Dajauhn Hertzog’s glove was the first one to go. Then, the rest of Hempfield East’s players heaved their mitts as high as they could before rallying around their winning relief pitcher to celebrate.
It took 11 innings, but the feeling of winning a second consecutive Pennsylvania American Legion Region 7 baseball championship was worth it.
Jon Malinak’s RBI single scored Noah Sweeney with the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th, and Hertzog and Hempfield East withstood Mifflin County’s comeback attempt in the bottom of the inning to come away with a wild 8-7 victory Tuesday night in the championship game at Latrobe High School.
“The feeling is incredible,” said Malinak, who was hitless with a walk in five previous plate appearances. “I got one hit, and it was a big one. We did enough to back our pitchers, who did a great job.”
Hertzog pitched 52⁄3 innings in relief of starter Shane Stuchell, who threw 51⁄3 effective innings and left with a 4-1 lead.
“The biggest problem with this game is what we hear all the time in situations like this,” Hempfield East coach Scott Smith said. “Somebody had to lose. Hats off to Mifflin County. They’re a great team, and so are we. It’s safe to say that Region 7 is probably the strongest region in the state.”
Hempfield East, whose only loss in the Region 7 tournament was an eight-inning, 3-2 decision to Mifflin County on Monday night, will open play in the Pennsylvania American Legion state tournament Saturday in DuBois against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.
Mifflin County advanced to the championship game earlier Tuesday with a 2-1 victory in nine innings over Beech Creek as Brian Yetter drove in the winning run for Milroy-based Mifflin County.
Tuesday’s results brought to five the number of extra-inning games in the five-day tournament.
“It seemed like there were more because there were so many close games,” tournament director Jason Bush said.
A number of other games were decided by one run in regulation.
Hempfield East prevailed despite being outhit 16-8 by Mifflin County, whose pitchers combined for nine walks and three hit batsmen. Yetter went 4 for 6 and was robbed of a home run by center fielder Andrew Rosenberg, who crashed through a collapsible fence to run down the ball.
“That’s a home run at most any other field,” Mifflin County coach Bernard Howard said. “It just doesn’t happen, but he made a terrific catch.”
It was a see-saw affair late. Hempfield East took a 5-3 lead in the top of the seventh on Sweeney’s towering home run to right. But Mifflin County tied it in the bottom of the seventh on Mock’s two-run double.
Hempfield East went up 7-5 in the top of the eighth on back-to-back RBI doubles by Rosenberg and Hunter Eperesi. Not to be outdone, Mifflin County came back again, scoring twice in the bottom of the eighth on RBI singles by Noah Wright and Jaxson Popo.
After two scoreless innings each, the drama mounted. Finally, Hempfield East broke through for the winning run in the 11th.
With two outs, Sweeney doubled and scored on Malinak’s sharp single to center, just beating the throw home.
Rosenberg barely could contain his excitement as he waved to his family and friends amid a festive postgame celebration. He wasn’t thinking much about that fantastic catch, only a return to the state tournament.
“Full steam ahead,” he said. “Let’s go.”
