MILTON - Shamokin-Mount Carmel did most of the things it intended to in Sunday's District 13 Little League 10-11 championship game against Berwick at Feichtel Field.
The locals wanted to get off to a fast start. They did that, scoring four times in the top of the first, then adding three more runs in the top of the second.
They wanted to wanted to work over the Berwick pitching staff, particulary since staff ace Alec Markle wasn't available for the Columbia County team after reaching his pitch limit in a loss on Saturday. They did that, belting 13 hits in the six-inning affair.
They didn't, however, accomplish the most important thing on their list. They didn't win.
Despite the fast start, despite the high-powered offensive attack, Shamokin-Mount Carmel couldn't overcome Berwick's one big surge.
Trailing by seven, Berwick sent 11 batters to the plate in the bottom of the fourth, scoring nine times to take a lead it would never relinquish in pullling away for a 15-12 victory, the district championship and a berth in the sectional tournament later this week in Mahanoy City.
After the dominating pitching performance by S-MC's John Ayers and
Tommy Reisinger on Saturday, a no-hitter in a 6-0 victory that forced Sunday's deciding game, manager Chris Carpenter had a number of pitchers at the ready. He used them all.
"We tried to use all the weapons we had at our disposal," Carpenter said. "Berwick is a hitting team and I felt if we went with any pitcher too long, they'd get to him.
"That's the strategy we went with."
Berwick found a way to get to every pitcher S-MC sent to the mound.
Matt Dimmick started and allowed four runs. Tommy Reisinger and Jack Chapman also gave up four each, and eventual losing pitcher Dakota Albertson was touched for the final three.
Berwick, after allowing S-MC to score four in the first, three in the second and five in the third to lead 12-5 after three frames, needed every bit of its late offensive surge.
"At the plate, we started out on fire, got that big lead, but I think we just settled in on that." Carpenter said.
Max Tillett, with a double and single, and Logan Wills, Reisinger and Ayers with two singles each, were the sparks for the S-MC offense. Ayers drove home four runs, while Reisinger, Dimmick and Albertson knocked home two apiece.
In the end, though, on a day built around the hitters of both teams, it was Berwick's Ian Kishbaugh, it's third pitcher on the day and arguably the softest thrower, who shut the S-MC offense down to preserve the lead and secure the victory. Entering with one out in the fifth, he got a strikeout and ground ball to leave the bases loaded, then worked a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the sixth, getting two strikeouts and a pop out to first base to end the game.
"This team (S-MC) has everything to be proud of," Carpenter said. "Since I've been around, we've never experienced this good a run in this tournament."
Game Summary
SHAMOKIN-MOUNT CARMEL (AB-R-H-BI) - Tillett 4-1-2-0, Wills 3-2-2-0, Grabowski 1-1-0-0, Reisinger 5-2-2-2, Carpenter 1-2-0-0, Demko 1-0-1-1, Dimmick 1-2-1-2, Ayers 4-1-2-4, Chapman 2-0-1-1, Albertson 4-0-1-2, Berkoski 2-0-0-0, Rollman 2-1-1-0. Totals 30-12-13-12.
BERWICK (AB-R-H-BI) - I. Kishbaugh 3-2-1-2, Markle 3-1-0-1, Novicki 4-1-1-2, McCracken 3-1-1-0, Gearinger 3-2-1-1, Carrathers 2-2-1-0, Robbins 1-0-0-0, Steward 2-0-0-0, Sharkusky 1-1-1-2, Maczuga 3-3-2-2, Force 1-2-0-0, R. Kishbaugh 0-0-0-0. Totals 26-15-8-10.
S-MC 435 000 - 12 13 3
BERWICK 050 91X - 15 8 0
Extra-base hits: 2B - Tillett, Novicki. 3B - I. Kishbaugh, Maczuga 2.
IP H R ER BB K
S-MC
Dimmick 1.2 2 4 3 1 3
Reisinger 1.2 1 4 4 3 1
Chapman .1 3 4 4 2 0
Albertson (L) 1.1 2 3 3 2 1
Berwick
Novicki 2.2 6 7 7 4 2
McCracken (W) 1.2 7 5 5 4 1
I. Kishbaugh (S) 1.2 0 0 0 0 3