Penn-Trafford Junior Legion baseball team kept its championship hopes alive on Tuesday by defeating Lower Southampton, 9-3, in the state tournament at Berwick.
Penn-Trafford must defeat Upper Perkiomen twice Wednesday to earn the title. Upper Perkiomen defeated Penn-Trafford, 6-4, on Monday.
Upper Perkiomen reached the championship game by defeating Back Mountain, 12-2. Penn-Trafford is seeking its second title in three years.
Penn-Trafford took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning and never looked back. Doubles by Ethan Septak and Logan Matrisch provided the runs.
Penn-Trafford, which out-hit Lower Southampton, 15-11, added two runs in the fourth inning and put the game away with three runs in the sixth inning.
Zach Feldman drove in two runs with a triple and a double. Matrisch had a double and a single, winning pitcher Braden Kane had a triple and single and Colton Tyburski and Dom Delio had two hits each.
Kane allowed nine hits and three runs (two earned) in five-plus innings. He struck out five. Evan Gigliotti allowed two hits and struck out two.
The first championship game begins at 10 a.m. Wednesday. A Penn-Trafford victory would force a second game.
