SL tops Tamaqua
Bedrock has had better days.
Such was the case for the Tamaqua 9-11 Little League All-Stars on Wednesday evening at Billy Angst Stadium.
Southern Lehigh pounded out 10 hits and rolled to a 14-1 victory in four innings of round-robin tournament play.
Tamaqua remains alive in the tournament but now needs a win over Blue Mountain in Thursday evening’s 6 p.m. matchup to improve its position.
The Spartans grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Anthony Simon tripled and scored on Jackson Driscoll’s RBI single.
Tamaqua answered in the second. Elijah Weber walked, moved to second on a wild pitch and eventually scored on another wild pitch to tie the game at 1-1.
From there, however, the Blue Raiders were left chasing.
Southern Lehigh broke the game open with a five-run second inning. Despite collecting just one hit — another single by Simon — the Spartans took advantage of five walks and an error to build a 6-1 advantage.
Things only got tougher for Tamaqua.
Southern Lehigh added two more runs in the third to stretch its lead to 8-1 before putting the game away with a six-run fourth. The Spartans sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning and collected five hits, including knocks by Simon, Marshall Edwards, Ryan Kawczenski and Gideon Hippen.
Meanwhile, Tamaqua never found an offensive answer. The Blue Raiders managed just one hit, an Owen Hope single in the second inning.
Southern Lehigh’s pitching staff also executed its plan to perfection.
Starter Nick Sutyak worked the first two innings, throwing 38 pitches before turning things over to Edwards in the third. Edwards needed just five pitches in the third inning and five more in the fourth to finish off the victory.
The Spartans finished with 10 hits, highlighted by Simon’s leadoff triple in the opening inning.
SCOOPING IT UP ... Southern Lehigh shortstop Anthony Simon was outstanding defensively, handling four chances flawlessly while anchoring the Spartans’ infield.
COOL DOUBLE PLAY ... Tamaqua first baseman Lucas Letkowski made a heads-up defensive play in the first inning, snagging a line drive off the bat of Sutyak before doubling off the runner at first.
Southern Lehigh 152 6 — 14 10 0
Tamaqua 010 0 — 1 1 8
Sutyak, Edwards (3) and Templeton; Green, Eltringham (2), Parker Steigerwalt (3), Keich (3), Letkowski (4) and Payton Steigerwalt and Hope (4).
W — Sutyak. L — Green.