Pennsylvania

American Legion Baseball

The four team playoff field has been set in Region Five's District 15 League.  The league, which comprises the state's northeast corner, will begin with two semifinal series. The Hawley Toros have claimed the top seed following a doubleheader sweep of Hamlin on the regular season's last day.  Hamlin, the four seed for the playoffs, will visit Hawley Thursday evening for Game One of their best of three semifinal series.  Game Two is scheduled for Hamlin on Friday night.  If a third game is necessary, the Rangers and Toros will meet back at Hawley for the rubber match on Saturday.  In the other series, Montrose will visit Delaware Valley HIgh School Thursday to take on Milford in Game One.  The series follows a similar schedule:  Game Two is set for Montrose on Friday, with the third game, if necessary, back at Milford on Saturday.  The semifinal victors will meet in the Championship Series to determine the league's representative at the Region Five Tournament, which will be held in Scranton later in the month.

We have created pages for each of PA's seven regional tournaments to be held at the end of July.  The host team, site, and dates for each tournament have been included.  As the match-ups become available we will update the pages accordingly.

To access to pages, scroll over the 'Postseason' tab and down to your favorite region.

If you have regional tournament information we're missing, please pass it along!

A ton of scores from around the state have been posted.  Head to the individual region pages to check out how your favorite teams did this week.

With league playoffs just a few weeks away, teams around the state have begun to position themselves for their respective league tournaments in pursuit of coveted regional tournament berths.  In Pennsylvania's Region Two, a number of close races are starting to develop.  The regional tournament this year will be held at West Lawn's Owls Field at Ted Palka Park.

In the Berks County League, the league race remains wide open.  And while only the league's tournament champ will join league rival West Lawn at regionals, the top seeds will get homefield advantage for the first two rounds.  The league playoffs will then shift to Shillington for their conclusion.  At the moment, just a few games separate the top of the league from the bottom.  League and region newcomer Norchester has rebounded after a poor start in their non-league schedule and perennial power Boyertown is near the top as well.  However, Daniel Boone and Exeter has scored big wins in recent days, and all of the teams remain in the hunt for the regular season title as the league season approaches its halfway point.

Over in the Bux-Mont League, Souderton, Pennridge, and Doylestown have begun to separate themselves from the pack.  The league will send two teams to West Lawn, and the regular season champion will claim one of those spots.  At this point, Souderton holds a half game lead over Pennridge, with Doylestown a game behind.  Nor-Gwyn, typically at or near the top of the league has struggled to this point, and is in danger of missing the playoffs.

Up in the Lehigh Valley League, North Parkland finds itself as the current leader.  Like the Berks League, the Lehigh Valley League will only send its playoff champ to regionals.  Southern Lehigh appears to be North Parkland's most serious challenger right now, but there is still plenty of time for others to make a move to the top.  Northern Valley and Fullerton, the league's regional reps a year ago, find themselves in the middle of the pack.

Familiar teams highlight the top of the standings in the Norco League.  Bath and Nazareth lead the way with 10-1 and 8-1 records, respectively.  Both teams appeared in last year's regionals at Nor-Gwyn.  Kemp Post and Roseto lead their divisions, but are a few games behind Bath overall.  The league will send just one representative to regionals, so the playoff competition should be especially fierce.  Nazareth defeated Bath 8-0 in their only meeting so far.

While several teams in the Schuylkill-Berks League got late starts due to high school playoffs, the league has now kicked into full gear.  In the Schuylkill Division, perennial title challenger Southern Area leads the way.  The A's hope to book a return trip to regionals following their 0-2 showing a year ago.  Minersville has also gotton off to a strong start.  In the Berks Division, Muhlenberg holds a half game lead over Oley/Topton.  Oley/Topton just began their season, but they have started very strong, and it looks like the division title will likely come down to the Patriots and A's.  The Schuylkill-Berks League will send two teams to the regional tournament.

League standings can be found at the dropdown menu for Region Two.  If you'd like to write a roundup for your region, or if you have scores or updated standings to submit, then can be sent to [email protected].

A slew of scores have been posted, head to the individual region pages to check out the latest results from across the state.

Boyertown has enjoyed more legion baseball success than any other program in the state over the last several decades. With an experienced team last year, the Bears, from Region 2's Berks County League, took the PA Region 2 crown before finishing second at the state and Mid-Atlantic tournaments. The perennial power did not return a single starting position player from last year's team. Ten of the team's seventeen players are in their first year with the team, many of whom are just sixteen years old. While a solid cast of starting pitching and a few good reserve players returned from last season, whether Boyertown would rebuild or reload was still in question.

