HEARTBREAKER IN PITTSTON: Ashland 9-11’s fall in nine to Whitemarsh
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - Ashland's Nico Capone makes contact during his at bat.
PITTSTON TWP., Luzerne County – The historic playoff run for Ashland’s 9-11 Little League squad came to an end in dramatic, nail-biting fashion via a Major League-length game Sunday in Pittston Township.
Ashland faced Whitemarsh Little League of Lafayette Hill near Conshohocken in an elimination game in the Pennsylvania State 9-11 Little League tournament.
A loss to West Chester East Side Saturday put Ashland in the losers’ bracket of the double elimination tournament, facing Whitemarsh, who lost to State College Saturday.
Whitemarsh took an early lead, scoring three runs in the opening frame.
Ashland slowly closed the gap, scoring one in the bottom of the first and another in the second.
After three innings, the score remained 3-2 Whitemarsh.
In the top of the fourth, Whitemarsh scored another run, taking a 4-2 advantage that would last into the sixth inning.
With two outs and the game on the line, Ashland managed to score two runs to knot the game up in the bottom of the sixth.
Ashland couldn’t score a go-ahead run for a walk-off victory, so the game went into extra innings.
Neither team scored in the seventh inning, taking a score of 4-apiece into an eighth inning.
Whitemarsh scored two in the top of the eighth, putting Ashland in a must-score situation, and that they did, scoring two of their own and sending the game into a ninth inning.
In the top of the ninth, Whitemarsh scored another two innings, putting them up 8-6 over Ashland.
Ashland could only muster a single run in the bottom of the ninth, with Whitemarsh taking an 8-7 victory, moving on in the tournament, and eliminating Ashland.
With a district and section title and a deeper playoff run than any other Ashland team, the 2021 9-11 All-Star squad made history.
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