vs. Moline, IL game at 1:30pm eastern tomorrow in game nine.

Another day, same story for the host West Lawn Owls.  For the second straight day, they had a state champion on the ropes but surrendered a huge inning and ended up dropping the game.  Last night it was against Virginia champion Chesapeake, today, it's familiar foe Spring City.

The Owls led 8-4 heading into the bottom of the eighth.  Timely hits, a few walks and wild pitches led to a six run rally by the Red Sox.  Another stunning reversal of fortune was more than the Berks County natives could handle, as they went quietly into the offseason with an uneventful ninth frame.  Final score: Spring City 10, West Lawn 8.

The win propels Spring City into the tournament's third day, where they will play the the loser of Newark, DE and Salisbury, MD at 12:30pm in game nine.

South Charleston, WV just defeated Saratosa Springs, NY moments ago by a 12-2 score in seven innings.  That means the game between the Region 3 champs and hosts will begin at approximately 1pm.

Be sure to check out our twitter for inning-by-inning updates of all the action from Owls Field and for Pennridge's game from Mattoon, Illinois!

Coming into national regional play, there are always a bunch of unknowns.  What you can generally expect though, is to find stellar defense and effective pitching that is instrumental in getting through a tough state tournament.  The Mid-Atlantic Regional's nightcap, between Virginia champion Chesapeake and host West Lawn was anything but that.

Chesapeake jumped to a lead first, with two runs in the top of the third inning by way of a walk, single, error, and wild pitch.  The Owls countered with a run of their own on a basehit and rbi triple by Chris Gehris.  Things got real crazy in the forth, when West Lawn put up a five spot.  It started with two walks, a botched throw on a sacrifice bunt, another walk, a fielders choice, a basehit and subsequent error, an intentional walk, and a bases loaded walk.

West Lawn tacked on two more, with a run in the fifth and sixth before pandemonium broke out at Ted Palka Park.  It all started with a fielding error by the center fielder for the Owls.  A single, double, single, walk, bases loaded triple, walk, a couple of errors and steals, another walk, and a successful double steal led to seven Chesapeake runs.  All in all, six unearned runs were plated in the inning.

The Owls answered with a run in the bottom of the inning, before surrendering another three runs in the eighth.  Three more walks aided in the Chesapeake, VA rally.  West Lawn was held scoreless in the bottom half of the inning, failing to strike back.  

Another walk in the top of the ninth led to another run for the Virginia state champions.  West Lawn couldn't counter, and they dropped a 13-9 decision.

Surprisingly, despite their apparent inability to find the plate much of the night, Chesapeake hitters whiffed fifteen West Lawn batters.  When you combine that stat with surrendering six unearned runs on three errors, while walking nine batters, it's going to be tough to win any night.

The total damage: 22 runs (7 unearned), 18 strikeouts (15 by VA), 18 total walks (split 9-9), 9 total errors, and one marathon of a game.

It's obvious that both teams will need to play much better tomorrow if they hope to extend their seasons.  West Lawn will take on Spring City, in a battle of two PA teams.  That game is slated for approximately 12:30pm.  Chesapeake will take on Brooklawn, NJ in the nightcap.