After dropping a few non-league games to start the year, and a few league games to open up their Berks County League slate, it appears as though by summer's end, this Boyertown team will be primed to make some noise in the playoffs yet again. Returning from last year's team are pitchers Dan Woodley, Colby Hartman, Luke Stong, and Ryan Pinter. 2011 reserves Ronnie Mauger, Alex Jazlovietcki, and Cole Speilman round out the returning core for the Berks County squad. If you followed the Bears exploits last summer, those names should look familiar. Even the youngest players paid huge dividends for Manager Rick Moatz last postseason, as they provided crucial starting and relief pitching, pinch running, big-time hits, and stellar defense.

Boyertown played host to the Nor-Gwyn Hawks on Friday evening at Bear Stadium, in a match-up between two of the most prolific teams in the state over the past few years. The Hawks came to power under former head coach Kevin Manero, who has since assumed the head job at North Penn High School. Friday's game, as they always have been, would be a good test to see where each team stood against stiff competition.

This time, Boyertown got the best of Nor-Gwyn behind a stellar pitching performance from sixteen year old rookie Brandon Griesemer.  The left-hander surrendered just three hits and struck out four in five innings of work.  Ryan Pinter took over in the sixth, notching five outs while giving up one hit before leaving the game with an injury.  Another sixteen year old, Matt McCarney, took over on the mound where he gave up a few runs and a few walks in the ninth inning.   Tyler Bauman came on and got out of the jam, earning himself a save and his team a win by recording two quick outs.

Nor-Gwyn starter Nate Heller had a solid outing of his own, pitching six innings and giving up five runs (three earned) and six hits while striking out a couple batters.  Young Anthony Cameron came on in relief for the Hawks, tossing two innings and surrendering a run while striking out three Boyertown hitters.

Ronnie Mauger and Cory Fox led the offensive attack for Boyertown.  Mauger, the starting center fielder, had two hits including a double, scored a run, and tallied an RBI.  Fox, who was a mid-game substitution at third base, went two for two to add more spark at the bottom of the order.  The one through six hitters all had an RBI a piece for Boyertown, which netted six runs in the victory.

Nor-Gwyn got the bulk of its offense in the last frame and was led by two hits from Nick Yacopino, and RBIs from Brandon Billetz and Steve Cameron.  Final score from Boyertown: Bears 6, Hawks 2.

Have you ever checked out the 'PA ALB Fan Feed' on the right side of the page? Did you know that if you or your team has a Twitter account, your team's scores and stories can show up on the site just like that?

By using the site's hashtag, #palegionball, in your post, your tweet automatically shows up on the feed for everybody on the site to see. Some teams and fans use it to tweet their schedules, scores, updates, and more. 

Check it out, and join on in!

The Jefferson County League, which had hosted legion baseball for decades, disbanded over winter due to a lack of interest from area teams. The four remaining teams moved to neighboring leagues as follows: Clearfield and Dubois to the Central Penn League, Punxsutawney to the Indiana County League, and Brookville to the Clarion County League.

The standing pages have been updated accordingly.

We here at palegionball.com hope you enjoyed the unofficial start to the summer season and also got to take some time on the true meaning of Memorial Day.

While many were packing their bags and heading home from the beach or firing up the grill, Hatfield and Exeter were locked in a tight holiday contest today. Exeter got off to a quick start with three runs in the top of the first. Hatfield quickly answered with two of their own in the bottom of the inning. The Blue Jays of the Berks County League posted four straight runs of their own with two apiece in the third and fourth before Hatfield was able to plate a run in the bottom of the fourth.

That score held for the next five half-innings before Hatfield of the Bux-Mont League tied things up with four runs in the seventh to extend the game into an extra innings. The game was called after the eighth inning that saw both teams score a run amid hot and humid weather.

Drew Miskovitz led the hitting attack for the Blue Jays, going 2 for 3 with two doubles and an RBI.  Ben Bortz also had a big day at the plate, going 2 for 4 with a couple of basehits and two runs knocked in.

Hatfield had an impressive day at the plate, with four doubles by four different batters to their credit. Eric Albaugh, Bobby Scott, Brady West, and Anthony Pletscher all had two base hits. Scott, Pat Carney, and Pete Edgar all had two RBIs in the effort.

