Township players celebrate their 7-6 win over Plains on Saturday for the District 16 8-10 Baseball championship. Fred Adams | For Times Leader DURYEA — Ten days earlier, Township didn’t even last six innings with Plains in the District 16 8-10 Baseball tournament opener.
What happened then didn’t matter Saturday. What did was making amends for that 12-run loss.
Township did just that, although things were a little tense in the sixth, with a 7-6 victory over previously unbeaten Plains in the championship game at Duryea Little League.
Township advances to the Section 5 tournament, which will be July 13-17. Either Township or District 31 champion Back Mountain National will host.
“We talked about that,” Township manager Charles Henries said of the 13-1 loss to Plains. “First game, new group trying to figure each other out. They came in here hungry. They wanted Plains. That was part of the deal.
“We talk about four things — attitude, respect, effort and have fun. And that’s what they pulled off today.”
After having just two hits but scoring four runs through five innings, Township’s bats came alive in the sixth. Good thing they did because of what transpired in the bottom of the inning.
With two outs in the sixth, Township’s Landry Henries tripled and Justin Oliveri followed with an RBI triple, barely tucking his hit down the left-field line. Andy Sperazza singled home Oliveri and he eventually scored on a fielder’s choice to make it 7-3.
A four-run lead at this level, though, could disappear in the blink. And it nearly did in the bottom of the sixth.
Plains’ Jordan Stark and Bryce Hollingshead reached on errors to start the sixth. Stark eventually scored on a wild pitch and Hollingshead scored on a groundout to cut the deficit to 7-5. Brayden LePore added a single and he crossed the plate on a two-out single by Matt Keating.
That’s where the rally ended … a run short.
Township scored its first run in the first inning when Rocco Skula and Henries pulled off a double steal, with Skula beating the throw to the plate. Plains tied the score in the bottom of the inning when Malakai Vanderburg tripled and scored on a groundout.
After getting a run in the second, Anthony Argento had an RBI single in the third to give Township a 3-1 lead. Plains caught Township again in the bottom of the third as Hollingshead had an RBI single as part of a two-run inning.
Township took a 4-3 lead in the fourth as Sperazza was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on single by Caden Rossi.
District 16 8-10 Baseball Championship
Township 7, Plains 6
Township`AB`R`H`BI
Skula 2b`2`1`0`0
Argento p`3`0`2`1
Henries ss`2`1`1`0
Oliveri 1b`3`1`1`1
Sperazza c`1`2`1`1
Rossi 3b`3`0`2`1
Martinez eh`2`0`0`0
Yonki cf`2`1`0`1
Rykiewicz lf`2`0`0`1
Talerico rf`2`0`0`0
Collins eh`1`1`0`0
Stamm eh`2`0`0`0
Totals`25`7`7`6
Plains`AB`R`H`BI
Vanderburg cf`2`2`1`0
Stark ss`3`1`0`1
Hollingshead p`3`2`2`1
Santarelli lf`2`0`0`0
LePore 3b`1`1`1`0
Balent c`2`0`0`1
Keating rf`3`0`1`1
Lara 2b`3`0`0`0
Majewski eh`1`0`0`0
Nah eh`1`0`0`0
Watlock eh`2`0`0`0
Endler 1b`2`0`0`0
Totals`25`6`5`4
Township`111`103 — 7
Plains`102`003 — 6
3B — Henries, Oliveri, Vanderburg
Township`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Argento`2.2`3`3`3`6`6
Skula (W)`3.1`2`3`0`1`7
Plains`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Hollingshead`3`1`3`3`5`5
Stark (L)`3`6`4`4`2`3
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