A.D. Ibarra
-Winn Stadium
The stage was set. Lightning delays pushed back the start of the semi-finals three hours, but if you were there, the wait was well worth it.
It was lefty versus lefty Ryan Hine for Middle Atlantic and the cagey yet overpowering Sean Francoeur head to head for the golden ticket to the 2021 Babe Ruth World Series.
In the top of the first, Pennsylvania’s Superman Xavier Smith, the one that catapulted the boys from Mifflin County into the semis with a game-winning double against Bismarck, North Dakota the night prior with a gapper to left-center, down 1-0 with two outs in the sixth plating Trevor Scheaffer and Tucker Gill, a hit that was heard all the way to the east coast as the stands rumbled at Patsy Winn Stadium on this night.
Cut back to the semi-finals against undefeated Trumbull, Connecticut: Smith scores in the first Then a close play at first, a 6-3 putout from Jack Durland to Nick Lubuono, a bang-bang play, ended the threat and saved a run.
In the bottom of the first, Durland draws a leadoff walk, Jake Hull singles to left, Hine gets Ryan Warner swinging, but Hine gets out of the inning.
In the top of the second, two errors cost New England two runs and the score was 3-0 after one and a haff.
A key point in the game was the bottom of the second where Trumbull had bases loaded with one out. Jackson DiPino tries to squeeze in Francoeur, but he’s forced out at home. Then a hard grounder to Smith at third ended the inning and the scoring threat.
Another pivotal moment was in the bottom of the third when clean-up hitter Lubuono grounded into a 4-6-3 double play, a pitcher’s beds friend, to end the scoring threat.
Control problems would’ve been the issue had Middle atlantic fallen in this game as Pennsylvania went to two relievers in the bottom of the fourth where Trumbull was able to get on the board when DJ Albaladejo singles into right field with one out, an RBI hit scoring Matt Wood, 3-1 Penn.
Trace Brought comes in to pitch for Mifflin with one down in the home half of the fourth. A hit batsman loads up the bases for DiPino who draws another RBI walk. Then a sac fly by Durland to left ties the game. We had a new game in the 2021 Babe Ruth Semis!
Francoeur would get out of the fifth unscathed then in the bottom of the fifth with runners on first and second with one out Wood draws a walk, then Francoeur aids his won cause with a sacrifice fly to left, 4-3 Trumbull!
Francoeur seemed to be in total control with a one-run lead and it looked like New England would cruise into the championship with their ace in total control with his overpowering fastball and deadly slider, but Pennsylvania came to play and Chris Moon would leadoff the top of the seventh inning with a single to right on Francoeur’s last hitter as he had reached his 95 pitch limit. Parker Kearns would come in to pinch run then Scheaffer tried to bunt him over but ends up flying out to left fielder Jake Hul. Then reliever Dylan Lamy gets Trevor Shaeffer swinging. Xavier Smith came in with the game on the line but got under a Lamy pitched and skied it into the early morning sky, but Lamy was unable to snag the fly and Kearns would score all the way from second base with the go-ahead run. But the hero on this late Wednesday morning, about 1:00 A.M. to be exact, was Ryan Kanagy, Pennsylvania’s catcher who would seal the deal with a base hit just over the outstretched glove of second baseman DiPino to plate two and Pennsylvania was up 6-4! Lamy tried to get a curve ball by Kanagy but the hitter just makes contact and deposited the ball into right for the game winners.
Thus it will be Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, Middle Atlantic versus Tri-Valley, California in the Big Dukeroo, Mano a Mano for the 2021 15 Year-Old Babe Ruth World Series!