Hagerstown Braves capture semi-pro baseball state title

Saturday, Aug. 12

Maryland Semi-Pro Baseball championship

Hagerstown Braves 1, Tri-County Twins 0

Corey Walters had two hits and an RBI and a trio of Hagerstown pitchers combined on a four-hit shutout as the host Braves defeated the Eastern Shore League-champion Twins to win their first state title since 2000.

Hagerstown (38-3), the champion of the South Penn League, finished the season on an 11-game win streak.

Against Tri-County, the Braves scored the lone run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning. Jarrett Biesecker led off with a double to center and tagged up and went to third on a flyout to center by Adam Mathias. Walters followed with an infield single to second to plate Biesecker.

On the mound, Colby Maun started for Hagerstown and allowed two hits in five innings with five strikeouts. He was relieved by Jace Szaflarski, who gave up one hit while striking out two in two innings to earn the win. Ethan Caudo pitched the final two innings to get the save, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out two.

The Braves totaled seven hits, including two by Maddox Brooks.

Hagerstown received the No. 1 seed in the three-team state tourney and had a bye into the championship game. The Twins edged the Oakland Oaks 4-3 in the semifinal game earlier Saturday.

Sunday, Aug. 6

South Penn League championship series

Hagerstown Braves  3, Cashtown Pirates 0

Corey Walters went 2-for-2 with an RBI and Wyatt Freeman pitched a three-hit shutout with four strikeouts as the Braves completed a perfect run through the league playoffs, sweeping the defending champion Pirates 3-0 in the best-of-5 championship series for their second league title in the last three seasons.

Hagerstown (37-3) finished 8-0 in the South Penn League postseason.

On Sunday, Andrew Mathias drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Braves a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning

Hagerstown added two runs in the third on a sacrifice fly by Walters and an RBI double by Maddox Brooks.

Mathias was named MVP of the championship series, going 4-for-7 over the three games with two doubles, three RBIs, two runs scored and two walks.

Saturday, Aug. 5

South Penn League championship series

Hagerstown Braves  2, Cashtown Pirates 1

Andrew Mathias had two hits and two RBIs and Ethan Caudo pitched a two-hitter with seven strikeouts as the Braves moved a win away from the league title, taking a 2-0 lead in the best-of-5 championship series.

The Pirates went up 1-0 in the bottom of the third inning on a walk, sacrifice bunt and RBI groundout.

Hagerstown (36-3) scored both of its run in the top of the sixth. Ryan Talbert reached on a one-out single to right, Adam Mathias walked and each runner advanced a base on a passed ball before scoring on Andrew Mathias’ single to left.

The Braves, who are 7-0 in the playoffs, will host Game 3 on Sunday at 1 p.m. at North Hagerstown.

Thursday, Aug. 3

South Penn League championship series

Hagerstown Braves 7, Cashtown Pirates 2

Jarrett Biesecker and Ryan Talbert each had three hits, Mikey Hawbaker earned a complete-game victory, and the Braves won the opening game of the best-of-five championship series at North Hagerstown High School.

Hagerstown (35-3) broke a 2-2 tie with a four-run fifth inning.

Adam Mathias and Corey Jamison each had two hits and two RBIs for the Braves. Biesecker and Talbert each had a double in their three-hit days, and Corey Walters drove in two runs.

Hawbaker (6-0) has won all six of his starts this season. He allowed two earned runs on seven hits and struck out eight without allowing a walk.

Game 2 will be played at Cashtown on Saturday at 1 p.m. Game 3 will be at North Hagerstown on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Saturday, July 29

South Penn League semifinals

Hagerstown Braves 10, Frederick Flying Dogs 4

The Braves scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning of Game 3 to take a 5-4 lead, and added five runs in the sixth to secure a series sweep and advance to the championship series.

Hagerstown will host Game 1 on Thursday evening at North Hagerstown.

On Saturday, Ethan Caudo struck out 10 over six innings and earned the victory for the Braves.

