ASHLAND — Ashland’s 9-10-year-old all-star squad will need a manicure after Monday’s nail-biting win.
The Pool 1 champions survived a ferocious Minersville comeback to eke out a 10-8 victory in a District 24 Little League semifinal.
Ashland led 8-1 before Minersville scored six runs in the fifth inning to jump back in it.
Ashland got two insurance runs to go up 10-7 in the sixth, but Minersville loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the inning to keep its comeback hopes alive.
After giving up one more run on a passed ball, Ashland’s sixth pitcher of the game, Justin Ulceski, recorded a strikeout and caught a liner hit directly at him to clinch a berth in the championship game.
Ashland moves on to play Upper Dauphin County in Wednesday’s championship at 5:30 p.m. in Elizabethville. UDC defeated Saint Clair/Port Carbon/New Philadelphia 8-7 in the other semifinal.
“It was a barn burner, and we made it a little bit more interesting than I would have liked,” Ashland manager Tom Zulkowski said. “We got up on them early, and we tried to save our pitchers for the next game, which almost backfired on us. Luckily, we pulled through.”
Minersville took an early 1-0 lead when Brock Polinsky’s sacrifice fly plated John Adams in the top of the first.
Ashland capitalized on five Minersville errors in the second inning, batting around to score seven runs.
Collin Stanakis’ RBI single highlighted the big inning in which Ashland took a 7-1 lead.
In the top of the fifth, Stanakis scored on another Minersville error to put Ashland on top 8-1.
Ashland’s pitching staff combined to allow just one run on three hits in the first four innings, but fell into trouble in the bottom of the fifth when Minersville batted around and scored six runs.
Of Minersville’s six runs, three were scored on bases-loaded walks and three more on an infield error, a passed ball and Polinsky’s RBI single, respectively.
“We just couldn’t hit the strike zone at that point,” Zulkowski said. “All those walks and mistakes almost gave them the momentum to take over.”
Ashland got two runs back courtesy of a bases-loaded walk and a passed ball to breathe a little easier with a 10-7 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth.
Minersville refused to give up, however, as Polinsky led off the inning with a double and Paul Motley walked.
Chase Stephen drew a one-out walk to load the bases, and Polinsky crossed home plate on a passed ball.
Ulceski halted the comeback with his sixth-inning heroics to seal the win for Ashland.
“We preach positivity with these kids, and we’re always very optimistic,” Minersville manager Keith Adams said. “They fought even when we were down by seven runs, and we even had the bases loaded at the end. We just couldn’t get those runs in.
“Still, it was a proud moment for me to be down 8-1 and see the kids in the dugout doing rally chants,” he added.
Zulkowski said he learned an important lesson from the near-comeback that almost sent his team packing.
“We always have to give it 100 percent,” Zulkowski said. “The game isn’t over until the last out, so we have to keep playing hard and score as many runs as possible if we want to beat tough teams like Minersville.”
Game Summary
District 24 Little League 9-10-year-old Semifinal At Ashland
Ashland (4-1) 070 012 — 10 6 2
Miners (4-1) 100 061 — 8 7 11
Stanakis, Keninitz (3), Keiter (5), Ryan (5), DeAngelo (6), Ulceski (6) and Wilotsky, Groody (3), Wilotsky (5); Polinsky, Schwalm (2), Motley (6) and Schwalm, Stephen (2). W — Stanakis. L — Polinsky.
HITS: Ashland — Stanakis 2, Ryan, DeAngelo 2, Ulceski. Minersville — Adams 2, Schwalm, Polinsky 2, Stephen, Dube.
2B — DeAngelo, Schwalm, Polinsky.