BELLEFONTE — As fans set up in their chairs around Webster Field in Bellefonte, a voice came from the host team’s dugout.
“This is the last time you will ever play on this field,” said a Bellefonte coach just before first pitch.
It’s a surreal thought. This Bellefonte All-Stars team has stayed almost entirely the same for the last five years. Together, they’ve worked their way up through the levels of Little League baseball. Now, at the highest age range, they would be making their final push as a team.
On July 7, the undefeated Bellefonte team hosted State College for the 2018 District 5 Championship. State College had lost its first district game and had proceeded to win four straight in order to find to make it to Webster Field.
If Bellefonte were to fall in its final game, these teams would meet for a winner-takes-all second game in State College.
After three quick frames, the hosts struck first. Bellefonte took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second and never looked back. The team put down State College 1-2-3 in the top of the third, and put up four more runs in its half of the third inning, followed by another three in the next set of at-bats.
By the top of the fifth, the score was 9-0. A two-run shot from State College’s Kody Aurandt in the frame brought the game to its eventual final score of 9-2.
Braedyn Kormanik pitched the final four outs for Bellefonte, forcing a groundout to his second baseman to end the game in the top of the sixth with runners on first and second.
As team members held their district championship banner, the realization of the historical moment hadn’t quite sunk in.
Two years ago, this group of players won districts as 10-year-olds, becoming the first Bellefonte team to do so. They followed it up with another district championship as 11-year-olds. With their third straight districts victory, the Bellefonte boys had done what no other Bellefonte team had every accomplished — a “three-peat.”
“It’s crazy,” said Bellefonte’s starting pitcher, Josh Brown, who had a shutout through 4 2/3 innings. “Other Bellefonte teams have won states, but I think we can top that this year. I think we can win states and maybe go to the Little League World Series.”
After putting up two RBIs on a sacrifice fly single and a double, shortstop Luke Fisher described his feelings.
“It’s really good,” said Fisher. “We’ve been together as a team for a long time and it’s a good thing to win so much.”
Bellefonte’s head coach, Jake Corman, had nothing but positive things to say about his team.
“These kids, they’ve been together since they were 8,” said Corman. “I said to them, ‘You never compare eras as far as who’s better,’ but without question, this is the most successful Little League team in Bellefonte history.
“They won districts at 10, they won districts at 11, they won districts at 12. No team had ever won Bellefonte districts at 10, so clearly they’ve been the most successful and it’s because they like each other, they’ve played together for a long time and they’re comfortable with each other.”
Corman, in his first year as All-Stars head coach, has enjoyed working with his team and hasn’t had to face many of the difficulties that can come at this level.
“Sometimes, an All-Star team makes it tough because you’re learning new people,” said Corman. “This isn’t the case here.
“We all knew that this was a good group of kids and that they’d be very successful, so I was very excited for the opportunity to coach them and they’re just a pleasure. They all work hard; there’s no drama amongst the kids. Not all 13 can play at one time, and there’s no drama in the dugout, crying or complaining that they’re not playing. They’re all for their teammates, and that’s a lot of fun to coach.”
Now, Bellefonte advances to the Section 4 tournament, hosted by Pennsylvania’s District 11. Corman, as well as his players, believe they’ll be together for a while longer.
“I think the sky’s the limit,” said Corman. “You never know what you’ll run into, but we set lofty goals and we started it. Whether we can reach those goals, we’ll see. The goal wasn’t just to win the district championship — we wanted to go further.
“When they were 10, they got real close to winning the state championship, and they want to compete for that again. Sectionals is next. We’ll face three really good teams there and we’ll have to play really well to advance.”