Hagerstown took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Ryan Talbert's sacrifice fly and Adam Mathias' RBI double.

Frederick tied it at 2 in the fourth inning on a two-run homer by Calvin Sichler, then took a 4-2 lead in the top of the fifth on a two-run double by Chris Shriver.

The Braves answered in the bottom of the fifth. Jarrett Biesecker led off with a triple and scored on Justin Lewis' RBI single. Talbert singled and Mathias tied the game with RBI single, before Andrew Mathias' sac fly gave Hagerstown a 5-4 lead.

In the sixth, a single by Chanse Phillips and a double by Corey Walters set up Maddox Brooks' RBI single. Three straight walks forced in another run, a two-run single by Andrew Mathias made it 9-4, and the final run scored on an error.

Thursday, July 27

South Penn League semifinals

Hagerstown Braves 10, Frederick Flying Dogs 6

Ryan Talbert hit a tie-breaking grand slam in the top of the fourth inning to give Hagerstown the lead for good at 8-4, and the victory put the Braves up 2-0 in the best-of-5 series.

Adam Mathias had three hits, including a double, for Hagerstown (33-3), while Chanse Phillips had two hits, including a double, and three RBIs, Corey Walters drove in two runs, Justin Lewis drew three walks and singled, Jarrett Biesecker walked twice and singled, Corey Jamison added an RBI and Wyatt Freeman pitched a complete game for the win.

Game 3 is Saturday at North Hagerstown High School at 1 p.m.

Wednesday, July 26

Maryland Junior League Tournament

Brunswick 3, Conococheague 0

Conococheague’s state-tourney run came to an end with a loss to Brunswick in the elimination-bracket final.

Brunswick scored single runs in the first, fifth and seventh innings.

Conococheague, which finished 2-2 for the tournament, had eight hits in the game, including two by Jude Wetzel, while Landen McAllister walked twice, singled and stole two bases.

Starter Cash Ostrum had 10 strikeouts in six innings in the loss.

Brunswick advances to play Berlin in the championship round.

Tuesday, July 25

South Penn League semifinals

Hagerstown Braves 13, Frederick Flying Dogs 1

Ryan Talbert went 4-for-4 with a home run, two doubles and six RBIs as the Braves (32-3) defeated the visiting Flying Dogs in five innings in Game 1 of their South Penn League best-of-5 semifinal series.

Hagerstown starter Mikey Hawbaker pitched four scoreless innings to earn the win, allowing two hits and no walks while striking out four.

Jarrett Biesecker went 3-for-3 and scored four runs for the Braves, while Justin Lewis had two hits, an RBI and three runs scored, Chanse Phillips had two hits and two RBIs, Andrew Mathias and Matt Kulikowski  each had a double and an RBI and Adam Mathias and Corey Jamison each drove in a run.

Game 2 of the series is on Thursday at 6 p.m. in Frederick.

Maryland Junior League Tournament

Conococheague 13, Talbot 8

Logan Durham went 3-for-3 with a triple, double, walk and four RBIs and pitched 2 1/3 innings of shutout relief as Conococheague avenged its first-round loss of the tournament with a victory over Talbot in the elimination-bracket semifinal at Thomas Johnson High School in Frederick.

Conococheague scored four runs in the bottom of the second inning to take a 5-3 lead and extended it to 12-3 with a seven-run fourth.

Also in the victory, Jude Wetzel doubled and drove in two runs, Landen McAllister doubled and scored three runs and Cash Ostrum added an RBI.

Conococheague will face Brunswick in the elimination-bracket final on Wednesday at 5 p.m. The winner will advance to play Berlin in the championship round Thursday at 5 p.m.

Monday, July 24

Maryland Junior League Tournament

Conococheague 12, Rising Sun 1

Conococheague scored four runs in each of the first three innings en route to a five-inning win over Rising Sun in an elimination game at the state tourney in Frederick.

Logan Durham led the charge with three hits, three runs scored and an RBI. Also, from the mound, he retired all five batters he faced in relief.

