SAYLORSBURG - Anthracite's 9-10-year-old Little League All-Star team always seemed to have answers during its memorable run to a District 18 championship and its quest for a coveted Sectional 6 crown.

The Coal Barons had the ability to strike quickly and often with a hitting attack that cracked even the most composed opposing pitcher.But for the second time during the Section 6 Tournament, the Anthracite juggernaut couldn't quite solve Lehigh, who handed it a 14-8 setback.The loss ended a postseason of success and fun that saw the Coal Barons go 8-0 against teams not named Lehigh."I'll never forget this group of young boys," said an emotional manager Ron Hood as he took a few moments longer embracing his son Stephen Hood. "I've been coaching baseball since the early 90s and this is the best experience I ever had."Unlike the first meeting in which Lehigh rang up a dominating 12-3 decision, this one was going down to just about the final outs.Although it was gloomy at the start for Anthracite as it watched the eventual champs surge to an early 10-2 lead, there was no quit in the Coal Barons, who scored in each of their first five at bats.Anthracite scored twice in the first thanks to a Matt Machalik single, a double from Hood, and a Dave McAndrew single.Anthracite added an unearned run in the second and two more runs in the third thanks to hits from Drew Kokinda and McAndrew. The Coal Barons then pushed across solo run in the home fourth to pull within striking distance at 10-6."When we cut that lead I thought we were ready to come up with a big inning," said Hood. "But they had an answer."Lehigh stopped the Anthracite momentum with a three-run outburst in the top of the fifth. Although Anthracite used hits from Chase Weaver and Machalik to get two of the runs back in the bottom of the frame, it couldn't get any closer."We gave them six runs in that first inning. They punched us in the face, but we came right back … these kids have heart," said Hood. "They battled right to the end. We picked our Little League team with 23 players to choose from. Lehigh is a travel team. We are a true Little League team."LOADED SQUAD … Lehigh has a big area to draw from and nearly 200 players. It executes well and has talented hitters from top to bottom in its lineup.LEHIGH HIT PARADE … Noah Gyauch-Quick had three doubles, a triple and four runs scored to lead Lehigh. Bray Gonzalez had three singles, JC Spinosa doubled twice and Jimmy Galgon had two singles.COAL BARONS … Anthracite managed nine hits. McAndrew and Machalik both had two while Kokinda, Hood, Tyler Black, Weaver and Joey Shelton all added one hit.GETTING OFFENSIVE ... Anthracite averaged nearly 12 runs a game in the postseason, scoring 119 runs in its 10 games.GOOD LUCK CHARMS … The Coal Barons' 'Granny Brigade' had front row seats for all the action as the grandmothers of Drew Kokinda and Cody Orsulak were part of an impressive Anthracite fan base during the postseason.Lehigh 640 0031- 14 15 5Anthracite 212 120 - 8 9 4Gyauch-Quick, Birra (1), Gonzalez (3), Spinosa (5) and George; Orsulak, Black (2) and Goida. W - Birra. L - Orsulak