Schuylkill North will play for a state title.
The Area 2 runners-up took the tough route to get there.
Schuylkill North lost in Sunday's winners' bracket final of the VFW State Teener 13-14-year-old Tournament, but came right back to win the losers' bracket final to advance to today's championship round.
Schuylkill North defeated Hollidaysburg 8-4 in the losers' bracket final Sunday night after falling to Lebanon Valley 10-0 in five innings in the winners' bracket final earlier in the day at Steidle Field.
The win over Hollidaysburg earned Schuylkill North (7-3) a rematch with Area 3 champion Lebanon Valley (6-0) at 11 a.m. today. Schuylkill North will have to beat Lebanon Valley twice to win the state title.
After the 10-0 rout, Schuylkill North completely revamped its attitude, scoring runs right from the beginning in its victory over Hollidaysburg.
"We should have played the first game like we played the second game," Schuylkill North head coach Al Norris said. "The difference is that we showed up."
After recording only two hits and being held scoreless against Lebanon Valley, Schuylkill North wasted no time building a lead against Hollidaysburg.
"We couldn't hit (in the first game)," Norris said between the two games. "We need to regroup."
In the second game, Bobby Wagner doubled and Richie Zahodnick singled to start the bottom of the first. Josh Jacavage plated Wagner on a groundout, and Zahodnick scored on a wild pitch to give Schuylkill North a 2-0 lead.
"That's the ticket," Norris said. "Wagner, Zahodnick and Jacavage pack a deadly punch."
Schuylkill North extended its lead to 6-0 in the second. Austin Dietz, Tyler McCole, Evan Kosar and Zahodnick recorded singles in the four-hit, four-run frame. Kosar and Zahodnick also added RBIs.
Zahodnick finished 3-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
"I wasn't too anxious," Zahodnick said. "I made contact and put the ball in play."
Hollidaysburg (8-3), the Area 4 champion, scored three runs in the final two innings to keep the score close. The Schuylkill North defense, however, never allowed Hollidaysburg back into the game.
Schuylkill North added runs in the third and sixth innings to keep the six run lead. In the third, Dietz reached on an error and scored on another error.
In the sixth, Wagner singled, advanced to second when Zahodnick drew a walk and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Jacavage plated Wagner with a sacrifice fly to cap the scoring.
Wagner finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored for the host team of the tournament.
"He's playing great ball right now offensively and defensively," Zahodnick said of Wagner. "He's really coming through for us."
Schuylkill North's defense, although shaky at times, did its part as well. The North defense totaled 14 errors between the two games, allowing nine hits in the first game.
In the second game, Zahodnick limited Hollidaysburg to just four hits. He struck out three in his complete game effort.
"I just threw strikes," Zahodnick, a Girardville native, said. "I let them put the ball in play and my defense did its job."
Lebanon Valley finished undefeated in Area 3 play and has advanced unscathed thus far in the state tournament.
In the opening round, Lebanon Valley rallied with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to score five runs and defeat Schuylkill South 6-5.
"That game changed the entire tournament," Lebanon Valley head coach Darren Luciotti said. "We're destined to be here."
Lebanon Valley capitalized on eight Schuylkill North errors in the winners' bracket final, and will look to win its fourth 13-14-year-old state championship today.
Schuylkill North hopes to spoil Lebanon Valley's party.
"If Lebanon Valley thinks their playing the same team they played (Sunday), they're sadly mistaken," Norris said. "We're a much better team than that and I still don't think we hit our stride." Game Summary
Lebanon Valley 10 Schuylkill North 0