Wellsboro uses fast start to top Williamson.
By: The Review | Towanda Daily Review | May 26, 2017 | Photo courtesy Sarah Wagaman
2017 NTL and District 4 News
Wellsboro used a quick start to beat Williamson 6-3 in District IV, Class AA semi-final baseball action Thursday.
The win pushes the Hornets to their first district final since 2010 and their first state berth in baseball ever.
Wellsboro jumped out early with 3-runs in the top of the first.
Dalton Prough and Cam Tennis led off with singles then were sacrificed forward. Carson Davis had a double that scored Prough followed by Brent English drawing a walk to load the bases.
Johnny Rowland then delivered with a single to score Tennis and Davis for the 3-0 advantage.
The Hornets added another run in the top of the third as Davis, English and Rowland had three straight singles to load the bases with no outs.
A wild pitch to Taynton Repard scored Davis to make it 4-0.
The Warriors were able to get out of the inning as Chase Austin got Parker Mann to strike out followed by English getting thrown out at home. Prough popped out to end the threat.
In the bottom half of the inning Williamson struck back as Hunter Sackett hit a 1-out single.
Brock Sackett walked to put two runners on but Rowland got Jared Stermer to pop out.
Austin then drew a 2-out walk to load the bases with Brandon Enck delivering with a single to score both Sacketts.
Rowland got Tyler Andreason to ground out to end the threat but the Warriors cut the deficit in half.
Wellsboro got those runs back in the top of the sixth as Prough led off with a walk then stole second. He would score on a Tennis single to make it 5-2.
After a Lechler single Davis would score pinch runner Brandon Plume to push the lead back to four runs.
Williamson's last chance came in the bottom half of the inning.
They loaded the bases with no out as Enck singled, Andreason walked and Colin Heilbrun singled.
Dawson Hackett got an RBI as he was hit by a pitch to score Enck and cut it to 6-3.
The Hornets were able to get out of the inning, though, as Ethan Shaefer struck out while Hunter Sackett hit into a double play.
Rowland was 3-for-4 with a double and 2-RBI to lead Wellsboro while Tennis (2-for-4) and Lechler (2-for-3) also had multiple hits in the game.
Prough, English and Mann also had hits.
Rowland started and got the win, striking out two while allowing four hits, three walks and two runs in five innings of action.
Davis came on in relief to pitch 1 2/3-innings, striking out one while allowing two hits, one walk, two hit batsmen and one run.
Lechler pitched the final third.
Enck had the big day for Williamson, going 3-for-3 with 2-RBI while Hunter Sackett, Stermer, Andreason and Heilbrun also had hits.
Austin started and went 6 2/3-innings in the loss, allowing 11 hits, four walks and six runs while striking out three.
Hunter Sackett pitched the final third getting a strikeout.
Wellsboro will now face top seed South Williamsport on Tuesday at Penn State's Medlar Field with a 4:30 p.m. start.
