Four teams will make the trip to Tamaqua Little League this weekend to compete for a spot in the Pennsylvania state tournament. Familiar names return to the Section 6 tournament, including Council Rock Newtown, Stroudsburg, and Franklin Township. Let’s take a deep dive on the four teams that will compete for a title. The Section 6 tournament will be broadcast on the Eastern PA Sports Network.
7/12, 10:00AM: Council Rock Newtown v Pennridge
7/12, 1:00PM: Franklin Township v Stroudsburg
District 18: Franklin Township
Record: 5-0
Team Batting Average: .320
Team ERA: 1.79
Last Year: Went to Section 6 title series and lost 4-1 to Council Rock Newtown
Franklin Township returns several players from last year’s team that made a run to the Section 6 title game. Myles Meek and Miles Mann again anchor the pitching staff, combining to allow three earned runs and strikeout 32 opposing batters. Jakoby Andrews is batting .600 from the 3-hole, while Jake Kistner and Grant Hunter lead the way with 5RBI each.
The team began their District 18 tournament with a 3-2 win over Hazle Township. A 3-run single from Hunter in the first inning would prove to be enough. Kistner and Mann combined for a one-hitter and struck out seven. Hunter also played a crucial role in the second game against Valley East, providing a 2-RBI hit in the first inning after Andrews scored on a wild pitch. With the early 3-1 lead, Meek and Mann scattered ten hits and gave up only one run in a 5-1 victory. Andrews and Brody Hunsicker added RBI hits in the third to pad the lead.
The mound combo of Meek and Mann then combined to hold a strong Valley West squad to no runs and four hits, fanning ten in a 12-0 five inning blowout. Another strong start saw Franklin Township leading 4-0 in the second inning. Jayce Graham provided a 2-RBI single and Bryson Brungard knocked in two more in the fourth. Five runs in the fifth helped close out the game in the run rule.
Then, the team took on an upstart Weatherly squad that did not have an all-star team last year in the majors division. Eight Franklin Township batters recorded at least one RBI in a back-and-forth affair that went to extra innings tied at 8-8. Weatherly surrendered five runs in the top of the inning and fell 13-10, putting Franklin in the championship game against Tamaqua.
A mess of a third inning would ultimately doom Tamaqua and lift Franklin Township to their second consecutive district title. Three walks, a wild pitch and hit by pitch contributed to a six run inning, capped off by a Kistner 2-RBI single back up the middle. Franklin Township stranded eight Tamaqua runners on base and no if-game was needed, as Township won 6-3.
Franklin Township will open Section 6 play against Stroudsburg. In last year’s matchup, the team from Lehighton won 6-2.
District 20: Pennridge
Record: 4-0
Team Batting Average: .355
Team ERA: 2.08
Last Year: Lost 5-3 to Hellertown/Lower Saucon in the D20 elimination final
For the first time since 2016, the champion of District 20 was not Lehigh or Southern Lehigh. Pennridge makes its long-awaited return to the sectionals by way of rolling through the district with a ton of power. Four players have combined to hit six home runs, including two each from Jordan Ritter and Martin Wiren.
In their first game, Pennridge loaded the bases against North Bethlehem in the second inning on a walk, hit by pitch, and double by Gavin De Milt. Wiren was the winning pitcher, striking out six over 3.1 innings. Ritter and Jackson Funk finished the game, adding four more strikeouts. The three pitchers only allowed three hits.
The team then flexed its muscle in an 8-2 win over Hellertown/Lower Saucon. Ritter, Wiren, and Jonah Los all homered in the effort, combining for 6RBI. Ritter also provided the game-winning 2RBI home run against Lehigh in a 7-3 victory. He also pitched four innings in that game, striking out six and surrendering only three hits.
That win gave Pennridge the next four days off to prepare for whichever team emerged from the elimination bracket. It turned out to be Lehigh again. Coming off a late-night rivalry game against Southern Lehigh in which there was a four hour rain delay, Lehigh was ripe to be pounced on by the powerful lineup. Wiren socked one over the left field fence to bring in two runs and put Pennridge up 3-0 in the first inning. Tucker Chapman tacked on late with a 2-run shot that increased the lead 9-3.
Pennridge will open the Section 6 tournament Saturday morning at 10AM against Council Rock Newtown.
District 29: Stroudsburg
Record: 4-0
Team Batting Average: .359
Team ERA: 0.89
Last Year: Went 0-2 in Section 6 tournament, losing to Southern Lehigh 14-4 and Franklin Township 6-2
Seven Stroudsburg players return from last year’s team that went to sectionals and manager Derek Marinaro is back to coach the team once again.
