Valley Sports ReportWELLSBORO — Athens scored four runs in the top of the fifth inning to take charge of the game, and the best-of-five District 15 Little League Juniors Division baseball championship series against Wellsboro here Friday night.
Athens topped Wellsboro, 8-2, to take a 2-0 lead in the series. They can clinch the series Monday at home.
Athens took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on an unearned run, then extended the lead to 5-0 in the fifth.
The first run of the rally crossed the plate on an error, then Nick Grazul ripped an RBI double, and Troy Rosenbloom stroked an RBI single to make it 4-0. The final run scored on a wild pitch.
Wellsboro trimmed the lead to 5-1 with one run in the bottom of the fifth, but Athens added three runs in the top of the seventh inning in a rally that was highlighted by a two-RBI single by Eli Chapman.
Grazul singled, scored two runs, and knocked in one run, and Chapman singled and drove in two runs to pace Athens at the plate, while Troy Rosenbloom singled and drove in one run, and Matthias Welles and Matt Driesbaugh each singled and scored one run.
Cooper Robinson, Elijah Hobday, Keaton Sinsabaugh, and Karson Sipley each scored one run in the win.
Rosenbloom turned in a stellar performance on the mound to earn the win. He allowed one run on one hits, while striking out three and walking five in 5 2/3 innings.
Dylan Saxon allowed an unearned run in 1 1/3 innings of hitless relief. He struck out three and walked two.
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IN PHOTO 1: Athens’ Cooper Robinson. … PHOTOS BY LANCE LARCOM.