Also in the victory, Landen McCallister had two hits, including a triple, and an RBI, Ean Boyer had two hits, including a double, and an RBI, and Cash Ostrum and Suko Mills each drove in a run.

Conococheague will face either Northern Calvert or Talbot in another elimination game Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Sunday, July 23

Maryland 10-12 Tournament

Rising Sun 2, West End 1

West End was eliminated from the state tourney with the loss to Rising Sun at Easton Little League.

West End scored its lone run in the top of the first inning as Maddex Murray led off with a double and stole third base and home for a 1-0 advantage.

Rising Sun answered with two runs in the bottom of the first to take the lead for good.

Each team finished with three hits, including a single each by West End’s Ryan Bentley and Trey Keatts.

Brett Randall pitched two innings of scoreless relief for West End, allowing no hits and one walk while striking out four.

Maryland American Legion Senior Tournament

Caroline 5, Boonsboro 3

Boonsboro Post 10 was eliminated from the state tourney with the loss to Caroline Post 29 at McCurdy Field in Frederick.

After Caroline scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning and one more in the second, Boonsboro got two runs in the third on RBI singles by Cody Rinehart and Jake Holler to cut the deficit to 4-2.

Caroline extended its lead to 5-2 in the fifth, and Boonsboro scored its final run in the seventh as Rinehart tripled and came home on a passed ball.

Gavin Hartman went 3-for-3 for Boonsboro.

PONY 14U East Zone West Regional

Ohio Prospects Maroon 10, Hagerstown 4

The Maroon team defeated Hagerstown in the championship game Sunday in Boardman, Ohio, to advance to the East Zone championship in High Point, N.C.

Hagerstown began the tournament by falling 1-0 to Maroon on Friday and then bounced back with a pair of wins Saturday, defeating Tri-T 15-0 and Ohio Prospects Black 8-3 to advance to the championship round.

On Sunday, Hagerstown overcame a four-run deficit to defeat Maroon 6-5 in 12 innings to force a winner-take-all final later in the day.

For the tournament, Ben Sattazahn had 13 hits and eight RBIs to lead Hagerstown.

Saturday, July 22

South Penn League quarterfinals

Hagerstown Braves 18, New Oxford Twins 2

Chanse Phillips went 4-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs to lead the Braves’ 20-hit attack in a five-inning win over the Twins to take the best-of-3 series, 2-0.

Adam Mathias had three hits and five RBIs for Hagerstown (31-3), while Corey Jamison had three hits and four RBIs and Justin Lewis had three hits and two RBIs in the victory.

The No. 1-seeded Braves will host the No. 7 Frederick Flying Dogs on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Game 1 of their best-of-5 semifinal series.

Maryland American Legion Senior Tournament

Boonsboro 1, Dundalk 0

Boonsboro Post 10 made the most of its one hit, an RBI single by Camren Baker in the third inning, to stay alive in the state tournament at McCurdy Field in Frederick.

Gavin Hartman led off the inning and reached on a two-base error, setting up Baker's single. That was Boonsboro's lone hit against Dundalk Destroyers starter Christopher Scizm, who walked three and struck out three in six innings.

Scizm was outdueled by Boonsboro's Vinnie Grossman, who pitched a five-hit shutout with three walks and four strikeouts.

Boonsboro will play another elimination game Sunday at 10 a.m.

Maryland 10-12 Tournament

Hughesville 4, West End 2

Hughesville scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning to break open what had been an extra-innings pitchers' duel and defeat West End in the opening round at Easton.

West End will face Rising Sun in an elimination game Sunday at 3 p.m.

West End pitchers DJ Washington and Maddex Murray were very good in the loss. Washington allowed one earned run on three hits over the first four innings, striking out nine. Murray allowed two earned runs on four hits over 3 1/3 innings, striking out six.

Ryan Bentley went 2-for-2 with an RBI, and Alijah Kent went 2-for-3 to lead West End on offense.

Maryland Junior League Tournament

Talbot 2, Conococheague 1

Talbot pushed across the winning run in the top of the seventh inning to defeat Conococheague in the opening round of the state tournament at East Frederick Little League.

