When two Warren teams get together, it's always a good news-bad news kind of outcome.
The Warren Boys Minors Americans kept their postseason alive, eliminating the Warren Boys Minors Nationals in the process with a 12-2 victory Friday at Betts-Jackson Field.
The Americans (2-1) advance to play against the loser of Friday's Ridgway vs. Bradford - Bradford lost 9-7 - at 2 p.m. Sunday at Callahan Park in Bradford. The time and location of the game has not yet been announced. The Nationals finish the postseason with a 1-2 record.
Article Photos
Times Observer photo by Jon Sitler
Warren Girls Minors all-star pitcher Julia Lobdell
While the final score may indicate otherwise, Friday's game was much closer than it may appear. In fact, the Nationals nearly took the lead in the top of the first inning, loading the bases before Americans shortstop Ben Salapek made a nifty play to retire the side.
In the bottom of the first, Salapek got things going for his side when he singled and advanced to third on an error. Next, Ryan Rafalski drew a walk and quickly tried to steal second. Nationals catcher Ethan Mays fired to his teammate at shortstop and Salapek broke for home. The throw back to Mays arrived in time and Salapek was tagged out to keep the score at 0-0. Rafalski advanced to third on the play. Moments later, Rafalski would make it 1-0 on a sacrifice fly by Mitchell Grosch.
The Nationals wouldn't go away quietly and jumped out to a 2-1 lead in the top of the second. With two outs, Austin Hawk worked a walk and advanced on a single by James Swanson. Ben Berdine was up next and cooly deposited a two-run double into the gap to put the Nats on top, 2-1.
The bottom of the second inning proved to be the difference in the game.
Andrew Beyer's RBI single tied the game for the Americans in the second and Nick Hussey followed with an RBI single of his own to put his team on top, 3-2.
The Nationals nearly had the third out of the inning at that point, but an error allowed the stanza to continue. Before the final out was recorded, the Americans had stretched the advantage to 11-2.
Two more Americans runs scored on an error, Micah Passmore added an RBI single and Hussey drove in three more runs on his second hit of the inning to put the Americans on cruise control.
Both teams were set down in order in the third inning and the Americans entered the bottom of the fourth needing just one run to end the game early. Tyler Gustafson reached on an infield single to start the inning and moved to second on a passed ball. Ryan Arnold then put down a bunt and the throw to first went wide of the bag, allowing Gustafson to score the 12th and final run.
Passmore, Gustafson, Beyer and Hussey all finished with two hits to lead the Americans. The Nationals got hits from Swanson and Berdine.
Warren Nationals 020 0 - 2 2
Warren Americans 1(10)0 1 - 12 10
2b-Ben Berdine (WN). WP-Nick Hussey. LP-Austin Hawk.
---
Girls Minors
St. Marys 7, Warren 6
The Warren Girls Minors all-star team couldn't stay ahead of a back-and-forth winners bracket game against St. Marys, losing 7-6, on Friday at Hawbaker Field at the Farm Colony Complex.
Trailing 3-0, Warren scored twice in the bottom of the second inning when Celia Chase singled home Seneca Bennett, and scored on Trinity Wennberg's two-out double to deep center field.
Warren would get its first lead, 4-3, in the third inning when Gracie Wood crushed her first triple of the game, driving in Julia Lobdell, and setting herself up to score later on.
St. Marys would tie the game in the top of the fourth, but Warren immediately reclaimed the lead when Wood hit her second triple of the game, again driving in Lobdell.
A three-run fifth inning by St. Marys reclaimed the lead to 7-5. Up to this point, in fact in the entire game, St. Marys would have just one hit by the game's first hitter. St. Marys had baserunners the entire game, but Celia Chase made four unassisted outs at first and Grace Wortman caught three line drives at third to help keep the game close. Lobdell struck out nine over six innings.
Warren cut the lead to 7-6 when Wortman doubled in the fifth and scored on Wennberg's RBI single.
Wood finished with three hits, and reached base in all four trips, in the loss, including two triples and a single in the bottom of the sixth. She stole second, but was left stranded. Wennberg added two hits, and Wood and Wennberg had two RBI each.
Warren isn't done in the double-elimination 9-and-10-year-old all-star tournament, hosting Johnsonburg in the losers bracket at 4 p.m. Sunday at Hawbaker Field.
St. Marys 120 130 - 7 1
Warren 022 110 - 6 7
2b- Trinity Wennberg (W), Grace Wortman (W). 3b-Gracie Wood (W) 2. WP- Michelle Gerber. LP- Julia Lobdell.