DORRANCE — Mountain Top’s difficult task was made even more difficult by Abington early in Friday’s Section 5 Little League 9-11 Baseball game.
Not unexpected considering how Abington has played throughout the tournament.
Mountain Top battled, but Abington was able to answer on the way to a 9-3 victory and the sectional championship.
District 17 Abington will take its unbeaten record into the state tournament next week at Athens Little League. District 16 Mountain Top ended its season with a second loss to Abington.
“They’re fantastic kids,” Mountain Top coach Harry O’Neill said. “I’ve been coaching 10 of these 11 kids since teeball. Positive attitudes from game one to the last out. Phenomenal kids, I love every one of them. They all have their own unique, amazing personalities.
“I’m sad for them, but they played great.”
Had Mountain Top won, the teams would have played again Saturday for the title.
Abington tossed Mountain Top in a 6-0 hole by scoring a single run in the first, two in the second and three more in the third.
Mountain Top picked up a run in the bottom of the third to move within 6-1. Anthony D’Arco led off with a single, moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on an infield single by Braxtyn Wenzel. The duo pulled off a double steal, with D’Arco sliding home for Mountain Top’s first run.
The momentum swing was fleeting as Abington scored twice in the fourth. Noah Tajan doubled and Ben Hillebrand singled. Both eventually scored on wild pitches.
Mountain Top continued to fight back in the bottom of the fourth. Eli Metz singled with one out and moved to third on a double by Luke Bendowski. Metz scored on a wild pitch and Bendowski scored on a single by Harrison George to cut the deficit to 8-3.
Once again, Abington answered with a run in the fifth.
“I’ve coached a lot of baseball and I’d say this is the easiest group to coach,” Abington manager Paul Locker said. “They play a lot of baseball. Most of these guys play travel so they have a lot of baseball under their belt.
“The style that I coach, I try to not let them get upset. No kid comes here to make a mistake. You make a mistake, forget about it and move on.”
Metz added a double with two outs in the sixth for Mountain Top.
Abington’s Max Vazquez tripled and scored in the first, singled and scored in the third and singled in the fifth to go 3-for-3. Oliver Giroux had a two-run double in the third.
Section 5 9-11 Baseball
Abington 9, Mountain Top 3
Abington`AB`R`H`BI
Tomachick lf`2`1`0`0
Eckenrode ss`3`0`1`0
Vazquez 3b`3`2`3`0
Lyle p`3`1`0`1
Giroux cf`2`1`1`2
Johnson 1b`2`0`0`0
Keeler 2b`3`1`0`0
Tajan eh`2`2`2`0
Snyder eh`3`0`0`1
Hillebrand eh`2`1`1`0
McDonough rf`1`0`0`1
Kane c`2`0`0`0
Totals`28`9`8`6
Mountain Top`AB`R`H`BI
Chalker cf`3`0`0`0
Nealon ss`3`0`1`0
Metz p`3`1`2`0
Bendowski 1b`3`1`1`0
O’Neill 3b`2`0`0`0
George eh`2`0`1`1
Fauerbach rf`1`0`0`0
Malay eh`3`0`0`0
D’Arco 2b`2`1`1`0
Schappert eh`2`0`0`0
Wenzel c`2`0`1`0
Stravinski lf`2`0`0`0
Totals`25`3`7`1
Abington`123`210 — 9
Mountain Top`001`200 — 3
2B — Giroux, Metz, Bendowski. 3B — Vazquez.
Abington`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Lyle (W)`3.2`6`3`3`1`4
Eckenrode`2.1`1`0`0`1`1
Mountain Top`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Matz (L)`3.2`7`8`7`0`3
Chalker`2.1`1`1`1`2`2
