Valley Sports ReportWELLSBORO — Wellsboro scored two runs on bases-loaded walks in the bottom of the 11th inning to pull out a 6-5 win over Athens, and clinch at least a share of the NTL Large School Division baseball title here Monday afternoon.
Athens, now 16-3, hosts Troy Tuesday, and can also earn a share of the Large School title with a win.
The game was the completion of the contested suspended due to darkness on April 21 with the score tied at 4-4 after 10 innings.
Athens scored a run in the top of the 11th, also taking advantage of base on balls.
Juniors Brendan Cooke and Brady Flynn worked walks, and junior Alex McQuay beat out a sacrifice bunt for a single to load the bases.
After a sacrifice fly off the bat of junior Connor Davidson gave the Wildcats a 5-4 lead, Wellsboro hurler Max Mascho struck out the next two batter to avoid any further damage.
In the home half of the inning, freshman Gage Baltzley led off with a single. With one out, Wellsboro worked four consecutive base on balls to notch the walk-off win.
On April 21, Athens starter senior Nick Grazul struck out the first five batters he faced, before hitting a batter, then registering another strikeout.
Grazul struck out the first two batters in the third inning, before issuing a walk. He induced a groundout to end the inning.
The Wildcats, meanwhile, had just Grazul and senior Eli Hobday reach base via walks in the first three innings.
In the fourth, Flynn belted a one-out double, and scored on an error two batters later to put Athens up 1-0. Freshman Zeke Noble then stroked an RBI single to make it 2-0.
Wellsboro notched its first two hits of the game in the home half of the fourth, but both were stranded on base.
The Wildcats pushed their lead to 4-0 in the top of the sixth inning, the first run scoring on an error, and the second on an RBI single by freshman Shea Davidson.
Wellsboro closed the gap to 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three runs on just one hit. Mascho sparked the rally, and three walks, a hit batsman and a wild pitch later it was a one-run game.
Athens loaded the bases with two outs on a pair of walks, sandwiched around an error, but could not muster a two-out hit.
In the home half of the seventh, Mascho cracked a solo home run to left field to tie the game at 4-4.
Junior Kam Wheeler, who entered the game in relief in the seventh inning, avoided any further damage in the seventh, and then retired the Hornets in oder in the eighth, ninth, and 10th innings.
Athens loaded the bases on three consecutive infield errors to start the top of the 10th inning, but Mascho fanned the next three Wildcats to escape the jam unscathed.
Flynn doubled and singled, and scored one run to pace Athens' five-hit attack, while Noble and Shea Davidson each singled and drove in one run, McQuay singled, Cooke and Hobday scored one run apiece, and Connor Davidson drove in one run.
Grazul allowed three runs on five hits, while striking out 11 and walking three in 5 1/3 innings in no decision.
Wheeler allowed one run on one hit, while strikeout out eight and walking one in 4 1/3 innings of relief.
Cooke was tagged with the loss.
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PHOTOS BY LANCE LARCOM.
