They meet again! Bellefonte tops Juniata in D6 title tilt

By Kenny Varner Jr.
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Updated: May 20, 2025

By Kenny Varner

BELLEFONTE – They meet again.

For the third straight year the Bellefonte baseball and Juniata teams met for a chance at winning the District 6 Class AAAA championship.

In the previous two years, the Red Raiders brought home the trophy and moved on to the PIAA postseason.

Tuesday it would be the Red Raiders that were too much again for the up-and-coming Indians, winning 10-0 in five innings, capturing their fourth consecutive District 6 Class AAAA championship.

Bellefonte pitcher Zach Lehman was tough on the mound allowing only two Juniata hits while striking out eight as he went the entire five innings.

“Zach was dominant. When Zach is on he and throwing his pitches well he’s going to give us a chance every time,” said Bellefonte coach Jon Clark. “He’s done that throughout the season. I think he was a little nervous before his first pitch, being a young guy in his first district championship but you could see after he got that first pitch strike he settled right in and took over from there.”

Bellefonte got multiple his by Peyton Vancas (2-for-3,2runs, RBI), Zach Lehman (3-for-3,2 RBIs),Evan Mattern (3-for-3 2RBIs).

Picking up hits for Juniata were Cam Bargo and teammate Drew Geedey.

Lehman had a no-hitter going until the fourth. Geedey hit a looping hit over first base and into shallow right field.

Then in the fifth, Bargo blasted a shot into centerfield.

“We hit the ball. We didn’t hit the ball hard enough in the spots that we needed to,” said Juniata coach Ty Treaster. “Coming into the game we knew that we were going to need hard hits and not just relying on putting the ball in play.”

In the first, the Red Raiders opened their part of the first, plating five runs.

Leadoff hitter Peyton Vancas led off the bottom of the first with a single into left. Lehman followed with a single into left of his own. Lehman was replaced on the base paths by Cole Houser. Both Vancas and Houser moved to second and third via a wild pitch. Evan Mattern took a Daylyn Kennedy outside pitch and sent it into right field for a 2RBI opposite field hit.

Juniata’s defense stood up and caught Mattern leaning the wrong way and caught him in a rundown.

“We battled and tried but Bellefonte is a good team,” said Treaster.”Bellefonte battled the whole time.”

With the bases empty, Parker Capperelle got ahold of a pitch and cleared the left centerfield fence, upping the Red Raiders lead to 3-0.

Parker VonGunden hustled out an infield hit

With two out, Cam Lucas kept the inning going with a hit into right field.

Both scored on a double by Braeden Fortney, upping the first inning score to 5-0.

Both teams went scoreless at the plate in the second.

Lehman controlled the narrative at the plate sending the Indians down with just a lone walk of Caleb Auker.

However, Auker was stranded on first going into the bottom of the second.

Juniata reliever Gage Harlon came in the game in the second and kept the Bellefonte bats quiet in the inning, going into the third keeping the game still posting a 5-0 Red Raiders lead.

The Red Raiders added to its lead posting two insurance runs in the third.

With two outs, Fortney and Carsen Henry both walked. Vancas loaded the bases reaching on a walk as well.

Lehman helped his own cause as he blasted a 2RBI double into right centerfield.

With a scoreless fourth by both teams, the Red Raiders would put the game on ice as they rallied for three more runs in the fifth securing the victory.

Bellefonte will play Obama Academy from Pittsburgh at a time and a place to be determined at a later date.

Bellefonte 10, Juniata 0 (5 innings)

JUN 000 00x x – 0 2 1

BEL 502 03x x – 10 14 0

WP: Zach Lehman

LP: Daylyn Kennedy

Multiple hits: JUN – None, BEL – Peyton Vancas 2-for-3,2runs, RBI, Zach Lehman 3-for-3,2 RBIs,Evan Mattern 3-for-3 2RBIs.

HR: JUN – None, BEL – Parker Capperelle.

3B: JUN – None, BEL – None.

2B: JUN – None, BEL – Zach Lehman, Braeden Fortney.