User: jsoprano Time: 07-23-2012
23:07 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 07-24-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: sports_02 PageNo: 4 B
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PAGE 4B TUESDAY, JULY 24, 2012
LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL
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THE TIMES LEADER
LITTLE LEAGUE
LITTLE LEAGUE SOFTBALL
Season ends early for Back Mountain
Nanticoke defeats West Side for title
Section 5 champ is eliminated the losers bracket, the more arms by Dillsburg squad on second you have to throw.” Dillsburg used six pitchers on day of state tournament. Sunday, but just one Monday – By JOHN ERZAR jerzar@timesleader.com
STROUDSBURG – As Back Mountain American exited the Stroudsburg Little League on Monday – eliminated from the Little League Major Baseball state tournament – manager Steve Mathers accentuated accomplishments. And there were plenty even after Dillsburg’s offense erupted and bumped off American 14-6 in the elimination bracket. Still, the end wasn’t easy. “It’s tough,” Mathers said. “For the last four summers I was fortunate enough to manage this team into late July, August. Four district titles, two section titles, two trips to states last year and this year. Not many kids can say they won a district title, let alone four. They are a great bunch of kids, a great bunch of ballplayers.” And a bunch that had the misfortune of Dillsburg, out of York County, finding its hitting groove after struggling in its state opener Sunday. Dillsburg had just two hits in a 14-0 loss to Warrick Township. The Section 7 champ had two hits after three batters on Monday. It finished with 16, including five in a five-run fifth inning to open a 14-4 lead. “Well, they certainly didn’t get here because they couldn’t hit the ball,” Mathers said. “Obviously, that’s kudos to Warrick’s pitchers. I’ve said it in the past, these tournaments are grueling on pitching. The further you go in
Trent Culver. The lefty mixed four different off-speed pitches with a fastball to keep American from bunching its hits together. A delay of about 45 minutes due to lightning didn’t derail him. American led once, 3-2, after two innings. J.D. Barrett had a solo homer in the first after Dillsburg struck twice in the top of the frame. Two more runs came across in the second, one on Carl Markowski’s RBI single and the other when David Schuster’s single was misplayed in the outfield. Christian Roberts added a solo homer in the fourth for American. Chris Hadsall had an RBI double and Barrett knocked in another with a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Those runs, though, barely put a dent in the deficit as Dillsburg scored four times in the third and three times in the fourth before its big fifth inning.
Little League Major Baseball State Tournament Dillsburg 14, Back Mtn. American 6 Dillsburg Back Mtn. American ab r h bi ab r h bi Culver p 4 1 2 2 Mathers p 3 1 1 0 McKeever cf 5 3 2 0 Hadsall ss 3 0 1 1 McLaughlin c 4 3 4 2 Barrett c 2 1 1 2 Peifer ss 3 2 1 1 Roberts cf 3 1 1 1 Sacoman rf 4 1 1 2 Holdrdge 1b 2 1 1 0 Shumaker 2b 2 1 0 1 Schuster 2b 3 1 1 0 Brownawell lf 2 1 0 0 Markwski lf 2 0 2 1 Ishler lf 2 0 1 1 Kaleta lf 1 0 0 0 Stuckey 1b 2 0 2 1 Pertl 3b 1 0 0 0 Lilja rf 2 1 1 0 Robbins rf 2 1 0 0 Cotton 3b 4 1 2 1 Kovalick rf 1 0 0 0 Lydon 3b 0 0 0 0 Totals 34141611 Totals 23 6 8 5 Dillsburg ................................... 204 350 — 14 Back Mtn. American................ 120 120 — 6 E – DIL 2, BMA 3. DP – BMA 1. LOB – DIL 8, BMA 3. 2B – McLaughlin, Hadsall, Markowski. HR – Barrett, Roberts. SF – Culver, Barrett. SB – Shumaker. IP H R ER BB SO Dillsburg Culver (W)................. 6.0 8 6 4 1 6 Back Mtn. Amer. Mathers (L)................ 3.0 9 7 3 2 1 Hadsall ...................... 1.0 5 6 4 1 0 Robbins ..................... 2.0 2 1 1 3 1 Mathers pitched to one batter in the 4th. Hadsall pitched to four batters in the 5th. HBP –Lydon (by Culver)
NIKO J. KALLIANIOTIS/FOR THE TIMES LEADER
Back Mountain American’s Josh Lydon looks on from the dugout during the fifth inning against Dillsburg on Monday afternoon in Stroudsburg.
