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Swoyersville Legion is headed to a U.S. regional tournament. And on the way, the team might just pick up another state championship as well.
With a 10-7 win over Blackhawk late on Thursday night in Boyertown, Swoyersville improved to 3-0 in the state tournament, clinching a spot in next week’s Mid-Atlantic Regionals in Virginia.
Before then, the squad will have a chance to play for its second Pennsylvania crown in three seasons on Saturday. Swoyersville, the 2014 state champ, will play 2015 winner Downingtown at 7 p.m. Friday and is guaranteed a spot in Saturday’s championship round of the double-elimination bracket.
Thursday’s game — the final matchup of a tripleheader that was delayed nearly two hours by rain earlier in the day — saw Swoyersville jump out to a 3-0 lead and hold off three separate Blackhawk rallies to pick up the win.
Zach Sott led the way at the plate out of the nine-spot, finishing 3 for 4 with two doubles and two RBI. Ryan Hogan tripled and added two RBI while Tyler Yankosky (RBI) and Josh Montalvo each had two hits apiece.
It was a particularly eventful night for winning pitcher Eric Raitter, who threw 135 pitches over 6.2 innings, striking out 10 and walking nine. He had a no-hitter through five innings.
Pat Adamski took over for the final 2.1 innings to pick up the save.
Swoyersville never trailed as Ryan Hogan and Cade Flanley each drove in a run on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the first. The third run of the inning came across on a throwing error.
Blackhawk scored in the third inning after a walk, two wild pitches and a sacrifice fly. The second run came in the fifth after two more walks, a passed ball and another wild pitch.
But Swoyersville got both runs back in the bottom of the frame after a Sott double, a Justin Montalvo single and a Josh Montalvo walk. Just like in the first inning, Hogan brought in a run on a fielder’s choice with a second run scoring on a throwing error to make it 5-2.
Sott added a two-run double in the sixth before Blackhawk fought back in the seventh with a pair of RBI singles against Raitter.
Yankosky and Mark Baron pushed the lead to 9-4 with RBI singles in the bottom of the seventh. Blackhawk threatened again with three runs in the eighth to pull within 9-7 before Sott added an insurance run, scoring from third on a dropped pop-up.
Adamski pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to close out the win.
Legion state tournament
Swoyersville 10, Blackhawk 7
Blackhawk`AB`R`H`BI
ARobinson 2b`2`2`0`0
TRobinson 3b`3`1`0`1
Turconi lf`5`2`2`2
Engel ss`5`0`2`1
JiNixon cf`5`0`1`1
Hagy 1b-p`3`0`1`1
JoNixon p-rf`3`1`1`0
Smith rf`2`0`0`0
Mensch rf`1`0`0`0
Pence ph`1`0`0`0
Engle p`0`0`0`0
McClymonds 1b`1`0`0`0
Piccione c`4`1`1`0
Totals`35`7`8`6
Swoyersville`AB`R`H`BI
JuMontalvo cf`4`2`1`0
JoMontalvo lf`4`0`2`0
Hogan c`4`2`1`2
Yankosky 1b`5`2`2`1
Bayo 2b`3`1`0`0
Flanley 3b`4`1`1`1
Raitter p`0`0`0`0
Adamski p`0`0`0`0
Baron dh`4`0`1`1
Sienkiewicz ss`4`0`0`0
Sott rf`4`2`3`2
Totals`36`10`11`7
Blackhawk`001`010`230 — 7
Swoyersville`300`022`21x — 10
2B — Sott 2; 3B — Hogan
Blackhawk`IP`H`R`ER`BB`K
JoNixon (L)`6.0`6`7`6`4`5
Engle`1.1`5`3`1`0`1
Hagy`0.2`0`0`0`1`1
Swoyersville`IP`H`R`ER`BB`K
Raitter (W)`6.2`5`4`3`9`10
Adamski (S)`2.1`3`3`2`0`2