The old adage "it's not how you start it's how you finish" certainly didn't apply to the Valley East 11-12 year-old baseball squad on Friday. That's because after its performance it has come up with a new slogan: "If you start by scoring a bunch of runs then it makes it a lot easier to finish with success."

East put six runs on the board in the first inning, cruising to an 11-2 District 18 11-12 year-old first round victory over Anthracite.As noted, East burst onto the District 18 scene on Friday with six first inning runs.The offensive onslaught started with back-to-back doubles by Alex Schell and Bryce Molinaro. Stas Hughes then followed with a two run double to keep the momentum going in the inning for East. After two consecutive walks to Kellen Warner and Charlie Sherman, East was on its way to a first round "W.""We came out swinging the bats really well to start the ball game," said Valley East coach John Wolk. "We went cold a little bit after that, but Warner came up with a big stick for us and we were able to carry that first inning momentum to a victory tonight."The big stick moment that Wolk is referring to came in the fourth inning when Kellen Warner took a pitch deep to left centerfield that cleared the fence. East would add two runs in the fourth, two runs in the fifth and one run in the sixth to reach the 11-run mark.As any coach will tell you, pitching is arguably the most important tool a team needs at its disposal, especially in tournament play.Valley East had no shortage of pitching excellence on Friday as its staff gave up just two runs on two hits. Chris Wolk, Alex Schell and Charlie Sherman combined to pitch the gem, striking out 11 Anthracite batters."We have five guys that can the throw ball pretty well," said Wolk. "Our staff did a heck of a job tonight. They hit their spots and had great command of their pitches. We're just going to continue to play hard and try to pitch the best outings we can."For Anthracite, there were definitely some positives to take away from this one despite the loss. After the rough first inning, Anthracite hung in there giving up just five runs over the next five innings."I thought after that first inning we calmed down," said Anthracite coach "Pip" Rehrig. "Now we just have to bounce back and fight our way through the loser's bracket. I have faith in my kids and we'll be better."Matt Rehrig and Derick Pavlik each had hits for Anthracite.Valley East 600 221 - 11 8 0Anthracite 001 010 - 2 2 0HR- Warner (4th, one on). W - C. Wolk L - Garcia