MINOR BASEBALL ALL-STARS

Golf league

The St. Marys Minor League all-star baseball team opened play in the 2021 8-10-YearOld Little League Baseball Pennsylvania State Tournament in Newville on Sunday. St. Marys dropped their opening game to Section 5 champion Back Mountain National Little League by a score of 10-5.

TJ Gornati pitched one and one-third innings for St. Marys, giving up five hits, walking five, and striking out two. Kayd Caskey took over for four and one-third innings, giving up three hits, walking three, and striking out two. Blake Stauffer worked the final one-third of an inning, walking two.

St. Marys recorded eight hits in the game, led by a four-for-four effort at the plate by

Landry Brem. Bryce Pistner was two-forthree. Brem and Pistner each also scored one run for St. Marys in the game.

Back Mountain National Little League scored their first four runs in the top of the opening inning of the game.

With one out, a walk, a single, and another walk loaded the bases. A pair of passed balls resulted in the first two runs scoring, and then the third scored on a single. Another single brought home another run, putting Back Mountain National up 4-0. Following a groundout, another batter walked, but a strikeout brought St. Marys up to bat for the first time.

With one out in the home half of the inning, Stauffer drew a walk and then scored on a two-out single by Brem. Pistner singled to join Brem on base, but a popout to the shortstop left both stranded.

The inning ended with Back Mountain National’s lead trimmed to 4-1.

Back Mountain National scored four more runs in the top of the second inning.

A leadoff walk and a single gave the team a pair of base runners. A passed ball resulted in the team’s first run of the inning, and then a walk put another runner on base. A steal of home resulted in another run just before a strikeout resulted in the first out of the inning. A double gave Back Mountain a pair of base runners. Following a lineout, another run scored. After a walk, a double steal resulted in Back Mountain scoring their final run of the inning before an out at second brought St. Marys back up to bat.

Leo Simbeck hit a leadoff single for St. Marys in the home half of the inning but was left stranded.

The inning ended with Back Mountain National leading 8-1.

Batters for Back Mountain National went down in order in the top of the third inning. In the bottom of the inning Brem hit a two-out single and Caskey walked, but a groundout left both stranded.

A leadoff single and a one-out walk gave Back Mountain a pair of base runners to start out the top of the fourth inning. A groundout resulted in a run scoring, but then a strikeout brought St. Marys back up to bat now trailing 9-1.

Maon Floravit drew a leadoff walk for St. Marys in the bottom of the inning and then Gornati drew a twoout walk to join him on base. Gornati was later caught stealing to end the inning.

A one-out walk gave Back Mountain National another base runner in the top of the fifth, but a popup to the shortstop left him stranded.

St. Marys scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning to cut their deficit to 9-3.

Stauffer led off with a walk but then was erased at second as JJ Hanslovan hit into a fielder’s choice. A single by Brem moved Hanslovan to second, and then Hanslovan scored on a single by Pistner. Maximus Jovenitti drew a walk to join Brem on base, and then Brem scored on a sacrifice fly by Simbeck. A strikeout ended the inning and left Jovenitti stranded.

In the top of the sixth inning, a pair of one-out singles and a two-out walk loaded the bases for Back Mountain. Another walk resulted in a run, increasing the team’s lead to 10-3 before a groundout brought St. Marys back up to bat for the final time.

Bradyn Steinbach drew a leadoff walk and then Gornati reached base on an error to join him. A oneout single by Hanslovan scored Steinbach, and then Gornati scored on a single by Brem. A popup and a groundout ended the inning and the game, with Back Mountain National recording the 10-5 victory.

The loss drops St. Marys into the loser’s bracket. The team will be back in action today at 4 p.m. in an elimination game against the loser of Sunday’s opening round matchup between Norwin and Southern Lehigh.