Seventeen batters appeared in the third inning of Stroudsburg’s 17-0 win over Pocono Mountain West in the district tournament opener. Dom Marinaro knocked in three runs and Jalen Pluviose was 3/3 with 2RBI. Nolan Smith and Landon Willock combined on an abbreviated no-hitter, striking out nine of eleven batters faced.
Wyatt Smith provided a 2RBI single that put Stroudsburg ahead 7-0 in the fourth inning of their 14-2 win against West End. Nine errors and nine wild pitches advanced Stroudsburg to the district winners bracket final. Marinaro and Smith combined to strikeout ten.
The next opponent was rival East Stroudsburg. Stroudsburg powered right past them in five innings, winning 10-0. They kept the ball in play, contributing to six East Stroudsburg errors to go with four wild pitches. Newcomer to the team Jeremiah Ransome knocked in two runs, part of his 6/9 6RBI effort in the tournament. Frankie Revitt threw a one-hitter and fanned eleven.
The two met again in the District 29 title game. This time, it was far more competitive, as Stroudsburg emerged with a 9-7 win. It was an error-plagued matchup, as the teams combined for nine. An early 3-run home run from East Stroudsburg gave them a commanding early lead, but Stroudsburg fought back. After a wild pitch scored a run, a ball hit by Ransome netted him an RBI and an error on the throw from short to first base allowed a third run to come home and give Stroudsburg a 4-3 lead. Another error in the second inning made it 5-3. Of the seven runs scored by East Stroudsburg, only two were earned. Pluviose, Marinaro and Smith combined to strikeout twelve and allow four hits.
After outscoring district opponents 50-9, Stroudsburg now opens Section 6 play against Franklin Township Saturday afternoon at 1PM in Tamaqua.
District 30: Council Rock Newtown
Record: 6-0
Team Batting Average: .424
Team ERA: 2.72
Last Year: Went undefeated in districts, sections, states, and regional before going 2-2 in the Little League World Series
Council Rock Newtown rounds out the field of four undefeated squads entering sectionals. Brad Hamilton’s team that went to South Williamsport has all moved on to the next age bracket, paving the way for thirteen brand new players.
Like last year, though, Newtown had to play the most games to reach sectionals. With a much smaller field in District 30 this year, going from eight teams to four, the pool play round was much shorter. First up, CR took it to Lenape Valley in a 9-1 rout. Five Lenape errors helped build a lead. Owen Casciano finished with 2RBI and in the tournament batted 11/14(.786). Kyle Dreby, Nate Seiler and Mateo Vilea combined on a four-hit effort and struck out nine. ‘
In their second pool game, Newtown fell behind Warwick 8-0 after a half inning. Four hits, a walk and an error put Newtown squarely behind the 8-ball as it were. Over the next three innings, Council Rock worked on a comeback bid. Patrick McCafferty got Newtown on the board with a 2RBI double. Seiler chased home two more that made the score 8-6. Chase Roberts hit a solo home run, the only one for his team in districts. Cascinao chased home two runs in the fifth to give Newtown a 9-8 lead. But Newtown wasn’t done there. They would go on to score 13 runs in their half of the fifth and win 20-8 in a game halted by the run rule. Santino Longo, younger brother of one of last year’s stars Sav Longo, had a 3RBI day.
Next up was Northampton in the final pool play test. Newtown opened a 6-0 lead over the first three innings. Ten players produced 16 hits in an 8-5 win. Max Martin, Kyle Dreby and McCafferty all had 2RBI in the game. in the first round of double elimination bracket play, Council Rock again bested Lenape Valley 11-0. Casciano’s 3RBI double was the big hit that put his team ahead 7-0. Roberts and Mike Antolonio combined on a one-hitter.
Northampton gave Newtown a solid test in the winners bracket final, leading them until the bottom of the fifth inning. Max Martin hit a ball to right field to bring home two runs. It would’ve been three except for a great throw home that cutdown one run. The hit put Newtown ahead 3-2 and they hung on 4-2, despite Northampton loading the bases in the fifth.
Lenape Valley was the final opponent. Lenape had lost its first four games of the tournament, but got by Northampton 7-6 to get another crack at Council Rock. The game was halted in the bottom of the third inning due to rain and lightning, and was not resumed until three days later. Hits were at a premium. Vilea and Roberts put together a two-hitter. Newtown loaded the bases in the second, but Roberts grounded out to end the inning. Lenape Valley loaded them up in the third, but was turned away on a line drive caught by Longo at short. In the bottom of the sixth, after Lenape Valley intentionally walked the bases loaded with one out, Luke Fillmore wore a pitch to bring in the winning run and send Newtown to the section tournament.
Council Rock Newtown will face Pennridge at 10AM in Tamaqua on Saturday.
LSV Sports 
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