Reedsville Tigers outlast T and J’s
In a back and forth Little League affair, Big Valley picked up a hard earned win as Reedsville defeated a spunky Mifflin County T and J’s team 8-7 Monday night at Kish Park.
Long ball played center stage as three round trippers. T and J’s got homerun’s from Kelly Ferguson and Josh Snook.
The Reedsville Tigers got its clutch homerun by Casey Peachey in the winning effort.
After holding onto the 5-4 lead going into the top of the fifth, Reedsville took its lead for the final time by plating three runs to jump back into the lead, 7-5.
With one out, Cody Bickhart, also the winning pitcher, and Cole Bulick led things off with consecutive walks.
Colby Yoder’s single, scored Bickhart on the plate, tying the game at five. In the process Bulick hustled over to third.
Zach Bickhart’s sacrifice fly gave Reedsville the lead when Bulick tagged up and motored home, making it 6-5.
Reedsville added a seventh run before T and Js sent the game into the bottom of the fifth.
T and J’s added a run of their own in the bottom of the sixth, closing the deficit to 7-6.
But in their final at bats, Peachey hit the game winning shot when he balsted one of the left centerfield fence, upping the lead to two at 8-6.
In their last at bats, T and J’s rallied one last time but came up just one run short.
Snook led off the inning as he walked. He later stole second and third base, setting the stage for Jack Krepps. Krepps took a pitch and blasted a shot into deep centerfield, cutting the Tigers’ lead to 8-7.
However, the Reedsvile defense held on tight, picking up the 8-7 victory.
In the first inning, the Tigers were first on the board plating two runs. Highlighting the top of the first was the RBI fielders’ choice by Brian Chilson.
After falling behind by two runs, back came T and J’s came back to cut the Tigers’ lead in half thanks to an RBI single by Chase Christine, making it 2-1.
Reedsville continued to lead, pulling out to a 3-1 advantage after three innings.
The home team continued to chip away at the Tigers led until the bottom of the third when they came out and scored two runs to take a close 4-3 advantage.
Snook started the rally, rapping his home run that easily cleared left field, tying it at three.
Krepps scored after he beat out an infield single and later stole home, putting Tand J’s up for the firs time in the contest, 4-3.
However, the Tigers tied it in the fourth and then went ahead in the fifth 7-5.