CONYNGHAM — Valley West right fielder Matt Abreu put runs on the board in more than one way Saturday evening during his team’s 14-0 rout of Tamaqua in the District 18 Little League 11-12-year-old title game.
Batting eighth, Abreu was 2-for-2 with two homers. His first long ball, a solo shot in the first inning, actually nailed the scoreboard just beyond the right-field wall at Whispering Willows Park.
Abreu was far from the only Valley West player to showcase power at the plate. The team combined for five home runs, while Mike Kilker tossed an abbreviated no-hitter, to beat Tamaqua in four innings to capture the district crown and advance to the Section 6 Tournament.
After the dust settled, Kilker was 2-for-2 with four RBIs, Kevin Meluskey and Abreu were 2-for-2 with three RBIs, and Marcus Danchision had two hits and a run in three at-bats.
“We’ve been saying as a coaching staff, it’s going to come. And finally, we had that breakout game ... where, one through nine, we were just pounding the ball,” Valley West manager Jack Meluskey said. “It was one of those games, and we were fortunate to have it here on our home field.”
Kilker faced one batter over the minimum (13) and was efficient from the start. He struck out four, walked none and didn’t throw more than 15 pitches in any inning.
He took a perfect game into the third inning’s final out, when Ian Davis reached first base as the throw to the bag sailed above first baseman Kevin Meluskey.
Jack Meluskey said he knew Tamaqua was a solid team at the plate and was “determined” to have his ace keep its batters off-balance.
Tamaqua manager Mike VanBuskirk noted that’s just what Kilker did.
“He was mixing his pitches up. We were off-balance the whole time,” VanBuskirk said. “Normally, we would hit with him, and he just shut us down.”
Kilker also started Valley West’s scoring spree in the bottom of the first, which ended after seven runs, five hits and 13 plate appearances. He hit a two-run homer deep beyond the center-field wall to take a 2-0 lead.
Brandon Schlauch and Abreu followed with back-to-back homers later in the inning; Schlauch’s was a three-run shot.
In the next inning, Kevin Meluskey hit a homer to center two at-bats before Abreu went deep again, to left field, for a 10-0 advantage by inning’s end.
Kilker’s RBI single, Kevin Meluskey’s two-run single and Christian Badamo’s RBI single in the third inning put the finishing touches on Valley West’s victory.
With a week before the sectional tournament, Meluskey said he’ll give his squad a few days off before getting back to work.
After the brief break, the team will prepare for its next game, which will be played at 3 p.m. on July 18 against the District 30 champion. The Section 6 tournament will be hosted by Council Rock Northampton Little League, based in Richboro.
“Our ultimate goal was districts, and now this is just a great experience for the kids, going down to sectionals,” Meluskey said. “We’ll see how we can represent District 18 — I’m sure we’ll represent them very well.”
Game Summary
District 18 Little League
11-12-year-old championship
Tamaqua (5-2) 000 0 — 0 0 1
Valley West (4-0) 734 x — 14 11 1
Wickersham, Schellhammer (1), Milot (3) and VanBuskirk, Wickersham; Kilker and LaBuda. W — Kilker. L — Wickersham.
HITS: Tamaqua — None. Valley West — Abreu 2, Kilker 2, Meluskey 2, Danchision 2, Schlauch, Badamo.
HR — Abreu 2, Kilker 2, Schlauch, Meluskey.