PUNXSUTAWNEY — Despite outhitting their opponent 9-6, Bradford minors dropped a 10-3 decision to Punxsutawney on Sunday in the District 10 Little League baseball championship game.
Bradford (3-2) had been undefeated in bracket play, going 3-0 by a combined score of 34-6, including a 5-2 win over Punxsy last Monday.
The flip of a coin sent Bradford on a two-hour drive that afternoon for another shot at the title. Walks told the tale in that game, as Bradford allowed 12 free passes to Punxsy’s three. It was 6-0 Punxsy after one.
Punxsy added three more runs in the second for a 9-0 margin and were two outs away from ending things early when they went up 10-0.
Jameis Furlong took the mound in relief in the top of the fourth. He finished the game, allowing no runs and one hit, striking out two and walking one in three innings of work.
The first batter Furlong faced sent a screamer back to the mound that he scooped off his shoetops for the first out. He struck out the next two to end the inning.
Bradford’s bats got moving in the bottom of the fourth. Maddon Splain singled and Caleb Weart followed with a base knock of his own. They advanced to second and third, respectively, on a miscue by Punxsy.
Brock Crappio launched a double deep in right field, scoring Splain; Weart was held up at third. Teddy Henretta blasted a hard grounder to short and beat the throw to first, scoring Weart and sending Crappio to third. Mason Haynoski then narrowly grounded out, but plated Crappio for a 10-3 game. Jameis Furlong drew a walk in the sixth spot, but he and Henretta would be left on base.
“We outhit our opponents the entire tournament,” Bradford head coach Eric Haynoski said. “We just couldn’t string enough hits together to get that rally going.”
With one out in the top of the fifth, Eli Reid snagged a hard line drive at second and, playing heads-up defense, promptly tagged second base to get the Punxsy runner, well on his way to third, for the double play. A pop fly to Splain at short ended the top half of the fifth.
Bentlee Confer, who hit 0.500 over five games, singled in Bradford’s half. Beckett Burns followed with a walk. Michael Ferchak grounded out to the first baseman but moved the runners to second and third — where they were unfortunately stranded.
Punxsutawney went three up, three down in the sixth.
Despite a lead-off single by Caden Veilleux, Bradford could get nothing else going with last bats and Punxsy claimed the District 10 banner.
“The kids did a great job not giving up, not giving in,” Haynoski said. “We appreciate everybody working hard and hope they gained a lot of experience over the five weeks we were able to work with them.”
It’s been 14 years since Bradford won a District 10 title in the 8- to 10-year-old division, last earning the banner in 2010.
The Bradford minor boys came close in 2023 as well, dropping a 7-0 decision to St. Marys in bracket play, but fighting back for a rematch and a shot at the championship. St. Marys pulled out a 2-1 win in that game to capture the District 10 banner.
BRLL won’t have a team in the field, but was already scheduled to host the next round of minor baseball playoffs, sectionals, which will be held July 13 to 17 at Scott Field in Derrick City. Champions from districts 10, 1, 3 and 25 — west to Erie and south toward Franklin, Clarion and Butler — will play for the right to advance to the state tournament beginning July 22.
