STATE COLLEGE — Having their No. 1 pitcher throw a no-hitter against Bellefonte in Game 1 on Saturday, April 20, was not a bad way for the Bald Eagles to begin the first ever Happy Valley Hardball Classic at Medlar Field.
And then to spot No. 2 starter Tayten Yoder 12 runs in the first two innings of the championship game against State College summed up the dominance the defending AA state champs displayed on their way to claiming the tournament trophy.
The first game took place at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning and featured two defending state titlists, Bald Eagle Area and Bellefonte, squaring off in the inaugural contest of the new tournament.
It also featured the two teams’ pitching aces, Peyton Vancas for the Raiders and Westin McClain for Bald Eagle Area, on a day that would be owned solely by McClain.
McClain went the full seven innings and gave up no runs, no hits, struck out four and walked three in what turned out to be a 9-0 Eagle victory.
He allowed just three runners to reach base, with none advancing to third, and he retired the last 10 batters he faced.
While McClain was doing his thing, the Bald Eagle Area offense scored those nine runs on 10 hits, with Yoder leading the way with three hits and four RBIs. Carson Nagle also had three RBIs, while Kahale Burns chipped in with two hits and two RBIs.
The game was close through the first three innings without any scoring, but Yoder and Burns sparked rallies in both the fourth and fifth innings and the Eagles took the lead for good.
It was up to McClain from there. He did walk the first two batters in the fourth, but they were erased with a double-play and a fly out. After that, McClain was perfect, and Bald Eagle Area had its ninth win of the season against two losses.
It was the first loss of the season for Bellefonte after the Raiders had won their first seven games.
The championship game matched Bald Eagle Area against State College, a 6-3 winner in the first round over DuBois Central Catholic.
The game was played at 6 p.m. with the temperature dropping and a cold wind blowing, but that didn’t bother Bald Eagle Area.
The Eagles broke the ice with a run in the first inning on an RBI triple by Carson Nagle, and then blew things wide open with 11 more runs in a wild top of the second.
Bald Eagle Area sent 16 hitters to the plate in an inning that saw the State College pitchers having severe control problems in the conditions, and that saw the Eagles push across 11 runs with just four hits.
But the runs were there nonetheless, and Bald Eagle Area rode its big lead to an eventual five-inning, 17-2 victory over the Little Lions.
Bald Eagle Area scored in every inning, with Nagle and Kahale Burns both striking RBI triples and Gavin Burns collecting three hits.
Yoder took the win, going three innings with two runs and five hits, and he was relieved by Brayden Dubbs, who pitched two hitless innings to end the game.
State College did get a hit and an RBI from both Sebastian Rhoades and Harrison Moore, but the Bald Eagle Area lead was too much and the Lions fell to their fourth loss in nine games.
For the Bald Eagles, the title was a big step forward after they had lost two of their last three LHAC games to Philipsburg-Osceola and Somerset.
In the first-round win by State College, the Little Lions opened up a 6-1 lead heading into the sixth inning against DuBois Central Catholic and then held on for a 6-3 win that put them into the finals.
The Lions collected eight hits, led by Jake Hall with two hits and an RBI and Jensen Chestnut with a hit and two RBIs.
Cody Norman took the win, giving up three unearned runs with no hits in five innings.
The win was the fifth for State College this season against three losses.
Finally, in the consolation game, Bellefonte picked up its eighth win with a 12-6 win over DuBois Central Catholic.
In a game that saw the teams combine for 27 hits, Bellefonte scored in every inning but the second and steadily pulled away from DuBois in the middle innings.
The Raiders led 5-2 after three innings, but by the time the game hit the bottom of the sixth, the score was 12-4 and Bellefonte was about to win its eighth win with just one loss.
Trevor Johnson had two triples, and six other Raiders chipped in with two hits each. Peyton Vancas added two hits and two RBIs.
The Happy Valley Hardball Classic was hosted by the State College Spikes. Admission was free, and everyone involved was excited to see four highly successful teams compete in the inaugural tournament, held in a new-look Medlar Field.
Other baseball scores and schedules
Bald Eagle Area (9-2)
Schedule:
- April 25, Central Mountain
- April 26, at Westmont-Hilltop
- April 29, Clearfield
Bellefonte (9-1)
Scores:
- Monday, April 22, Bellefonte 12, Hollidaysburg 11 (8 innings)
Schedule:
- April 26, at Somerset
- April 29, at P-O
Penns Valley (1-10)
Scores:
- April 16, BEA 10, PV 0
- April 19, Forest Hills 13, PV 4
- April 22, P-O 16, PV 4
Schedule:
- April 26, at Central Cambria
- April 27, at Somerset
- April 29, at Mount Union
Philipsburg-Osceola (6-1)
Scores:
- April 15, P-O 14, BEA 6
- April 16, P-O 3, Clearfield 1
- April 19, P-O 10, Bishop Carroll 1
- April 22, P-O 16, PV 4
- Mounties now at 6-1 after five consecutive LHAC wins. Big showdown against Bellefonte coming up on Monday, April 29.
Schedule:
- April 25, Westmont-Hilltop
- April 26, at Bedford
- April 29, Bellefonte
Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy (4-6)
Scores:
- April 17, Susquenita 4, SJCA 1
- April 17, Susquenita 3, SJCA 2
- April 19, Greenwood 18, SJCA 14
- April 22, SJCA 12, Line Mountain 0
- The WolfPack broke their losing streak with a five-inning, 14-hit win over Line Mountain.
Schedule:
- April 25, Juniata (double header)
- April 29, at Halifax
- April 30, Newport
State College (5-5)
Scores:
- April 22, Mifflin 11, SC 6
Schedule:
- April 26, at Chambersburg
- April 30, Cedar Cliff
