Confidence can go a long way.

And for West Hazleton, it did during the 11-12 year old all-star loser's bracket game against Anthracite.Six runs across the first two innings gave them all the self-assurance they needed en route to topping Anthracite, 10-5."Last couple games we struggled in the first inning," said West Hazleton skipper Phil Greco. "Their attitude was definitely different in the first inning today. When you put the ball in play and get on the bases, you have some fun - that's what they did tonight."Matters couldn't trend much better for West from the get-go. After back-to-back walks to start the game and an Anthracite error, Angel Cruz and Josh Braskey smacked consecutive singles, which brought in a total of three runs.However, Anthracite responded in the bottom of the initial inning with a two-run opposite-field Johnny Byers homer that was hit so hard, it might have landed all the way back in Tamaqua."I'd have to say he's one of my most solid players out there," said Anthracite head coach Chuck Byers. "He's one of the oldest on the team. He's got a good eye and power at the plate. They have a couple kids that really can hit the ball. We work hard, but that doesn't always mean we will be successful. When a team hits the ball like they are, that's baseball."West tacked on two more runs in the immediate frame by both putting the ball in play and putting some pressure on the Anthracite defense. Cruz and Javier Fabian-Torres each crossed the plate on Anthracite errors"(Wednesday) night, we struggled and it makes all the difference in the world when you get behind," Greco said. "But when you start off strong and play some good defense, it really picks you up."Anthracite made another surge in the third inning. With runners on, West elected to intentionally walk Byers this time around. Brad Hood drove in one run, and Kayla Nothstein plated two on a hard-hit fielding error by West, which made the score 6-5. Nothstein also chewed up some quality innings in relief of (Johnny) Byers later in the contest."She's a real strong pitcher who keeps her emotions in control," said Byers. "It's definitely a plus when you're in a game like this. She's a valuable asset to us."Unfortunately, for Anthracite, West put the game out of reach with one swing of Leo Espinal's bat during a four-run fourth frame.An opposite-field smash to right field trickled to the fence and brought in a pair of runners. Espinal motored to third base, and an overthrow sailed away from any Anthracite fielder. That scored Espinal to make it 10-5."He's one of the better 12-year-olds I've ever seen play," Greco said of Espinal. "He's a very athletic, levelheaded kid. He picks up the rest of the team and is just a phenomenal ball player. He's a great hitter, and he also throws hard."Fittingly, Espinal closed out the game by getting a 6-4-3 double play.Anthracite will play in the consolation bracket on Saturday."We're not going for the championship, there's no trophy, but we have our pride and we can go out winning the last two games," Byers said.UNSUNG HERO … West's Jayden Tavaras earned the win and struck out four batters. "He didn't pitch for us at all yet," Greco said. "We thought we would try him out and maybe get an inning or two. But he goes four innings and did a heck of a job."QUICK WORK … Nothstein needed just seven pitches to get through her initial inning of relief - the third - which was the game's only 1-2-3 frame.W. Hazleton 420 400 - 10 8 2Anthracite 203 000 - 5 6 4Tavaras, Cruz (5), Espinal (6) and Candelario; Byers, Nothstein (3) and Hood. W - Tavaras. L - Byers. HR - Anthracite: Byers (2nd, one on).