T and J’s battle back late to capture the MC Majors title over Greater Vision

By Kenny Varner Jr.
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Updated: August 1, 2020

By Kenny Varner

LEWISTOWN – It was winner take all Friday night when two friendly foes took the field to battle for the MIfflin County Major League Super Series.

T and J’s Screenprinting met up against a scrappy group from Greater Vision.

With splitting season series, the two were very familiar with each other which added to the excitement.

After a strong early start by Greater Vision, the bats woke up in the fifth for T and J’s as they battled back to take the championship 6-4 at Rec Park’s Frank Pupo Memorial Field.

“I’m very proud of everyone on this team. They all played their own special part, no matter how small or how big,” said T and J’s manager Josh Snook. “They all contributed throughout the season at one point. Tonight, the bottom of the batting order got it started late in the game. Then the top fed off of that and got us some runs to take the lead. But it was the bottom that really got us started there.”

Reese Christine went 2-for-3 with a home run and a single. He also finished with two runs scored and two RBIs.

Logan Ruth finished his day with a clutch 2-run roundtripper in the fifth . He also picked up the win after shutting down the Greater Vision offense, allowing a lone run in two innings on the mound. Peyton Kearns, who went 2-for-3, just missed a home run of his own when he blasted one off the bottom of the fence.

Trailing 3-1 going into the bottom of the fifth, Jacob Parker Fultz came off the bench to provide the spark with a walk.

Jayden Fisher hit a slow roller to third that he was able to beat out, putting runners on first and second.

Fletcher Wilson sacrificed Fultz to third on a high flying out to right field.

Chase Leister hustled out a grounder to third and reached on a Greater Vision miscue that scored both Fultz and Fisher, tying the contest at three.

Christine blasted a hard hit bouncer back the middle, picking up the RBI single as Leister hurried home, putting his team in the lead for the first time at 4-3.

Ruth stood up at the plate and sent a rocket shot into centerfield plating a 2-run home run, upping the lead to 6-3.

Great Vision refused to give up without a fight as they battled back to score a run in the top of the sixth.

Gatlin Kauffman reached on an error by T and J’s as the ball rolled back to the fence, leaving him at second. He later scored on a single by Dom Morgan who hustled out an infield single.

But it wasn’t enough as T and J’s closed the game down.

“The kids did great tonight and they did all year,” said Greater Vision manager Dave Cherry. “I’m just so glad they got to play baseball with everything that is going on. They played 17 games and that was a good season.”

After holding Greater Vision in the top of the first, Christine blasted a long bomb over the fence, for the solo home run.

Later on, Greater Vision got on top early in these ond

In the second, Kauffman took advantage of a T and J’s miscue. He stole second and third.

He scored on an RBI double by Jake Knable, opening the team’s scoring.

Knable took advantage of a put out of Morgan to give his team a 2-1 advantage.

The team would go up 3-1 in the fourth when Morgan blasted a double to plate Knable, giving them the 2-run advantage.

But that would all go away in the fifth as T and J’s would capitalize on a 5-run inning en route to the clinching the championship.