Introducing, your District 10 champions.
Braidy Blair homered in the second inning, and Colby Johnson and Jake Harvey combined to throw a four-hitter, as the Warren Americans defeated Punxsutawney, 7-1, on Tuesday to capture the District 10 Boys Majors 11-and-12-year-old tournament championship at Betts-Jackson Field.
Warren advances to sectional play from July 14-16 in a round-robin tournament in Union City with the winners from Pennsylvania Little League districts 1, 3 and 25. Warren (4-0) will begin by playing the District 25 winner this Saturday.
Article Photos
Times Observer photo by Jonathan McAfoos
District 10 Champions
The Warren Americans won the Boys Majors 11-12-year-old District 10 championship in Little League all-star play on Tuesday. Members of the 4-0 Americans include, from left, in front, Nate Betts, Wyatt Rugar, Kohl Nosel, Bryce Cummings, Colby Johnson, Jake Harvey, James Sturdevant, Adam Barker, Aidan Morrison, Drake Gens and Braidy Blair and, in back, manager Don Cummings and coaches Gregg Blair and Ed Gens.
Blair started the scoring in the second inning by crushing a ball over fence to give his team a 1-0 lead. Punxsutawney answered back with a solo homer of its own from Zander Neil in the third. It was the only run Warren would allow in the game.
Warren's bats came alive in the third inning, scoring four runs to put some distance between the two teams. Adam Barker led off the inning with a walk and Nate Betts followed with a single. After Drake Gens walked, a wild pitch brought in the first run before Kohl Nosel drilled a double to bring in two more. Aidan Morrison hit the second double of the inning, knocking in another run and putting Warren up 5-1.
Nosel led off the fifth inning with a single and scored on a double from Harvey, who later scored the final run of the game on an error.
Johnson and Harvey shut down the Punxsutawney bats, never allowing the South champs a chance to get back into the game. Warren won the North division by finishing 3-0, so Punxsy, which had suffered a loss, had to defeat Warren twice.
Johnson went four innings, allowing four hits and striking out three while giving up just one run. Harvey pitched the last two innings, striking out three without a hit.
Betts singled, walked and was hit by a pitch while reaching base in each of his three plate appearances. Nosel had the only multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-3.
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2b-Kohl Nosel (W), Aidan Morrison (W), Jake Harvey (W). HR-Braidy Blair (W), Zander Neil (P). WP-Colby Johnson. LP-Sammy Gigliotti.