Conococheague tied the game at 1 in the sixth inning when Suko Mills walked, went to second when Landen McAllister was hit by a pitch, stole third and scored on Logan Durham's RBI groundout.

Jude Wetzel had two hits for Conococheague. Ian Rhea pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out four.

Conococheague will play in an elimination game Monday at 1:30 p.m.

Friday, July 21

Maryland 9-11 Tournament

Montgomery County Upper 6, Conococheague 4

Montgomery County Upper scored four runs in the top of the sixth inning to rally past Conococheague and win the state title at Arbutus.

Conococheague had won five straight elimination games and was three outs from another victory. However, MCU put together four singles and two walks, and took advantage of an error, to take the lead in the final inning as Conococheague had to settle for second place.

Ryden Taylor had two hits and two RBIs, Aiden Rohrer had two hits and an RBI, Camden Morris hit a triple and Christian Weesner added a double in the loss for Conococheague.

Weesner pitched the first 3 1/3 innings, allowing two runs (both unearned) on four hits and two walks while striking out three.

Maryland American Legion Senior Tournament

Fort Cumberland 10, Boonsboro 0

Boonsboro Post 10, the Western Maryland champion, fell in the opening round of the state tournament at McCurdy Field in Frederick.

Fort Cumberland Post 13 scored a run in the first inning and another in the third, then broke the game open with a five-run fourth. Three more runs in the sixth led to the game being stopped an inning early by the 10-run rule.

Alex Kennell had three hits and three RBIs to lead Fort Cumberland offensively. Leuma Pua'auli hit a two-run single in the fourth inning and Josef Sneathen added a two-run double in the sixth. Parker Ferraro drove in two runs and Landon McAlpine also had an RBI.

Bryce Madden started and pitched five shutout innings for Fort Cumberland. His only spot of trouble came in the fourth inning, when Cody Rinehart and Jake Holler started the inning with singles for Boonsboro. After a flyout and strikeout, a walk loaded the bases, but another flyout ended the threat.

Boonsboro will play in an elimination game Saturday at 10 a.m.

Thursday, July 20

Maryland 9-11 Tournament

Conococheague 3, Montgomery County Upper 1

Conococheague will play for a state championship Friday night at Arbutus.

Aiden Rohrer struck out nine over 5 1/3 sharp innings, and Conococheague won its fifth straight game in the tournament, handing Montgomery County Upper its first loss of the tournament and forcing a winner-take-all final Friday at 5:45 p.m.

Rohrer allowed one earned run on five hits and one walk. Christian Weesner came on in relief with one out and a runner on base in the sixth inning, and got the final two outs for the save.

Ryden Taylor and Cruz Eissens each had two hits, Cody Mills drove in two runs and Taylor also had an RBI for Conococheague.

South Penn League quarterfinals

Hagerstown Braves 8, New Oxford Twins 3

The top-seeded Braves (30-3) opened up the lead with a four-run fifth inning and two more runs in the sixth to take Game 1 of the best-of-3 series at North Hagerstown High School.

Justin Lewis went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, Ryan Talbert went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, Matt Kulikowski went 2-for-3 and Adam Mathias went 2-for-4, scored twice and drove in a run for the Braves. Wyatt Freeman started and worked five innings for the win, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks with four strikeouts.

Hagerstown will travel to New Oxford for Game 2 on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Maryland 8-10 Tournament

Berlin 13, Valley 4

Valley finished third in its state tournament, falling to Berlin in the elimination bracket final at Fruitland.

Blake Sines had two hits and two RBIs for Valley. Sylar Sarchiapone drove in a run.

Wednesday, July 19

Maryland 9-11 Tournament

Conococheague 4, Rising Sun 2

With its fourth straight elimination-bracket victory, Conococheague advanced to the championship round of the state tournament at Arbutus.

Conococheague will face Montgomery County Upper on Thursday at 5:45 p.m., needing to win to force a final game Friday. Montgomery County Upper defeated Conococheague 7-0 in the opening round and is 3-0 in the tournament with a 31-2 run differential.

