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Long ball lifts PO in nailbiter over Big Valley

PHILIPSBURG – It was a nailbiting battle of the unbeatens Saturday night in Philipsburg.
When the pressure was on, Gavin Kendrick was cool under the stress as he almost single handedly push his team to a victory.
To say Philipsburg-Osceola starting pitcher Kendrick had the game of his young life, it would be an understatement.
The Mounties’ 10/11 year old went four complete innings, allowing five runs on three hits in his game against Big Valley.
But that would just be the warm up before his big moment.
It’s a moment that most players dream of, hitting the home run to win the game.
He did just that.
With the game tied at five in the fifth, Kendrick hit a bases loaded grand slam, putting his team ahead 9-5.
It would be enough to fend off a never-say-die team of Big Valley players to take a 9-6 victory.
With the win, Philipsburg-Osceola directly heads to the championship game while Big Valley will battle either State College or Bellefonte for the rights to a possible rematch.
“Coming up through the losers bracket is going to be tough. We are either going to face State College of Bellefonte again on Tuesday. State College played us well and we were fortunate to beat Bellefonte,” Big Valley manager Stephan Alexander said. “ We has opportunities in the game. We just capitalize on it. Defensively, we were pretty sloppy.
I think we traded errors with them. We had five and they had five.”
Leading the way offensively for Big Valley was Jacob Bauman who had two singles.
The Mounties got strong offensive efforts from Parker Lamb who went 3-for-4, Sam McDonald who went 3-for-3, Kendrick, who went 2-for-4 with a triple and a grand slam and finally Hunter Kephart who had a quiet 2-for-3 night.
Going into the top of the fifth with the score tied at five, PO started to make its move.
Despite two quick outs, Kephart kept things alive with a single that went into left.
Lamb followed with a single of his own as did McDonald, loading the bases for Kendrick.
Kendrick took the first pitch he saw and launched over the centerfield fence, taking back the lead at 9-5.
In their last at bats in the sixth, Big Valley made one last strong effort to make a comeback.
They did well at first as they managed to put together a string of two slow rolling singles by Logan Ruth and Nathan Parkes.
Madden Weaver, who walked during all his four at bats, show patience at the plate and loaded the bases with a walk.
The dreaded double play ball squashed the comeback attempt even though Ruth was able to score on the play but it would be all that Big Valley would manage.
Philipsburg got things rolling from the first inning, plating two runs off a Landen Dickson single.
However, Big Valley rallied back in the bottom of the inning to tie things.
Weaver and teammate Logan Alexander took advantage of POs miscues to tie things up.
Philipsburg-Osceola took back the lead in the third as he tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly, making it 3-2.
Back fought Big Valley in the bottom of the inning to take the lead 5-3 after playing three runs.
This time it would be Weaver, Brayden Sunderland and Alexander who were able to cross the plate.
But the night belonged to the Mounties as the came back in the fourth to tie things up.
However, Big Valley is still alive and well and just needs a win Tuesday to play in a winner take all game Saturday.

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