ASHLAND - Ashland's Major Division all-stars made a four-run first inning stand up all game, but not without difficulty, in a 7-5 win over Line Mountain-Millersburg in a District 24 game Thursday at Ashland.
Ashland, the runner-up in Pool 1 to Cressona, will play at Pool 3-champ Schuylkill Haven on Saturday.
Ashland took a 7-3 lead into the sixth inning but gave up two runs on four hits in the top of the inning, with Line Mountain-Millersburg having the bases loaded when Garrett Kiefer finally ground to third baseman Brian Misiewicz, who tagged out the runner going to third for the final out.
"It wasn't an easy win, but we made it that way," Ashland Manager Len Bolinsky told his team afterward. Bolinsky was referring to several of the Line Mountain hits which came on indecisive defensive plays in the infield.
"They were in-between plays," Bolinsky acknowledged. "But one of the things we're trying to get across to the kids is to be aggressive when the ball's hit near you, and to make a play."
One thing Ashland did do better than in recent games, and it had to, was hit the ball. The winners were actually outhit, 8-6, but three of their six hits were for extra bases, including a long home run by Braady Mickatavage, who was 2-for-2 with two runs scored and three runs batted in.
"Today we hit the ball. Our last two games we had four hits, so we worked hard in practice at hitting the ball, and we came out to play," Bolinsky said. "They (Line Mountain-Millersburg) are a good hitting team, and these were two evenly matched teams."
Line Mountain-Millersburg took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a run-scoring double by Kiefer, scoring Wyatt Crum, who walked.
But Ashland came out smoking with Kiefer on the mound in the bottom of the inning. Although Ashland had only two hits in the inning, both were for extra bases and they were mixed in amongst two walks, a hit batter, three wild pitches and two passed balls. Winning pitcher Bobby Wagner led off with a double, and went to third on a wild pitch. Mason Madden-Edwards walked, Mickatavage was hit by a pitch and Kenny Kropp followed with a two-run triple. Kropp then scored on a wild pitch,
Line Mountain-Millersburg's Christian Wingard hit a solo home run off the scoreboard in center field in the third, and Crum scored another run by walking, advancing on a wild pitch and coming in on an error.
Mickatavage got a run back with his solo home run in the third, and he delivered a two-run double in the fourth to make it 7-3.
Austin Hoke led off the Line Mountain-Millersburg sixth with a single and Zack Caprio reached base on an error. Caprio was erased on a fielder's choice and Colin Klinger struck out for the second out, but Sage Boyer singled in a run, Wingard had an infield single on one of those indecisive plays, and Crum singled, driving in a run. Mickatavage, who relieved Wagner, got two strikes on Kiefer but was lifted because of pitch count, leaving Kropp to come from catcher to retire Kiefer on one pitch for the final out.
"We got a little fortunate on the basepaths," said Line Mountain-Millersburg Manager Todd Wingard. "But they hit better in the clutch than we did."
Game Summary
LINE MTN-MILLERSBURG (AB-R-H-BI) - Boyer 3-0-1-1, Wingard 4-1-2-1, Crum 2-2-1-1, Kiefer 4-0-2-1, Shomper 3-0-0-0, Hoke 3-1-2-0, Caprio 3-0-0-0, Knarr 2-0-0-0, Hoffman 1-1-0-0, Klinger 2-0-0-0. Total 27-5-8-4.
ASHLAND (AB-R-H-BI) - Wagner 3-1-1-0, Madden-Edwards 2-1-0-0, Bolinsky 2-1-0-0, Mickatavage 2-2-2-3, Kropp 3-1-1-2, Misiewicz 3-0-0-0, N. Smith 2-0-0-0, Casey 0-0-0-0, Shalamanda 3-0-1-0, Ziegmont 1-0-0-0, S. Smith 1-1-1-0. Total 22-7-6-5.
Line Mountain 102 002 - 5 8 3
Ashland 401 20x - 7 6 2
2B: Keefer; Wagner, Mickatavage. 3B: Kropp. HR: Wingard; Mickatavage.
IP H R ER BB K
Line Mtn.-Millersburg
Keefer (L) 1 2 4 4 2 1
Boyer 2 2 2 1 1 2
Hoke 2 2 2 1 1 2
Ashland
Wagner (W) 3.2 4 3 2 3 6
Mickatavage 2 4 2 2 0 3
Kropp .1 0 0 0 0 0