The Bushy Run American Legion baseball team needed to win two games Tuesday if it hoped to qualify for the state tournament at Boyertown on Saturday.
The day started well as Bushy Run used two big innings — a three-run first inning and a four-run eighth inning — to defeat District 31 champion Latrobe, 7-3, in the semifinals of the Region 7 tournament at Bedford.
But the day didn’t end as well as Bushy Run dropped a 5-3 decision to Phillipsburg in the championship game.
Phillipsburg, which had beaten Bedford (5-1) in the semifinals, scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull out the win.
“We just ran out of arms,” Bushy Run assistant Jay Miller said. “It was a great battle, and we never quit. It still was a great season. We finished 23-6-1.”
Against Latrobe, Chuck Fontana opened the top of the eighth with a solo home run to snap a 3-3 tie. Later in the inning, Bushy Run scored on an error and a two-run hit by Matt Lichota.
Lichota had four hits and two RBIs, and Fontana had three hits and three RBIs. Fontana had a two-run single in the first inning.
Latrobe scored two runs in the fifth inning. The first came on a solo homer by Peyton Henry. The second came on an RBI groundout by Erick Batista.
Batista had an RBI single to tie the score in the sixth inning.
Gavin Good doubled for Bushy Run, and Haden Sierocky and Henry each had two hits.
Against Phillipsburg, the Beavers got RBIs from Tyler Freas, Jason Sabol and Eric Birosak.
Good doubled while Sabol and Birosak had two hits each.
Michael Kitko and Tanner Kephart hit doubles and Kolby Hahn had three hits. Kitko drove in the game-winning run with a single.
Pennsylvania American Legion
Region 7 at Bedford
Semifinals
Bushy Run 7, Latrobe 3
Philipsburg 5, Bedford 1
Championship
Phillipsburg 5, Bushy Run 3
Summary
Bushy Run 7, Latrobe 3 (8 innings)
Bushy Run 300-000-04—7-10-0
Latrobe 000-21-0—4-9-1
WP: Brody Hoffman
LP: Jake Albaugh
2B: BR: Gavin Good.
HR: BR: Chuck Fontana. L: Peyton Henry.
3 or more hits: BR: Lichota 4, Fontana 3.
Phillipsburg 5, Bushy Run 3
Bushy Run 001-002-0—3-9-1
Phillipsburg 000-212-x—5-11-4
WP: Zach Witherow
LP: Fontana.
2B: BR: Good. P: Tanner Kephart, Michael Kitko.
3 or more hits: P: Kolby Hahn 3.
