SCHUYLKILL HAVEN — Overcoming a six-run deficit in a baseball playoff game most of the time is too big of a mountain to climb.
It hasn’t been for Schuylkill Haven so far in this year’s District 24 Little League 11-12-year-old Tournament.
For the second time in a week, Schuylkill Haven overcame a large deficit early in the game to pull out a victory.
Saturday it came in the quarterfinals, as Haven rallied from a six-run hole in the third inning to outlast Minersville 9-7.
Last Sunday, Schuylkill Haven trailed Ashland 10-2 in the second inning before pulling out a 13-10 victory.
Saturday’s win advanced Schuylkill Haven (5-0) to today’s semifinals, where it will travel to Saint Clair/Port Carbon/New Philadelphia at 5:30 p.m. SPN edged Orwigsburg 9-8 in another quarterfinal.
“It’s not new,” Schuylkill Haven manager Ron Weiser said of the deficit. “I was confident. Their pitcher threw hard. It took us a while until we got our timing down. ”
Minersville (2-3), the Pool 4 runner-up, looked poised to score the upset when it tallied a run in the second inning and five more in the top of the third to take a 6-0 lead.
Jake Hoffman doubled and scored on Hayden Paukstis’ RBI groundout in the second before Minersville tallied five runs on two hits, two errors, two walks and a hit batsman in the third.
Brett Chikotas and Hoffman each had RBI singles in the frame, while some head’s-up baserunning tallied two more.
“I was very proud of the kids. They did a great job,” Minersville manager Bryan Denion said. “We’re a scrappy team. We were in a strong pool with Upper Dauphin, and we fought them to the very end in every game we played them. We have a gritty team.”
Hoffman pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the first, and then retired Haven 1-2-3 in the second.
In the third, however, he didn’t fare as well against the Haven lineup the second time through.
Mason Ulsh opened the third inning with a single, Jack Higgins reached on an error and Jeremy Hughes delivered a sacrifice fly.
Jake Houtz singled, Owen Umbenhaur smashed a two-run single and Mason Irwin capped the four-run rally with a two-out RBI single.
Just like that, it was 6-4.
“We had the top of the order,” Weiser said. “Ulsh, Higgins, Hughes, Houtz ... they usually come through for us.”
Minersville tallied a run in the fourth to go up 7-4, but couldn’t muster anything else against Haven reliever Hughes.
Hughes took over for Haven starter Houtz in the middle of the third inning and put out the fire. Over his 3.2 innings of work, Hughes gave up one hit and two runs, striking out seven and walking one.
After hitting the first batter he faced and the second hitter reaching on an error, Hughes retired 11 of the final 13 batters he faced.
It was a similar performance to the Ashland game, when Houtz was rocked for 10 runs in two innings and Hughes pitched four shutout innings of relief.
“We have a good bunch of kids here,” Weiser said. “Anybody we stick out there is going to do a good job.
“Jeremy has done that, both against Ashland and here. We’re confident with him (on the mound).”
Trailing 7-4 in fifth, Haven rallied in the fifth to seize control.
Haven sent 11 batters to the plate in the frame, collecting four hits and taking advantage of two costly Minersville errors. Hoffman reached his 85-pitch limit in the middle of the inning, and Hughes’ two-run, two-out single off reliever Tony Cuttitta was the game-winner.
Umbenhaur had an RBI double in the inning, while No. 9 hitter Dawson McAllister fouled off two pitches with two strikes before delivering a key single that plated the tying run.
Hughes’ hit also came with two strikes.
“They keep their heads on the ball,” Weiser said. “They keep their weight back, head on the ball, and as soon as they get one they like, they drive it. We’ve been hitting the whole tournament.”
Hughes surrendered a leadoff single to Cuttitta in the sixth before striking out the final three batters. His performance allowed Haven to save ace Mason Ulsh, who threw shutouts in Pool 2 victories over Ashland and Rotary.
“That was (assistant coach) Mike Ulsh’s idea,” Weiser said. “He came up with that idea. I thought, ‘If we could get through with Houtz and whoever else, more power to us, more good for us.’ ”
Game Summary
District 24 11-12 Quarterfinal
At Schuylkill Haven
Miners (2-3) 015 100 — 7 4 3
Haven (5-0) 004 05x — 9 8 2
Hoffman, Cuttitta (5) and Andruchek; Houtz, Hughes (3) and Higgins. W — Hughes. L — Cuttitta.
HITS: Minersville — Chikotas, Hoffman 2, Cutttitta. Schuylkill Haven — Ulsh, Houtz 2, Hughes, Umbenhaur 2, Irwin, McAllister.
2B — Hoffman, Umbenhaur.