ORWIGSBURG - The bloodlines of this year's Upper Dauphin County 9-10-year-old all-star team are full of District 24 Little League success.
The names Wise, Cleveland, Stiely, Herb and Smeltz already adorn banners that hang on the outfield fences during UDC home games.
This year's Upper Dauphin County 9-10 players would like secure their own piece of District 24 glory.
They'll get that chance after a convincing 9-0 victory over Orwigsburg in a District 24 semifinal Monday at Memorial Field.
Nathan Wise allowed just two hits over 5.2 innings and Mason Evans drove in three runs as Upper Dauphin cruised into Wednesday's championship game. UDC will host Saint Clair/Port Carbon/New Philadelphia, which beat Ashland 4-3 in the other semifinal, at 5:30 p.m. Wednesdasy in Elizabethville.
"A lot of these kids did see their older brothers playing baseball," UDC manager Bryan Evans said. "They are out there trying to take after their older brothers the way they succeeded on the field.
"These kids just gelled together. They've played together as a team.
"You see their older brothers here supporting them today. It's just amazing."
Wise, one of three 9-year-olds on the UDC roster, stifled an Orwigsburg attack that had scored 39 runs in four games and clinched its pool with a 13-0 victory Sunday.
Mixing his pitches well and relying on a solid defensive effort behind him, Wise walked two and struck out four before reaching the 75-pitch limit with two outs in the sixth. Mikey Myers struck out the only batter he faced to end it.
"Nathan was on today," Evans said. "He's our No. 2 pitcher, and he threw one heck of a game today. He's been solid for us."
Upper Dauphin (5-0) took control in the top of the first inning as Orwigsburg starter Billy Gerlott struggled with his control early. UDC combined a walk, a hit batter, three errors and a sacrifice fly by Mason Evans to take a quick 3-0 lead.
For Orwigsburg, it was the exact opposite of Sunday's game at Rotary, where Orwigsburg scored 10 runs in the top of the first inning.
"That's a good team we just played," Orwigsburg manager Brandon Steely said. "We had a little bit of a hiccup there. The first hit of the game was an error and that led to a big inning for them. We just couldn't come back from it."
Orwigsburg's only major threat came in the bottom of the third inning. Trailing 3-0, Orwigsburg loaded the bases on singles by Anthony Zeplin and Caden Eichert and a walk by Derrick Yuengling.
Wise, however, retired Orwigsburg's 2-3-4 batters on an infield pop-up, a flyout and a grounder to shortstop to get out of the jam.
Orwigsburg didn't have a baserunner the rest of the game as Wise and Myers combined to retire the final 12 Orwigsburg hitters.
"Great job by (Wise)," Steely said. "He got two fly balls, and we didn't tag on a play we should have. That's where your big guys have to come through, and we just didn't do it today."
UDC rode the momentum of the defensive stand to score three runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth.
Tyler Cleveland had an RBI double and Mason Evans plated two more with a single in the fourth. In the fifth, two runs scored on a throwing error before Wise ripped an RBI double.
Cleveland, Mason Evans and Bryce Herb - the younger brother of Coastal Carolina pitcher Tyler Herb - each had two hits for UDC, which has outscored its five opponents 53-4. All four of the runs UDC has allowed were unearned.
"The boys have been saying since we started as 9s that 'We want our names up there next to our brothers,'" Bryan Evans said. "They've been stressing that.
"We want a banner with our names on it next to our brothers' banners." Game Summary