LEWIS Continued from Page 1B
State’s numerous penalties is a four-year postseason ban that runs from 2012 to 2015. Scholarship reductions that will run through the length of his college stay may also affect the level of talent around him, especially in his later seasons with the Lions. Lewis Sr. said that the sanctions weren’t a surprise to him or his son. “We were not shocked. We were OK,” Lewis Sr. said of learning of the NCAA’s decisions. “We already knew it wasn’t going to be easy. And it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. “We were not shocked. Both of us are still excited about Penn State.” The NCAA also announced Monday that Penn State players would be free to transfer to another school and play right away rather than sitting out for a season because of the sanctions. That is an option that Lewis was considering on Monday, according to Keating. The coach said he had been contacted by roughly 12-15 other college programs from across the country Monday interested in recruiting Lewis to come to their programs. Because of the sanctions against Penn State, the NCAA has ruled that other schools are permitted to recruit players already on scholarship, provided they first give notice to Penn State. Despite the turmoil that struck the Lions in November,
Lewis had said in the past that he never seriously considered wavering from his verbal commitment to Penn State. He signed his letter of intent to play there without incident in February. Lewis Sr. said his son’s commitment has not changed. “He loves it. He loves Penn State,” Lewis Sr. said. “He just loves the university. He loves Happy Valley and he’s just enjoying himself. “Don’t get me wrong – he’s probably discouraged a little bit. But when it comes down to it, he looks at the big picture, not just the right now.” “But at the same time,” Keating said, “I feel for the fact that he probably wouldn’t get to play in a bowl game. That’s a big reason to go to play in college. “It’s just an unfortunate incident, and the kids are stuck in the middle of it.”
GRAVE Continued from Page 1B
found by the Freeh Report to be involved in an institutionwide cover-up of Sandusky’s crimes. The four-year bowl ban Emmert handed down means incoming recruits from the 2012 class will have no opportunity to play in a postseason game unless they take a red-shirt season. He said he wants the school worrying about balancing its priorities, “Not whether or not Penn State is going
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The Times Leader staff
SUBMITTED PHOTO
The Bob Horlacher state champions. Kneeling, from left: Hope Jones, Jena Simmons. Standing, first row: Delaney Romanchick, Kaci Coole, Faith Jones, Erin Dunn, Megan Straley, Kassidy Shirtz, Mackayla Quick, Sarah Kuderka. Second row: Coaches Doug Jones, Pete Romanchick, John Kuderka, Jim Dunn.
Horlacher wins state title Team comes home to play in the East Regional tourney this weekend in Old Forge.
Atlantic Region play, which begins Saturday in Old Forge. Horlacher’s first game will be against the New York representative Sunday at 3 p.m. Horlacher entered the bottom of the fifth inning trailing West Point 1-0. But Megan Straley lead off with a hit and Casey Coole followed with a walk. Quick then drove a ball to center field for a two-run double. It was all the runs Jones would need. She struck out 11 in six innings.
