Winning sacrifice
Fredonia, Falconer reach D38 10-12 finals
P-J photo by Ashleigh Brown Fredonia celebrates after defeating Southwestern 9-8 in the District 38 10-12 Little League All-Star tournament semifinals Monday in Westfield.
P-J photo by Ashleigh Brown Fredonia's Sebastian Cerrie dives back to first base ahead of a tag from Southwestern's Grant Smith during the District 38 10-12 Little League All-Star tournament semifinals Monday in Westfield.
Photo courtesy of Steve Garvey Falconer's Aiden Rhinehart connects on a pitch from Mayville's Ethan Langer during the District 38 10-12 Little League All-Star tournament semifinals Monday in Falconer.
P-J photo by Ashleigh Brown Fredonia celebrates after defeating Southwestern 9-8 in the District 38 10-12 Little League All-Star tournament semifinals Monday in Westfield.
P-J photo by Ashleigh Brown Fredonia's Sebastian Cerrie dives back to first base ahead of a tag from Southwestern's Grant Smith during the District 38 10-12 Little League All-Star tournament semifinals Monday in Westfield.
Photo courtesy of Steve Garvey Falconer's Aiden Rhinehart connects on a pitch from Mayville's Ethan Langer during the District 38 10-12 Little League All-Star tournament semifinals Monday in Falconer.
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WESTFIELD - After rallying from four deficits, Bruno Muscarella's sacrifice fly scored Mason Switzer in the bottom of the 10th inning to send Fredonia to a 9-8 victory over Southwestern in the District 38 10-12 Little League All-Star tournament semifinals Monday.
The win sends Fredonia into Wednesday's 6 p.m. championship game in Westfield against Falconer, which beat Mayville 10-0 in Monday's other semifinal.
The teams were scoreless through five innings, thanks in large part to Matthew Cama's five four-hit innings during which he walked two and struck out five for Southwestern. Fredonia's Dominic Carapella and Muscarella matched Cama nearly pitch for pitch through five innings, allowing just two hits while walking six and striking out nine.
Southwestern took a 2-0 lead in the top of the sixth inning as Declan Winchester walked, Carter Ray laid down a sacrifice bunt and Gianni Scholeno hit an RBI double. After an error, Dominick Burkholder hit a sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the sixth, Zane Moore led off with a single and Muscarella singled with one out before a wild pitch and an RBI single by Rocco Bongiovanni scored a run for Fredonia. Muscarella then stole home to tie the game.
With Cama starting on second to open the seventh inning, Hudson Rapp was hit by a pitch, Carter Skoglund grounded into a fielder's choice and Damien Burkholder reached on an infield single to load the bases. Jackson Troutman then hit a ball to right field that went for an error, allowing two runs to score. After a walk, Mason Brown hit a sacrifice fly to center field.
In Fredonia's half of the seventh, Tristan Darr started at second base and Riley Sciarrino walked before Carter Long singled to load the bases. After a strikeout, Coleman Brown grounded into an RBI fielder's choice and Colton Marsh reached on an error. With the bases loaded, Long scored on a wild pitch and Switzer walked to load the bases again before Moore drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game.
Declan Winchester started at second to open Southwestern's eighth inning and advanced to third on a groundout. Scholeno then reached on an RBI infield single, went to second on a passed ball and reached third when Mason Winchester reached on an error. Dominick Burkholder then reached on an RBI groundball to make it 7-5, but Fredonia got out of the inning with a double play as Brown caught a ball in right field and threw the Southwestern runner out at the plate.
Darr started the eighth at second for Fredonia and after Muscarella walked to open the inning, Bongiovanni hit an RBI single. Carapella followed with an RBI fielder's choice to tie the game.
In Southwestern's ninth, Mason Winchester started at second, went to third on Rapp's infield single and scored on Skoglund's sacrifice fly to right field.
Fredonia tied the game again in the bottom of the ninth after Long was sacrificed to third by Sebastian Cerrie and scored on a one-out wild pitch.
Finally, after Southwestern went scoreless in the top of the 10th, Moore bunted Switzer to third in the bottom of the 10th. After a dropped third strike loaded the bases, Muscarella hit his game-winning sacrifice fly.
Cerrie got the final out of the top of the 10th to earn the win on the mound for Fredonia. He combined with Carapella, Muscarella and Bongiovanni for 13 strikeouts while allowing six hits and seven walks.
Cama, Mason Winchester and Ray combined to allow 10 hits and seven walks while striking out 15 for Southwestern.
FALCONER 10, MAYVILLE 0
FALCONER - Aiden Rhinehart went 2 for 3 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored to lead Falconer to a 10-0 shutout of Mayville in the District 38 10-12 Little League All-Star tournament semifinals Monday.
Andrew Youngberg went 2 for 2 with two RBIs and two runs scored; Jayce Stewart was 2 for 3 with two runs scored; and Ayden Faulkner was 2 for 3 with a run scored for Falconer, which scored four runs in the first inning, four more in the third and two in the fifth.
Lucas Arrance, Stewart and Noah Nelson combined on a one-hitter with eight strikeouts and one walk on the mound.
Ethan Langer had the lone hit for Mayville. Langer and Cheston Wright combined for five strikeouts on the mound.