Conococheague held Rising Sun to two hits. Aiden Rohrer pitched the first 1 1/3 innings, striking out three and walking one without allowing any runs or hits. Grayson Maloy worked the final 4 2/3 innings for the win, allowing two unearned runs on two hits and two walks while striking out 13.

Conococheague opened the scoring with two runs in the bottom of the first inning on RBI singles by Ryden Taylor and Brent Decker.

Rising Sun tied the game in the top of the fourth, but Conococheague scored once in the bottom of the fourth and again in the fifth. Taylor hit his second RBI single of the game in the fourth, and Cody Mills hit an RBI single in the fifth for his second hit of the game.

Maryland 8-10 Tournament

Valley 7, Hughesville 0

Max McLaughlin pitched a four-hit shutout with one walk and six strikeouts, and Valley stayed alive in the state tournament elimination bracket at Fruitland.

Valley will play Berlin in the elimination bracket final Thursday at 6 p.m.

Blake Sines and Dominic Salvatore each had a hit and two RBIs, Malachi Augustin hit a double and Joey Mason added a hit and an RBI for Valley.

Tuesday, July 18

Maryland 9-11 Tournament

Conococheague 7, Calvert American 6

Conococheague stayed alive with a four-run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning, capped by Aiden Rohrer's walk-off, three-run double, to stun Calvert American in the elimination bracket semifinals at Arbutus.

Conococheague will play Rising Sun in the elimination bracket final Wednesday at 5:45 p.m., needing one more win to reach the championship round after dropping its opening contest of the tournament.

Trailing 6-3 entering the bottom of the sixth, Conococheague drew four straight walks to score a run and set up Rohrer's heroics.

Rohrer finished with two hits, Grayson Maloy hit a double and drove in a run, and Nate Hammons also had an RBI for Conococheague, which had only five hits but walked 14 times.

Hammons allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and four walks while striking out six in a three-inning start. Luca Bitonti allowed four runs (one earned) on three hits and one walk while striking out five over the final three innings to get the win.

Maryland 8-10 Tournament

Valley 11, South Baltimore 4

Valley raced to an 11-0 lead through 4 1/2 innings and stayed alive in the elimination bracket of the state tournament at Fruitland.

Valley will play Hughesville in the elimination bracket semifinals Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Blake Sines had two hits, including a double, and two RBIs to lead Valley at the plate. Clyde Ware doubled and drove in a run. Sylar Sarchiapone had a hit and an RBI. Malachi Augustin and Caius Crawford also drove in a run each.

Alden Romberger started on the mound and battled through seven walks to allow just one run on three hits over four innings for the win. Sines struck out the side in the final inning.

Monday, July 17

Maryland 9-11 Tournament

Conococheague 22, South Baltimore 0

Conococheague caught fire at the plate and stayed alive in the elimination bracket at Arbutus, no-hitting South Baltimore in four innings.

Aiden Rohrer led the way with three hits, Ryden Taylor had two hits and three RBIs, and Grayson Maloy added two hits and two RBIs for Conococheague. Cody Mills drove in three runs and Cruz Eissens and Christian Weesner added two RBIs each.

Nate Hammons struck out four in a perfect first two innings on the mound. Bryce Acre struck out one and walked one over 1 1/3 innings, and Taylor got the final two outs, walking two and striking out one.

Conococheague will next play in the elimination semifinals Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Maryland 8-10 Tournament

Montgomery County Upper 6, Valley 4

Trailing 4-3 and down to its final out in the top of the sixth inning, MCU scored three runs to stun Valley and advance to Tuesday's winners' bracket final at Fruitland.

Valley, which suffered its first loss this summer, will face South Baltimore on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in an elimination quarterfinal.

Matty Regan had two hits and Blake Sines drove in two runs for Valley, which led 3-1 after the first inning. MCU tied the game at 3 in the top of the fifth inning, before an RBI single by Regan put Valley in front in the bottom half.