Straley finished the day 2 for 2, while Jones, Sara Kadurka, Quick and Faith Jones all had one hit. Bob Horlacher finished the state tournament with five wins, averaging 6.6 runs per game and allowing 2.0 per game. The team scored six or more runs in each of its first four state tournament games. Milton scored five runs against Horlacher in the semifinal, while Horlacher’s remaining opponents scored five runs total in four games.
were met with similar silence. An ESPN report said that “players were instructed within that meeting not to speak with members of the media.” A small handful of players took to the internet to address the punishments, which include a four-year postseason ban and a drastic reduction in scholarships. Most vocal was tight end Garry Gilliam, a projected starter for 2012, who wrote on his Twitter account that he would not be leaving Penn State. The NCAA has ruled that Penn State players will be able to transfer to other schools without penalty and can play immediately. Likewise, the Big Ten is waiving a restriction that prevented players from transferring within the conference and still receiving a scholarship. In a statement, the Penn State Football Letterman’s Club took issue with the NCAA President Mark Emmert’s assertion that a football-first culture at the school created an imbalance between athletics and academics, calling it “baseless and intellectually dishonest.” “It is with great pride that the members of our club know that we have done it the ‘right way’ for several decades,” the group said, “and we will not allow Dr. Emmert’s careless remarks to tarnish the legacy of Penn State football.” On campus and in downtown State College, students, alumni and local businesses reacted with frustration and anger -some of it directed at the NCAA and some of it directed at Penn State’s leadership. Terry and Teresa Kerestes, dressed in Penn State gear and visiting Terry’s alma mater while on vacation, stopped briefly by the big-screen TV at the HUB student union to watch coverage of the situation.
“I just feel it was it was a miss (by the NCAA),” Teresa Kerestes said. “It takes the focus off of the victims” of former Penn State assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, who was convicted of 45 counts of sexual abuse of children. “I don’t see how this is going to help those children.” Terry Kerestes, who received his masters degree from Penn State, said the fate of the football program does not diminish his view of the school. “Nah, this is all just garbage,” Terry said with a wave of his hand toward the giant TV. “It doesn’t change how I feel about Penn State.” Students watching events unfold at the HUB had mixed feelings about the sanctions, acknowledging the need for them but questioning the severity. “I think it’s a very steep penalty and maybe not fair to punish the current players. Something had to be done, but these guys were like 4 years old when those things happened,” said Anthony Pesavento, a freshman from the Harrisburg area who described himself as a lifetime fan. “(Football) was definitely one of the reasons why I came here, but I came here for the education first and foremost.” Employees and managers of stores in State College did not wish to speak on the record, concerned how their opinions could affect their businesses. Generally, they were concerned how sanctions -- which will seriously damage the football team’s on-field success -- will affect interest in the team and trickle down to the local economy. Two such people also expressed their exhaustion of media coverage of the Sandusky scandal and its fallout since November and thought the NCAA was being hypocritical in its punishment of Penn State, choosing to make an example of the school to make a point. A group called Penn Staters
for Responsible Stewardship -which formed in the wake of indictments of Jerry Sandusky, Tim Curley and Gary Schultz in November -- issued strong criticism of the university’s Board of Trustees on Monday. In a statement, the group said it was most upset at use of the Freeh Report -- an independent investigation commissioned by Penn State that concluded that university leadership covered up reports of sexual abuse of children -- as definitive evidence against the school and the football program. "To rely upon such a report to issue punishment is beyond reckless, and should not be supported in any way by the leadership of Penn State," the group said. "By agreeing to these sanctions, every single member of the Penn State Board of Trustees has blatantly failed in their fiduciary responsibilities to the university. With each passing hour, we are gaining additional alumni support in our demand to have them resign immediately." One trustee, the newly elected Anthony Lubrano, however, said that the board was not consulted before the university agreed to the NCAA’s sanctions. “My view is that we rolled over and played dead,” Lubrano told USA Today. The consent decree that finalized the sanctions was signed only by Penn State President Rodney Erickson and Emmert. Another recent addition to the board, former Penn State football player Adam Taliaferro, was upset that the NCAA vacated Penn State’s wins from the past 14 seasons. Taliaferro played during that span, suffering a life-threatening spinal cord injury in a game in 2000. “NCAA says games didn’t exist,” Taliaferro posted on his Twitter account. “I got the metal plate in my neck to prove it. I almost died playing for PSU. Punishment or healing?”
