Then there were eight.
And Bucks County had two of those eight chances to walk home with the state American Legion title.
The Quakertown Blue Jays punched their invitation to the Pennsylvania State Legion tournament last Wednesday by winning the Region 2 crown. Falls Post 834, who finished third of the seven teams in Lower Bucks yet rampaged through playoffs to win the league title, held off nemesis Bristol last Tuesday to win the Region 3 championship.
Quakertown and Falls were two of seven regional winners who joined host Latrobe in the eight-team, double elimination tournament, which started on Monday at Rosa-Oglietti Field.
Monday morning’s tilt between the designated home team Blue Jays and Region 5 champion Greater Pittston opened the tournament. Vinny Pellegrini sparkled, tossing a three-hit shutout in a 4-0 Quakertown win while Caleb Everitt rapped a two-run single in support.
Also on Monday, Region 6 champ Charleroi mercy ruled Falls 10-0. Falls came back to knock out Greater Pittston 7-2 in Tuesday’s elimination game. Eric David’s two-run homer highlighted a five-run sixth and put an exclamation point on the win.
The Blue Jays avenged Bucks County’s honor by mercy ruling Charleroi 10-0 on Tuesday. Peyton Myers allowed just one hit while Ethan Beil homered twice and Cole Reich hit a grand slam.
Quakertown battled Region 4 champion Paxton while Falls took on Latrobe on Wednesday as the Herald went to press.
The tournament crowns a state champion on Friday. Both the Pennsylvania state champion and runner-up will earn bids to the Mid-Atlantic tournament in Morgantown, W.Va., which begins on Aug. 2.
Join our readers whose generous donations are making it possible for you to read our news coverage. Help keep local journalism alive and our community strong. Donate today.
