NTL BASEBALL: WILLIAMSPORT RALLIES LATE TO TOP ATHENS, 4-1 (23 PHOTOS) (April 17, 2026)
Valley Sports ReportATHENS — Williamsport benefitted from two errors and a wild pitch to rally late for a 4-1 win over Athens here Friday afternoon in non-league baseball action.
The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead in the home half of the second inning, but a mishap on the bases may have cost them a run.
Junior Duncan Thetga reached on a catcher's interference to lead off the inning, then junior Kam Wheeler fisted a single to short right field off Williamsport's hard-throwing Cole Deitrick.
Freshman Zeke Noble followed with a single to right field. Thetga rounded third hard, but held up, and Wheeler was caught too far off second base to leave runners at first and third with one out.
Senior Eli Hobday grounded out to second base to knock in a run and give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.
After a walk to freshman Shea Davidson, Deitrick registered his fourth strikeout of the game to end the inning.
Junior Connor Davidson reached base on an error to lead off the third inning. He was wiped off the base paths one pitch later when a pair of Millionaire outfielders dove for junior Brendan Cooke's fly ball to short center field. There was some confusion over whether the ball was caught. The umpire ruled it was caught and Davidson was tagged for the second out.
In the bottom of the fourth, Wheeler reached base on a one-out error, and Noble singled to left field to put runners on first and second, but Deitrick struck out the next two batters to end the threat.
Athens junior Brady Flynn allowed just three hits through the first five innings, and only one runner reached second base, but Williamsport took advantage of a Wildcat error in the top of the sixth to plate a run to tie the game at 1-1.
In the top of the seventh, the Millionaires worked a pair of one-out walks, then saw the runners move up on a wild pitch.
After an intentional walk loaded the bases, Williamsport took a 2-1 lead on a two-out wild pitch.
After another intentional walk re-loaded the bases, Giovanni White deliver an insurance run with an RBI single, and another run scored on an outfield miscue on the hit to make it 4-1.
Deitrick retired Athens in order in the bottom of the seventh to make it 11 in a row to end the game.
Noble singled twice, and Wheeler added a single to account for Athens' three hits, while Thetga scored one run, and Hobday drove in one run.
Flynn was tagged with the loss, allowing four runs — three earned — on five hits in 6 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked three.
Wheeler allowed one hit and one walk, and struck out one in two-thirds of an inning of relief.
Dietrick earned the win for the Millionaires, allowing an unearned run on three hits, while striking out 12 and walking one.
SUNDAY
Athens 6, Wellsboro 1At Scranton, Duncan Thetga scattered five hits in a complete-game effort to lead Athens to a 6-1 win over Wellsboro here Saturday at PNC Field.
Thetga allowed one run over seven innings, while striking out eight and walking one to earn the win.
The Hornets touched up Thetga for a run in the first inning, the lefty allowed just three hits over the final six innings.
The Wildcats took an advantage of an error, and an RBI single by junior Brady Flynn to take a 2-1 lead after three innings.
Athens blew the game open with four runs in the bottom of the sixth in a rally that featured an RBI single by Kam Wheeler, and a three-RBI double by junior Alex McQuay.
Thetga retired the side in order in the top of the seventh inning to end the game.
McQuay doubled and drove in three runs, and Flynn and Wheeler each singled, scored one run, and knocked in one run to pace Athens' five-hit attack.
Junior Brendan Cooke and senior Eli Hobday each singled and scored one run in the win, while freshman Zeke Noble and Thetga each scored one run.
Athens, now 7-2, returns to action Saturday morning when it hosts North Penn-Mansfield.
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IN PHOTO 1: Athens junior Brady Flynn. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
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