Wild Pitch

CHEWSVILLE -- The beauty of a pitch is in the eye of the beholder. For Sinjin Shoop, it doesn't matter what Conococheague manager Mike Iseminger or the Valley All-Stars think, a letter-high pitch was the most gorgeous thing he'd ever seen. Shoop connected with a slightly elevated pitch and blasted it over the fence in left-center field in the bottom of the sixth for a decisive three-run home run Thursday to lift Conococheague to a 7-4 victory in the winners' bracket second round of the Maryland District 1 11-12 Tournament.

HANCOCK -- Four days after Independence Day, the Hancock and Clear Spring All-Stars put on a display of fireworks, combining for six home runs. But Hancock powered its way to a 7-4 win over Clear Spring at Hancock Little League in the opening round of the Maryland District 1 11-12 Tournament on Wednesday. "One error could have cost you a game like that," said Hancock manager Dennis Douglas. "Both teams made plays. " The first pitch of the game flew out of the park when Hancock's Jordan Tosten homered to left-center field to give his team a 1-0 lead.

MAUGANSVILLE -- The Maugansville Junior All-Star team received more free passes in the bottom of the first inning Wednesday than any local movie theater would give out in a night. Nine would-be hitters walked in the inning, including eight of the first nine who went to the plate, leading to a 12-run frame for Maugansville on its way to a 20-10 win over Clear Spring in a Maryland District 1 Tournament losers' bracket game. "It was good to see our patience at the plate tonight," Maugansville manager Paul Breakall said.

WILLIAMSPORT -- Hancock moved into the championship round of the Maryland District 1 Junior League Tournament by beating Conococheague 12-1 on Monday night. The game was stopped after five innings because of the 10-run rule. "I'm really proud of the boys for the way that they played tonight," Hancock manager Dennis Douglas said. "There are 12 boys that won that game tonight. We did everything right tonight. We hit, pitched and ran the bases well. We were on top of our game tonight.

WILLIAMSPORT -- Throughout the Maryland District 1 9-10 Tournament, the Conococheague All-Stars overpowered their opponents with relentless offense. Conococheague stuck with that winning formula Monday, defeating Hancock 17-3 in the Maryland District 1 9-10 final at Ebersole Field. Conococheague will play in the Maryland state tournament, beginning July 18 in Salisbury, Md. "We did the same thing we've done all year," said Conococheague manager Mick Byers, whose team averaged 14 runs per game in its five tourney wins.

WILLIAMSPORT -- Patience is a virtue, and it paid off well for the Conococheague Junior League All-Stars. Conococheague took a commanding lead early, scoring nine runs on seven walks and three hits, and went on to a 13-1 victory over Valley in 4 1/2 innings in a District 1 Tournament game. "The kids were patient," said Conococheague manager Jamie Martin, "They hit when it was there, didn't swing at bad pitches. Their hard work is paying off. " Conococheague will host Hancock in the winners' bracket final on Monday at 5:30 p.m. Valley threatened in the first inning.

MAUGANSVILLE -- Despite a rain delay, a change of scenery, three disputed calls and an injury, Maugansville managed to edge out Clear Spring 6-3 in the opening round of the Maryland District 1 Junior League All-Star Tournament. Maugansville jumped on the board early, scoring two runs after an error, a walk and a hit that led to a two-run single by Chris McNairn. In the third, Trevor Shuck hit a leadoff home to left field. Clear Spring was held hitless through the first three innings.

HALFWAY -- Federal scored in the bottom of the seventh inning to squeeze out a 10-9 win and eliminate Halfway on Thursday in a Maryland District I 9-10 Tournament losers' bracket game. With one out in the seventh, Federal leadoff batter Myles Nicholson singled to center and stole second. Nathan Kline followed with a game-winning RBI single to right to drive in Nicholson. "When we had our No. 9 and No. 1 hitters coming up, we knew that we had a chance to win because of our speed," Federal manager Charlie Wood said.

Mitchell Wilson and Chandler Penn combined on a one-hitter to help National eliminate Maugansville 6-3 Wednesday night in a Maryland District 1 9-10 Tournament losers' bracket game. National will return to action Friday when it will host the winner of the losers' bracket game between Federal and Halfway. That game was suspended in the first inning Wednesday with Federal leading, 3-2. The game will be completed today. Wilson retired 12 of the first 13 batters he faced and finished with 10 strikeouts to set the tone for the game.

By JACK HILL III Staff Correspondent Maugansville had something to prove after last Friday's 10-9 heartbreaking loss to Clear Spring in the opening round. Maugansville came out and made a statement on Monday with 14 runs in the the first three innings. And that was good enough for a 14-3 win to eliminate Sharpsburg in 3 1/2 innings in the Maryland District I 9-10 Little League Tournament. Maugansville stays alive in the double-elimination tournament and will play at American tonight at 6. "The boys played real hard tonight and they never gave up," Maugansville manager Jason Carbaugh said.