SCHUYLKILL HAVEN - Minersville's District 24 Little League playoff hopes are slim.
Thanks to Cal Schoffstall and Scott Schwalm, the Miners still entertain those hopes.
Schoffstall tossed a complete-game six-hitter and Schwalm homered as Minersville downed Schuylkill Haven 4-2 in an 11-12-year-old Pool 1 game Sunday night.
The victory avenges an earlier 6-2 loss to Schuylkill Haven (2-1), which could have clinched a quarterfinal berth with a win.
For Minersville (1-2) to reach the playoffs, it needs to beat Line Mountain on Tuesday, have Haven lose to Orwigsburg on Wednesday, then win the "run differential" - total number of runs given up in all pool play games, divided by the number of innings played on defense.
With one game left, Schuylkill Haven has allowed six runs in 16 innings (.375), while Minersville has allowed 18 runs in 18 innings (1.00).
Damyan Miller and Brendan-Welsh Lowe had two singles for Schuylkill Haven, which can still win the Pool 1 title and earn a playoff berth with a win over Orwigsburg.
Cressona 11 Mahanoy City 2
CRESSONA - Jason Dean doubled and homered to pace Cressona's 13-hit attack in its Pool 2 win over Mahanoy City.
Dean's home run was a two-run shot in the top of the first inning that gave Cressona an early 2-0 advantage.
Dylan Young, Ryan Jarboe and Taylor Stewart also had two hits for Cressona, with Young hitting a triple and driving in two runs. Luke Baker, Jarboe and Stewart also doubled.
Dakota Streisel had two hits, including a double, for Mahanoy City, while Craig Derr also hit a double.
10-11-year-olds UDC 22, Ashland 1
ASHLAND - Jesse Engle and Zachary Smeltz were each 4-for-4 and Nathan Wise and Smeltz each blasted home runs as Upper Dauphin County clinched a berth in the 10-11-year-old semifinals with a four-inning rout of Ashland.
Smeltz slugged a grand slam in the third inning and finished with six RBIs, while Engle had a double and triple. Wise was 3-for-4 with a double, a three-run homer and six RBIs for Upper Dauphin, which has outscored its three opponents 62-3.
Hayden Frasch had a double for Ashland.
9-10-year-olds Millersburg 14 Upper Schuylkill 4
MILLERSBURG - Nick Lubinski and Mitchell Fulkrod each had three hits as Millersburg improved to 2-0 with a five-inning, Pool 2 win over Upper Schuylkill (0-2).
Kyle Long, Kyle Casner each added two hits for Millersburg, while Lubinski and Mason Engle had three RBIs. Casner pitched the first 1.2 innings, while Haydn Bixler went the final 3.1.
William Joyce and Jacob Possessky each had two hits for Upper Schuylkill, which committed six errors.
SPN 12, Shenandoah 2
SHENANDOAH - Nick Chivinski was 3-for-3 with a double and three runs scored as Saint Clair/Port Carbon/New Philadelphia rolled to a four-inning, Pool 4 win over Shenandoah.
David Cook and Mario Ortiz each added two singles for SPN, which broke open a 2-2 game with a six-run third inning and a four-run fourth.
UDC 17, Orwigsburg 7
GRATZ - Owen Shoop went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer as Upper Dauphin County stayed undefeated with a Pool 1 victory over Orwigsburg.
Brady Evans added three hits and drove in four runs for UDC, which scored six runs in the top of the first inning and never looked back. Nick Joseph and Brayden Shadle each had two hits, while Dawson Klinger collected four RBIs.
Connor Meisner and Ryan Grace had doubles for Orwigsburg.
Ashland 12 Upper Schuylkill 1
RINGTOWN - Tanner Walacavage and Evan Stanakis combined on a one-hitter as Ashland downed Upper Schuylkill in a four-inning Pool 2 game Friday.
Walacavage pitched three innings of no-hit ball, striking out eight. Stanakis pitched the final inning, allowing a single by Jeff Markosky for Upper Schuylkill's only hit.
Jonas McGrath, Gavin Whalen, Walacavage and Stanakis each had two of Ashland's 10 hits.
Ashland 12 Pine Grove/Tremont 2
PINE GROVE - Dillon O'Neill paced a 17-hit attack with three hits as Ashland (2-0) pounded Pine Grove/Tremont in a five-inning Pool 2 game Saturday afternoon.
Gavin Whalen, Tanner Walacavage, Evan Stanakis, Patrick Cooney and Mike Zahodnik each had two hits, while Walacavage and Jonas McGrath combined on a one-hitter. Walacavage fanned 12.
Ethan Hannevic singled in the fifth inning for Pine Grove/Tremont's only hit.