(EDITOR’S NOTE: Since May of 1999, the Times News Sports Department has featured an On This Date practically every day, highlighting an event that happened in the past. With the coronavirus putting a halt to sports locally and nationally, the On This Dates have been expanded to the stories that actually ran in the next day’s newspaper. Today’s On This Date story is from June 26, 2008).

By TJ Engle

tengle@tnonline.com

Prior to yesterday’s District 18 All-Star Tournament opening game, Tamaqua manager Bob Agosti gave his 11-12 year-old players some words of wisdom.

“I told the kids two days ago, we’re lucky we have a ‘T’ on our caps for Tamaqua ... but it also means team,” Agosti said. “We play as a team.”

Early in the game, the team heeded its coaches advice as it opened an early 10-1 lead. However, White Haven refused to roll over and Tamaqua had to hold on for a 10-5 win. Tamaqua will advance in the winner’s bracket today to face West Hazleton, a 9-8 victor over Hazleton.

“All in all, it was a good game,” Agosti said. “We had our chances to put it away, but we didn’t. We’ve got to give White Haven credit for not giving up.”

White Haven jumped ahead 1-0 in the opening inning on an Andrew Munisteri RBI single that scored Chandler Ackers.

Tamaqua answered in the bottom half of the inning as it jumped on White Haven starter Tony Grattola. Bo Rottet poked an RBI single to tie the game, and then Tyler Hope drilled a two-run double to give the hosts a 3-1 lead.

In the second, Rottet got the best of a Grottola offering for a two-run home run over the left-field fence.

Tamaqua continued to put runs on the scoreboard with three in the third. Pinch-hitter Christine Streisel had the big hit as she recorded a two-run double.

As Tamaqua pitching kept White Haven’s hitters off balance, the visitors finally silenced the locals in the fourth.

However, the Tamaqua bats got going again in the fifth.

Needing three more runs to shorten the game via the 10-run rule, Tamaqua was able to get two thanks to Ian Nicholls’ two-run home run. Dallas Shafer kept the chances for a shortened game alive as he reached on a single. But White Haven’s relief pitcher got Dalton Nunemacher, Rottet and Anthony Agosti to pop out.

White Haven caught Tamaqua off guard in the top of the sixth. Despite being down 10-1, the visitors made their own scoring opportunities. In fact, they had the bases loaded on three separate occasions.

“They were down 10-1, and they got the bases loaded in the last inning and they gave us a fight - more power to them,” Agosti said.

White Haven took advantage of three walks, a hit-batsman and Tamaqua’s lone defensive miscue to plate four runs. Timmy Tokash drew a bases-loaded walk, while Munisteri recorded a two-run single, which also plated another run on a fielding mistake.

“Most of the time, they stay within themselves and they do what they can do,” Agosti said. “Toward the end of the game, a lot of the players got away from it.

“They know they had a chance to put the game away at certain times, but we didn’t. We tried to do too much instead of just being ourselves.”

Nunemacher finished the game 2-for-3 with a walk, two singles, two runs scored and an RBI, while Rottet added a single, home run, two runs scored and two RBIs. Agosti chipped in with a single, double and a run scored.

White Haven 100 004 - 5 5 2

Tamaqua 323 02x - 10 13 1

Grottola, Legg (4) and Tokash; Shafer, Streisel (4), Agosti (5), Roberts (6), Edmonds (6) and Nicholls, Hope (3), Nicholls (4), Hope (6). W -Shafer. L-Grottola. HR: Tamaqua - Rottet (2nd, one on), Nicholls (5th, one on).