Little League baseball: Shikellamy's eight-run inning dooms Selinsgrove

By Brian Holtzapple
For The Daily Item

July 18, 2008 07:51 am

— MIFFLINBURG -- The Selinsgrove 10-11 Division All-Star team had Shikellamy to thank for sending it into the elimination bracket with a dominating 18-run win on July 9.
Eight days after that lopsided loss, Selinsgrove has Shikellamy to thank again, this time for sending it out of the tournament with a loss much like the first one.
Shikellamy exploded for eight runs in the first inning to cruise to an 11-1, four-inning victory to claim the District 13 Area II championship Thursday at Fifth Street Field.
Next up for Shikellamy is a best-of-three series against South Columbia for the District 13 title.
Game 1 is Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Bloomsburg Town Park, then game 2 is Sunday at 5:30 p.m. back at Mifflinburg. A third game, if necessary, would be Monday at Town Park.
"We've been fortunate against Selinsgrove to get the jump on them each time," said Shikellamy manager Don Leitzel, whose team opened with a 9-0 lead in the first game against Selinsgrove.
"Both times we've played them we were the visitors, and both times we put up big innings," Leitzel added.
Big innings are often started by a walk, and Thursday's first inning was no exception.
Colby Lahr began Shikellamy's day by drawing a five-pitch walk from Selinsgrove starter Peter Herman.
From there the floodgates opened up as Kyle Leitzel followed with a single and Nick Dunn hit an RBI single to left-center.
Once the bases became loaded in the next at-bat on an infield single by Dylan Kremer, a wild pitch plated Leitzel before Brandon Kashuba drew another walk to reload the bases.
After the first out was recorded on a fielder's choice, Hayden Pope hit an RBI single to right to make the score 4-0.
Seth Burk later hit a two-run ground rule double to left to make it 6-0, and the inning's final two runs came home on an error on a misplayed fielder's choice at second.
"It was almost deja vu from the first game where Shikellamy had us down 9-0 in the first inning," Selinsgrove manager Mike Sears said. "Coming into (Thursday's) game, our kids were ready. They had three wins and they were ready for Shikellamy.
"We came out and they got eight in the first inning again, but the kids kept their heads up and I was impressed," added Sears.
An RBI single by Herman in the third kept Selinsgrove in the game until the fourth when Shikellamy plated its last three runs to end the game early.
A two-run double by Blake Bettleyon made the score 10-1, and two batters later Colby Lahr hit into a fielder's choice to score Bettleyon with the final run.
"This game versus last game, we were making solid contact (Thursday)," Sears said. They were swinging and hitting the ball hard, so I couldn't be any prouder."

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