The first set of results from around the state has now been posted.  Recent scores can be accessed for each region by clicking on the link for that region at the top of each page.  Updated standings can be found at the respective league pages, which are grouped by region.

Please send any additional scores, standings updates, or other news to [email protected] and we'll add them to the site.  As always, thanks for visiting!

The Indiana County League (Region 7) opened play on Monday night with Young Twp. topping Homer City Post 493 by a score of 11-0.  The game was shortened to 5 innings by the 10-run mercy rule.  Sam Held held Homer City to a leadoff single by Garrett Omasta and fanned 11 in the win.

The York Adams League in PA's Region Four has added a new team this year.  Dillsburg has joined the league, bringing the number of teams to seventeen.  Last year, Southwestern York captured the league crown and performed well at the regional tournament, winning two games.  They were eliminated by league rival New Oxford, which went on to finish second at the tournament, falling just one win short of a trip to the State Tournament.  This year's expanded league promises to be just as competitive.  You can find the full league schedule at the link below.

York Adams League Schedule

In 2011, the Wyoming Valley League was the strongest in the Region Five Postseason.  League members Plains and Back Mountain ran through the Regional Tournament at Bloomsburg, finishing as the top two teams.  Although Back Mountain knocked Plains off in the Winners' Bracket Final of the tournament, Plains was better on the final day, defeating Back Mountain twice for the regional title and the trip to the State Tournament.  This year's league season is scheduled to begin May 31st.  You can find the schedule at the link below.

Wyoming Valley League Schedule

District 11, which is located in Northeast Pennsylvania, begins play on June 2nd.  The league is comprised of nine Scranton area teams and the top six will make the playoffs.  Last year Green Ridge won the league title and finished with a 2-2 record at the regional tournament.  They'll likely be near the top of the league again this year, and Carbondale/Lakeland and Abington have also been strong in the past at the league and regional level.  A full league schedule and other important league informaton can be found at the link below.

District 11 Website

The time is just about upon us, and thousands of teenagers will take to the diamond over the next few weeks to kick off the summer legion baseball season across the state. 

We thought it may be interesting to post some questions here and see what fans across the state think. Feel free to chime in in the comments or over on the forum. 

• What team will win your league and regional tournaments this year? Give us an idea why you think each team from your area may compete with the best in the state.
• Who is the early favorite for the state title? 
• What region will take home the state title this year? Will southeastern PA continue its dominance?
• What player will hit the most homeruns this year in the state?
• What player will record the most strikeouts this year in the state?

The Philadelphia County League, which will have seven teams this year, will begin its season on May 29th.  Last year, the Olney Redbirds captured the league crown and made a good run at regionals.  This year, perennial league power Ivy Ridge hopes to return to past glory by winning the league title and the berth at the Region Three Tournament that goes with it.  Bustleton and the Del Val Senators should also be in contention at the top of the league.  Check out the full schedule and league's website below.

Philadelphia County League Schedule

Philadelphia County League Website

Region Four's Lebanon County League will begin its 2012 season on June 2nd.  The six team circuit is comprised of Annville, Campbelltown, Fredericksburg, Myerstown, Richland, and Lebanon's Fifth Ward.  Annville and Fredericksburg represented the league a year ago at regionals, which were hosted at Fredericksburg's Earl Wenger Field.  This year, the Region Four Tournament will shift to Fayetteville, and only the LebCo League's champ will qualifty.  The league's season will conclude with the "Lefty" Grumbine Championship Series beginning on July 10th.

Check out the link below for the league's full schedule and other information.

Lebanon County Legion League

The Lehigh Valley League, an eleven team league that plays in Pennsylvania's Region Two, has released its 2012 schedule.  Last year's league title was won by Northern Valley, which along with Fullerton represented the league in the state regionals.  The league, which has existed since 1941, will only have one regional representative this year, so the run to the title should be especially fierce.  One major highlight of the season will be the league's second joint All Star Game with the Schuylkill-Berks League.  That game is scheduled for June 19th at the home the Reading Phillies and benefits the Lebanon VA Medical Center. The league season begins May 31st.

Lehigh Valley League 2012 Schedule

Lehigh Valley League Website

As we progress closer to the start of the 2012 legion season, we are compiling schedules and news for teams around the state.  The best way to have your team's information on our site is to send it along to us for inclusion. 

Send all correspondence to [email protected] and we'll be sure to get back to you quickly.

Thanks!

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Seeds and Starters can be reached at [email protected].

Thank you for your patronage and your help in keeping this site up and running!