Wins for both the Warren Nationals and Warren Americans on Wednesday have set up a Warren Boys Minors showdown Friday.
After falling to Bradford in the opening round of the Little League 9-and-10-year-old boys baseball tournament on Monday, the Warren Nationals rebounded nicely by defeating Kane, 10-6, at Betts-Jackson.
Warren got off to a quick start, scoring two in the first inning. James Swanson led off the game with a base hit and raced to second on a bad throw. He came around to score on a single from Drew Swanson. Ben Berdine also scampered home after a throw went wide.
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Times Observer photo by Allen Seybert
Slide time
Tyler Gustafson of the Warren Boys Minors Americans all-star team slides into home to add a run to his team’s tally during an all-star victory over Smethport-Mount Jewett Wednesday at the Farm Colony Complex in North Warren.
In the third, James Swanson started another rally with a single, which was followed by a Berdine walk. Drew Swanson singled in another run, and Alex Borger followed with a RBI single of his own. Borger scored to add a third run in the inning.
Borger knocked in two more runs in the fourth with a double, scoring James Swanson and Berdine, and giving Warren a 8-1 lead.
Gavin LaVan did his part on the mound, striking out seven in four-and-two-thirds innings, while allowing just two runs.
Kane battled back by scoring three runs on three consecutive bases-loaded walks in the fifth, but Warren answered right back with two more in the sixth before Zach Rohlin closed the game out.
James Swanson ended up with four hits on the night, and Drew Swanson and Borger each had two RBI.
The win sets the Warren Nationals team up for a showdown in the losers bracket against the Warren American team, at 6 p.m. Friday at Betts-Jackson.
Warren 203 302 10 10
Kane 010 131 6 4
2b-Alexander Israel (K), Alex Borger (W). 3b-Luke Lasko (K). WP-Gavin LaVan. LP-Nate Asp.
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Boys Minors
Warren Americans 12, Smethport/Mt. Jewett 2
Stayin' alive.
The Warren Boys Minors Americans all-star team lived to play another day, improving to 2-1 in all-star competition with a 12-2 victory over Smethport-Mount Jewett at the Farm Colony Complex in North Warren.
The victory by the Americans sets up an elimination game showdown between the Americans and Warren Nationals at 6 p.m. Friday at Betts-Jackson Field.
After spotting Smethport a 2-0 lead in Wednesday's game, Warren was all business from the bottom of the opening inning onward. Sending 10 batters to the plate in the first inning, the Americans plated five runs and held a three-run advantage through an inning.
Ben Salapek led off the first with a walk and Ryan Rafalski followed by reaching on an error. Mitchell Grosch walked to load the bases and Warren scored its first two runs on back-to-back fielder's choices by Micah Passmore and Tyler Gustafson. Before the inning was over, Ryan Arnold had added an RBI single, Andrew Beyer a sacrifice fly and Hunter Loomis another RBI single to make it 5-2.
While the Smethport bats would be kept in check the rest of the way, Warren continued to circle around the bases. First, the Americans added two more runs in the second on an RBI triple from Passmore and an RBI single from Williams.
In the fourth, Warren pushed five more runners across the dish to end the game early via the ten-run rule. Four Warren runs scored on Smethport errors in the inning and Grosch provided the game-ending hit with a walk-off RBI fielder's choice.
The offense was spread out nicely for the winners as eight different players finished the game with one hit each.
Passmore and Gustafson each threw two innings, combining on a three-hitter with six strikeouts.
Smethport-Mount Jewett 200 0 - 2 3
Warren Americans 520 5 - 12 8
3b-Michael Hill (S), Micah Passmore (W), Ben Salapek (W). WP-Passmore. LP-Durphy.
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Girls Minors
Warren 10, Ridgway 0
RIDGWAY - Warren's Girls Minors all-star team started Little League tournament play on fire on Wednesday at Ridgway in the eight-team District 10 North-South bracket.
Julia Lobdell struck out 11 of the 12 outs in the 10-0 four-inning win, including 18 strikes and just two balls over the first two innings. Rightfielder Trinity Wennberg caught the third out of the first inning in right field and Warren had the momentum.
Wennberg and Alexis Nyquist reached base to start the bottom of the first and Gracie Wood pounded a one-out three-run home run to start the scoring.
Kiersten Hoffman singled and scored in the second on Wennberg's two-out RBI hit and Warren led 4-0.
A six-run bottom of the third gave Warren enough to win by the 10-run rule. Riviera Bennett, Wennberg and Julia Lobdell had three more hits in that frame for Warren, which next plays St. Marys at 6 p.m. Friday at Hawbaker Field at the Farm Colony Complex.
Wennberg and Wood had two hits each, and Wennberg, Wood and Hoffman scored twice each in the win.
Ridgway 000 0 - 0 0
Warren 316 x - 10 8
HR-Gracie Wood (W). WP-Julia Lobdell.
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Girls Majors
Punxsutawney 2, Warren 0
PUNXSUTAWNEY - Warrens Girls Majors all-star team battled to the final inning before being eliminated from the 10-team 11-12-year-old tournament in the losers bracket final on Wednesday.
Margo Loutzenhiser led off the game with a base hit, but that was the only hit of the game for Warren, which finished 3-2 in the tourney. Rachel Wilson reached base later in the first, but that was the last baserunner Warren had.
Punxsutawney advances to play DuBois in the bracket finals, having to win twice from the losers bracket.
A bases loaded fielder's choice scored Punxsy's first run in the bottom of the fifth of a nice pitchers' duel between Warren's Maddie Loutzenhiser and Allie Ishman. An error scored the second run. Loutzenhiser threw a three-hitter, and Ishman a one-hit shutout.
Margo Loutzenhiser caught a runner stealing to second baseman Wilson in the fourth, but Punxsy broke through the next inning after stranding runners the previous four.
Warren 000 000 - 0 1
Punxsutawney 000 02x - 2 3
WP-Alli Ishman. LP-Maddie Loutzenhiser.