An early lead gave Schuylkill North a ton of confidence and the momentum.
Iziah Trimble changed things with one swing of the bat.
Trimble's two-run homer sparked a six-run fifth inning that lifted Lebanon Valley to a 13-6 victory over Schuylkill North in Monday's VFW State Teener 13-14-year old Tournament championship game at Steidle Field.
It's the third straight year a Schuylkill County team has finished as the runner-up in the VFW 13-14-year-old state tournament.
"You have to tip your hat to them," Schuylkill North head coach Al Norris said. "They were the better team."
The title game was a rematch of Sunday's winners' bracket final, which Area 3 champion Lebanon Valley won 10-0 in five innings.
Schuylkill North (7-4) made sure that didn't happen again, scoring five runs to build a 5-2 lead after two frames.
Lebanon Valley (7-0), however, answered with three runs in the top of the third inning to tie it then broke things open with the six-run fifth inning.
"My heart was pounding in those first few innings," Lebanon Valley head coach Darren Luciotti said. "We were a little too relaxed."
Trimble, Lebanon Valley's MVP, broke the tie in the top of the fifth with a two-run homer over the left-field fence. Lebanon Valley scored four more runs in the inning to go ahead 11-5.
Lebanon Valley then shut the door on Schuylkill North, preventing any offensive threats for the remainder of the game.
Reliever Alec Barr pitched five strong innings for Lebanon Valley, giving up only one hit and striking out three. Barr compiled three 1-2-3 innings and only allowed three baserunners in relief.
"The 1-2-3 innings were a double-edged sword," Norris said. "They shut us down offensively, and it gave our pitchers no time to breathe."
With no rest, the Schuylkill North pitchers grew weary and gave up several hits throughout the game. Lebanon Valley outhit Schuylkill North 10-5.
"We got off to a quick start, but they shut us down," Norris said. "They had our number."
Bobby Wagner singled to begin the game offensively for Schuylkill North and Richie Zahodnick followed with a walk.
Mike Neary plated Wagner with a fielder's choice, and Austin Dietz later gave Schuylkill North a 3-0 lead with an RBI single.
"Getting ahead early was huge," Norris said. "It really brought up our confidence."
After Lebanon Valley sliced the lead to 3-2 in the top of the second, Schuylkill North added two more runs in the bottom half to build a 5-2 lead.
Evan Kosar singled and Wagner reached on an error. Zahodnick followed with a two-run triple to make it 5-2.
"He had a great tournament," Norris said of Zahodnick, the Schuylkill North MVP. "He'll take a week off and he'll go out and do the same thing on the football field."
Walks proved to be fatal for Schuylkill North, as starter Wagner issued four free passes in the second and third innings, each of which scored. Nick Allwein highlighted the game-tying frame for Lebanon Valley with a two-run single in the third.
After Lebanon Valley's six-run fifth inning broke the game open, Schuylkill North only managed one more hit.
Schuylkill North's final run came in the fifth on Josh Jacavage's RBI single.
Schuylkill North lost its first two games of the Area 2 tournament, then went on a six-game win streak to earn a spot in the winners' bracket final. The local stars' only losses in the state tournament were to Lebanon Valley.
"It was an honor to coach these kids," Norris said. "They have great personalities." Game Summary