Flashback: Krentzmans’ take Jeff Smith title over Lakes

By Kenny Varner
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Updated: June 20, 2015

LEWISTOWN – If Sunday’s Jeff Smith Mifflin County weekend championship game between Lakes and Krentzmans are any indication of the future of the Mifflin County high schools future, then the future is bright.
With six to seven all-stars gracing the Kish Park Little League field, the two teams brought pitching and fielding to the forefront with Krentzmans outlasting a young Lakes team 5-2.
“We played against a very good team tonight,” Krentzmans manager John Pannizzo said. “Our pitchers showed confidence when they were on the mound. We have three things we told the kids to focus on this season that would make them successful. We told them to stay focused, be aggressive and to have fun and if they would do that and they would be successful.”
Successful they were as the group took a zero-zero tie into the bottom of the third and when the fourth inning got under way, Krentzmans had a 4-0 advantage.
Reese Christine led off the inning when he blasted a shot into the shallow outfield.
Max Weider smacked a single to left. With Christine running on the play, Lakes threw out Christine at the plate, keeping the shut out.
But later in the inning, Weider scored on a Jack Benner RBI single that also went into left field.
Tye Plank kept things rolling blasting a 2-RBI double into centerfield, upping the lead to 3-0.
Plank scored the last run of the inning on a Landon Black double, making it 4-0.
However, Lakes didn’t earn its way to the title tilt for nothing as they tried to get themselves back into the ball game.
In the top of the fourth, Ryan Hine reached base on a walk and then stole second and third before trying to attempt a steal home. Standing less than 90 feet away, Hibe took his moment a blazed doe the line, ending the shut out 4-1.
“We don’t quit and they never quit,” Lakes coach Mike Souders said. “We have a very young team. We played a great season and I am very proud of them.”
With their next to last at bats coming, Lakes’ made one last shot at chipping into the lead.
Lakes cut it to just a 2-point advantage when Jack Benner used his speed on the base paths, stealing three bases en route to the culmination of it at 4-2.
Back battled Krentzmans in the bottom of the inning to pick up an insurance run before giving the ball to Benner for the last three outs.
Benner was up for the task as he set down the side in order 1-2-3, all of which we by strike outs, ending the game and capturing the title for Krentzmans.
Leading the Krentzmans pitching staff early on was Haden Clark who struck six in the first two innings.