Wild Pitch

CHEWSVILLE - After a quick 1-2-3 first inning for both teams, the Clear Spring and Valley All-Stars might have expected a low-scoring affair. But the offenses exploded, plating a combined 25 runs in the ensuing five innings. In the end, it was Clear Spring with the upper hand, defeating Valley 13-12 in the Maryland District 1 Junior Tournament losers' bracket contest at Jack L. Hockensmith Field. The game was called after the sixth inning due to darkness. "My kids put out an outstanding effort," said Clear Spring manager Larry Kees.

For one inning on Wednesday, the Hagerstown Suns ran a two-for-one special. The blue-light special - six outs for the price of three - in the top of fifth inning was all the West Virginia Power needed to fully stock their offensive shelves. West Virginia sent 11 hitters to the plate and scored six runs with the help of some defensive mistakes by the Suns - including two errors - to take a 9-5 victory and end Hagerstown's four-game winning streak in a Businessman Special matinee at Municipal Stadium.

WILLIAMSPORT -- Hancock Senior All-Stars coach Harry Lanehart knows to expect the unexpected when his team plays Conococheague. "It's always a battle," Lanehart said. "It usually comes down to a wild pitch, an error or a timely hit that makes the difference. " In this case, it was one of the three times two. Hancock's margin of victory came down to two wild pitches with the bases loaded, while Derek Younker pitched a complete game for a 3-1 win to avoid elimination and force a winner-take-all final today for the District 1 title at 1:30 p.m. at Hancock.

The pressure was so intense, moisture beaded up on Robbie Jacobsen's brow. "It was pretty tough," said the Hagerstown Suns first baseman. "I was standing up there and water droplets were coming off my helmet. That made it tough. " The only problem, it wasn't sweat. Instead, Jacobsen came to bat in a rainstorm that turned Municipal Stadium into a water park minus the slide. He provided a thrill by lacing a 3-2 curveball down the left-field line for an RBI single with two outs in the eighth inning to lift the Suns to a 3-2 victory over Greensboro.

Opportunity finally knocked for the Hagerstown Suns on Friday. But the Suns must have gone out for pizza until 10:45 p.m. Charlie Fermaint slapped a single with no outs in the bottom of the 14th inning to score Robby Jacobsen from second with the winning run and end a 4-hour, 8-minute marathon with a 5-4 win that should have been over much earlier. In fact, the Suns nearly ran themselves out of the win in the 14th. It started when Souza led off with a single off Kannapolis reliever Charlis Burdie and moved to second on Michael Guerrero's sacrifice bunt.

The Hagerstown Suns had seen enough of Hickory starting pitcher Yoon-Hee Nam. When Mark Hamburger stepped to the mound in the bottom of the seventh, the Suns began to fire up the grill for some tasty burgers with plenty of ketchup, mustard and relish. The Suns (20-18) broke a 1-1 tie with four runs in the inning for a 5-1 Friday fireworks victory over Hickory, about 12 hours after returning home from their recent trip in North Carolina. Nam, who came into the game with a 4-1 record and a stout 0.95 earned run average, allowed only a bunt single and recorded seven strikeouts through six innings.

As the old adage goes, good pitching and defense can win a baseball game. A productive offense never hurts, either. Connor Litton hit three home runs on Friday to lead the Hancock All-Stars to a 12-4 win over Halfway in a losers' bracket game of the Maryland District 1 11-12 Tournament. "It was a big night on every kid's part," said Hancock manager Dennis Douglas. "We had key hits, including the home runs by Connor. " Halfway opened the scoring in the bottom of the second inning when Matt Clopper scored on an error to make it 1-0. But Hancock's offense began to click in the third.

MAUGANSVILLE - The Maugansville Little League All-Stars gave up six unanswered runs in the final two innings of their game against Conococheague Friday evening, something that may have proven costly if not for the sizable early cushion the offense provided. Jordan Wivell had two hits, including a home run, and four RBI as Maugansville survived another late rally in a 10-8 win over Conococheague in the winners' bracket semifinal of the Maryland District 1 11- 12 All-Star Tournament at Jay W. Stouffer Field.

GREENCASTLE, Pa. - Greencastle-Antrim senior Conrad Myers had a youth league flashback Tuesday against Red Lion. Myers blasted a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh - his first varsity home run - and the Blue Devils walked off with a 5-2 victory at Barkdoll Field. "It feels real good. I haven't hit a home run since little league," said Myers, who jumped a chest-high fastball from Red Lion reliever Taylor Gunder and sent it into the tennis courts in right centerfield.

andrewm@herald-mail.com CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - Most local sports fans probably would have given Waynesboro's Brian Lisko about the same chance of winning a pitching matchup against Chambersburg's Irv Sleighter as Sleighter's of winning a wrestling match versus Lisko. Lisko, a two-time Herald-Mail All-Area First Team wrestler, nearly defied the odds against Sleighter, last year's All-Area Baseball Player of the Year, in a Mid-Penn Commonwealth game at Henninger Field on Friday.