DISTRICT 4 BASEBALL: MONTOURSVILLE RIDES PAIR OF BIG INNINGS TO 11-1 WIN OVER ATHENS IN CLASS 4A SEMIS (24 PHOTOS) (2025-05-20)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportW'PORT — Athens sophomore Brendan Cooke hit a towering home run in the top of the second inning to tie the score, but the rest of the game was all Montoursville.
The Warriors scored four runs in the bottom of the second inning, and five more in the third on their way to an 11-1 five-winning win over the Wildcats here Tuesday evening in the semifinals of the District 4, Class 4A baseball playoffs.
"Obviously, Montoursville is a good team, very well-coached," said Athens coach Charlie Havens. "We had a difficult time getting the third out tonight."
The Wildcats wrap up the season at 15-5, a year after missing the postseason with an 8-12 record.
"These games always leave me shaking my head," said Havens. "We put together challenging schedules and our guys work their tails off, but for some reason we haven’t won in districts.
"We aren’t going to give up, but we really need to figure it out quick and be a better representative for Athens and the NTL.
"I am really proud of our turnaround this year, though," added Havens. "I love these men."
The Warriors took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a two-out RBI single by Jimmy Mussina, who is the nephew of MLB Hall of Famer Mike Mussina.
In the top of the second, Cooke cranked a 1-0 pitch over the fence down the left-field line to tie the game at 1-1.
In the bottom of the second, with runners on second and third and one out, Athens starting pitcher junior Nick Grazul was called for a balk to give Montoursville a 2-1 lead.
Back-to-back singles extended the lead to 5-1.
"Nick (Grazul) has been battling through injury and hasn’t pitched in a month," said Havens. "I put him in a difficult spot tonight.
"He got called for a balk out of the windup, which you don’t see often, and I think that brought his confidence down a bit," Havens added.
In the top of the third, junior Eli Chapman reached on an error, and stole second, but was stranded at third base.
The Warriors put the game away with five runs in the top of the third, taking advantage of a pair of walks and a hit batsman to go along with three hits, to take a 10-1 lead.
Sophomore Duncan Thetga stroked a two-out single in the fourth inning to move sophomore Kam Wheeler, who had walked to second, but both were left on base.
Cooke's home run, and Theta's singled were Athens' only two hits in the contest. Junior Eli Hobday recorded a pair of stolen bases for the Wildcats.
Musssina picked up the win for the Warriors, allowing one run on two hits in 4 1/3 innings, while striking out three and walking two.
The Wildcats will graduate three seniors in Troy Rosenbloom, Noah Hobday, and Dylan Saxon.
"I am so proud of our seniors," said Havens.
"Troy, Dylan, and Noah really committed to the team and this season," he noted. "They played a ton of meaningful innings and demonstrated a lot of leadership.
"They were with Pod (assistant coach Andy Podolinski) and I for four years," added Havens. "We’ve been very fortunate to watch them grow."
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IN PHOTO 1: Athens sophomore Brendan Cooke. IN TOP PHOTO: Athens sophomore Brendan Cooke is congratulated by coach Charlie Havens. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
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