Sylar Sarchiapone allowed one run on four hits and two walks in a four-inning start for Valley, walking two and striking out three.

Sunday, July 16

PONY 13 East Zone Tournament

Johnstown Sherry's Bulldogs 8, Hagerstown 3

Johnstown Sherry's Bulldogs 8, Hagerstown 3

Hagerstown fell twice by identical scores in the championship round at Funkhouser Park and was denied a third straight zone tournament title and trip to the PONY 13 World Series.

In the first game, Hagerstown was held to one hit, while the Bulldogs built a 5-0 lead through 4 1/2 innings and put the game away with a three-run top of the seventh that gave them an 8-1 lead.

In the second game, Hagerstown committed seven errors, leading to seven unearned runs. Dylan Predko went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.

Maryland 9-11 Tournament

Conococheague 10, Berlin 1

Conococheague put together a six-run third inning to take an 8-0 lead and stayed alive in the elimination bracket of the state tournament in Arbutus.

Conococheague's 10 hits were spread across 10 players, with Bryce Acre hitting a triple and Aiden Rohrer and Nate Hammons adding a double each. Hammons and Brent Decker each drove in two runs.

Grayson Maloy started and struck out eight over 3 1/3 hitless and scoreless innings, walking one.

Conococheague will play another elimination game Monday at 5 p.m.

Saturday, July 15

PONY 13 East Zone Tournament

Hagerstown 3, Johnstown Mainline Pharmacy 0

Hagerstown, the tournament host, moved one victory away from three-peating as East Zone champions and earning another berth in the PONY 13 World Series starting next weekend in California.

Aidan Secrest pitched a four-hit shutout with one walk and seven strikeouts, and Hagerstown scored all three of its runs in the first inning. Colt Mann and Hayden Hose led off with singles, and Secrest followed with a sacrifice fly that led to both runners scoring. Luke Anderson walked, Garrett Jones singled and an error led to the final run.

Hagerstown will play in the championship round Sunday at 11 a.m. at Funkhouser Park.

Maryland 8-10 Tournament

Valley 2, Denton 1

Cain Turner and Max McLaughlin combined on a one-hitter with 13 strikeouts and six walks, and Valley won its opening game of the state tournament at Fruitland.

Valley will face Montgomery County in the winners' bracket semifinals Monday at 6 p.m. The game was originally scheduled for Sunday morning but was postponed by rain.

In the top of the fourth inning, Matty Regan walked, Clyde Ware singled and Regan scored on a passed ball to give Valley a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth, Denton tied the game at 1 on two walks and two groundouts, the second one bringing home the run.

In the fifth, Sylar Sarchiapone singled, McLaughlin laid down a sacrifice bunt, Turner reached on a fielder's choice that retired Sarchiapone, Dominic Salvatore drew a two-out walk and Turner scored on a passed ball to put Valley ahead to stay.

Maryland 9-11 Tournament

Montgomery County Upper 7, Conococheague 0

Conococheague was held to two hits in its state tournament opener at Arbutus.

Montgomery County Upper scored twice in the first inning and once in the third before putting the game out of reach with a four-run fifth.

Conococheague will play an elimination game Sunday at 5:30 p.m.

Friday, July 14

PONY 13 East Zone Tournament

Hagerstown 8, Johnstown Sherry's Bulldogs 2

Hagerstown, which is hosting the tournament, advanced to Saturday's winners' bracket final by pulling away from the Bulldogs in its opening game.

Hayden Hose pitched a complete game, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and striking out eight without a walk. Hagerstown scored three runs in the top of the first inning to stake Hose to a lead that was never lost.

Hose helped his cause by going 3-for-4 and scoring two runs. Colt Mann went 2-for-3 and scored three times. Luke Anderson and Garrett Jones each added an RBI single.

The winners' bracket final between Hagerstown and Johnstown Mainline Pharmacy, an 11-7 winner over Morgantown, is scheduled to begin Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Funkhouser Park.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Hagerstown Braves win their first state title in 23 years