to a bowl game.” Why would talented freshmen such as former Wyoming Valley West star receiver Eugene Lewis and Nyeem Wartman, a heavy-hitting linebacker from Valley View, stay at a place that’ll be reduced to relative obscurity for most of their careers? Why would starting quarterback Matt McGloin out of West Scranton spend his final college season driving the Nittany Lions down a road that’ll lead to a dead end? They couldn’t answer that immediately, muzzled by an edict from the coaching staff preventing current team mem-
bers from speaking about the sanctions. But they’re free to leave now, along with any other Penn State player feeling trapped by the penalties. The NCAA opened the cage and let all the Nittany Lions loose, allowing current team members the rare opportunity to transfer to another university and play immediately. It won’t be easy to find replacements. Penn State’s quota will be reduced from 85 scholarships to just 65 over the next four years, and the number of new scholarships to be awarded has been reduced by 10
each year. That means the Lions will lose 40 tremendously talented players. That’ll deplete the quality of the depth chart for at least eight years, because those missing scholarship spots will have to be filled by walk-ons. Nobody would blame O’Brien for walking out, although the new coach said he’s at Penn State for the long haul. But he didn’t sign up for $60 million Penn State must pay – equal to one year’s worth of revenue generated by the football program, according to Emmert -- or the five-year probationary
The Times Leader staff
GREENSBURG -- Hope Jones had a dominating performance on the mound and Mackayla Quick drove in two runs as Bob Horlacher defeated West Point 2-1 Monday to claim the state softball 9-10 championship. Horlacher advances to Mid-
NCAA Continued from Page 1B
WILKES-BARRE – Nanticoke used a three-hit effort by Colby Butczynski to defeat West Side 5-1 for the Wilkes-Barre 9-10 Rec Championship on Monday. Dylan Sczychowski, Austin Norton, Jacob Kruginski and Jaden Held each produced a hit for Nanticoke. Butczynski picked up the win on the mound. Mike O’Kane, Jim White, Dave Menzel and Jim Harding each had a hit for West Side.
SWOYERSVILLE 11-12 TOURNAMENT
Hanover 6, Plymouth/Swoyersville 4
Noah Jackson tallied three hits, including two doubles, to lead Hanover to a win. Mike Piscotti and Brett Stevens each had a hit. Matt Clarke picked up the win by pitching 51⁄3 innings, yielding two hits and striking out seven. Clarke also contributed a pair of doubles.
JENKINS TWP. 10-AND-UNDER SOFTBALL Jenkins Twp. 9, Mountain Top 6
Jaden Weiss, Alexis Armstrong and Tori Harper had hits for Mountain Top.
EXETER 8-9 TOURNAMENT
Nanticoke 11, Back Mountain Light Blue 3
Nick Matson threw three shutout innings to earn the win, while Joey Day had two hits and three RBI. Justin Spencer, Owen Brown and Ethan Egemski had two hits apiece for the winners. Drew Dickson, Logan Taczewski and Cooper Lewis had hits for Back Mountain. Back Mountain-C 12, Hanover 2
Will Youngman was 2for-2 and Austin Finarelli was 2-for-3 to pace Back Mountain-C. Brayden Saracino added a hit while A.J. Bednar picked up the win on the mound. Brendan Boehm tripled for Hanover.
TOMMY’S PIZZA CORNER 9-10 TOURNAMENT
Bob Horlacher 10, Exeter 4
Cole Coolbaugh pitched 42⁄3 strong innings and was 2-for-3 at the plate to pace Bob Horlacher. David Evans, Mike Milbrot and Mike Prebola also paced Horlacher’s offense. Zack Strazdus came on in relief to pick up the win. Caleb Graham was 3for-3 for Exeter. Gavin Lahart also had a hit. period the NCAA put on Penn State. The intent of all this, Emmert said, is to get the culture of “Hero worship and winning at all costs” out of college athletics. That objective didn’t bring Penn State the feared football ban of at least one year known as the “Death penalty.” But it turns out the late Paterno really left his old program half-dead. Paul Sokoloski is a Times Leader sports columnist. You may reach him at 970-7109 or email him at psokoloski@timesleader.com.