Baseball

Baseball: Northern Lebanon Little League Wins District Championship

by
Dan Rau
July 4, 2024

At the Pennsylvania Little League District 6 Tournament, 12u All-Star teams from across the region competed for the chance to move on, with the ultimate goal being to play in Williamsport. There were two LebCo teams taking part in the tournament, with teams from the organizations representing Northern Lebanon and ELCO. For Northern Lebanon, there was much anticipation entering the tournament after last year’s team won Districts before eventually finishing 3rd in the State.

Last Friday, the action heated up with teams entering into pool play, which wrapped up Monday. Both LebCo teams made it to the single elimination round, matching up against each other on Tuesday evening for a chance to play in the Finals. That game resulted in a Northern Lebanon win prior to Northern Lebanon defeating East Penn in a thrilling game to claim the District 6 Championship.

Below is a recap of the final three games Northern Lebanon played to win Districts, along with a quick look as to what lies ahead for the newly crowned District 6 Champs. Also below is a roster of the 2024 team whose potential is still not fully realized.

LebCo Little Leaguers Begin Path to Williamsport

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Northern Lebanon Results

Game 3 – Monday, July 1st

Northern Lebanon 9, Camp Hill 6

In the final game of pool play, NL was matched up against Camp Hill, the host of the District 6 Championship Tournament. Isaac Good got the start and set the tone before leaving the game in favor of fresh arms. In a move by the coaches to expand their pitching, a total of four pitchers combined their efforts to subdue Camp Hill. Greyson McQuaide was the hero at the plate, hitting home runs in the 1st and 3rd innings on his way to a 6 RBI performance. Back on the pitching front, it was Gunner Noel who was credited with the save, slamming the door on Camp Hill’s hopes of a comeback. NL finished blemished in pool play.

Semifinals – Tuesday, July 2nd

Northern Lebanon 7, ELCO 0

In the semifinal matchup, NL was matched up against their counterparts from ELCO. Shelbie Fry got the start and once again made it difficult for the opposition, pitching a complete game while scattering five hits and striking out twelve. Perhaps most impressively, Fry did not issue any free passes. With this being her second stellar outing of the tournament, NL may very well have its own version of the legendary Mo’ne Davis.

Greyson McQuaide was once again on fire at the plate, finishing the game with a double, triple, and 3 RBI. Parker Wright and Taven Zang also continued wielding hot bats, making it difficult for ELCO to get through the NL line-up. With the victory, NL qualified for the Championship Game, looking to repeat after last year’s 12U team walked away with the title.

Championship Game – Wednesday, July 3rd

Northern Lebanon 9, East Penn 8 [F/10]

In pool play, Northern Lebanon was matched up against East Penn, winning the game 10-3. In the Championship game, NL was once again tasked with taking on an East Penn team who punched their ticket to the finals by defeating Hampden in the semifinals. As anyone who watches baseball knows, earlier matchups are not indicative of the outcome of a meeting that occurs days later. This fact resulted in an epic matchup that ended up with very few fingernails being left intact when all was said and done.

This game started out with Taven Zang on the hill for NL. After Zang gave up one hit in the 1st inning, Nolan Anspach responded with a triple to get the hitting started in the bottom half of the inning. While East Penn’s efforts were able to strand Anspach, it was a sign of good things to come for NL.

In the 2nd inning, East Penn took a 1-0 lead before Zang doubled, then stole third base before Parker Wright plated him via a fielder’s choice, tying the game at 1-1.

The 3rd inning went fast, with both teams being retired in order before East Penn was able to score two in the next inning. Though NL was able to get two runners on base, the frame ended with East Penn holding a 3-1 lead entering the 5th.

In the 5th inning, Nolan Anspach, who entered the game in the 4th, retired East Penn in order. When NL came to bat, Gunner Noel was able to get the fireworks started by reaching on an error. Brody Harding followed it up with a walk, which was followed up by a Nate Marley walk to load the bases. Connor Kapp also walked, scoring Noel to make the game 3-2. Shelbie Fry was then hit by a pitch, resulting in Harding crossing the plate to tie the game at 3-3. With leadoff hitter Luke Copenhaver at the plate, a passed ball followed by heads-up baserunning by Marley gave NL a 4-3 lead.

The slim lead did not last long, as East Penn was not going to go away with only three outs remaining. They tied the game in the 6th, and when NL was kept off the scoreboard, the game headed to extra innings.

The 7th inning featured two strikeouts by Nolan Anspach, who was still going strong for NL. Offensively, Zang led it off with a single but was once again unable to score, keeping the game tied 4-4.

The 8th inning witnessed East Penn scoring twice to take a 6-4 lead. The inning ended with NL throwing out a runner at home, avoiding an even deeper hole. With limited opportunities to respond, NL was faced with two outs before two walks and a pair of singles by Fry and Nolan Anspach tied the game, 6-6, and extended the game into the 9th.

East Penn once again put the pressure on NL by taking a 7-6 lead in the 9th before Wright was able to strike out two batters to limit the damage. When NL came to the plate, Isaac Good started on second base in accordance with the overtime rules. Greyson McQuaide led off the inning and promptly singled to tie the game, 7-7.

In the 10th inning, East Penn was struck out three times by Wright but also found a way to score again to take a one-run lead. When NL came to the plate, a leadoff walk by Harding meant that two runners were on-base. Marley then hit a sacrifice fly to advance both runners. This was followed up by a Jacob Anspach single that scored Noel to tie the game again. With one out and NL now pressuring East Penn with Harding on third base, a passed ball with Copenhaver at the plate was enough to get Harding home, resulting in NL walking it off and being crowned as the District 6 Champions.

In the game, Zang pitched 3 innings, giving up three runs (one earned) and striking out four. Nolan Anspach came on in relief to pitch 5.1 innings, surrendering three runs (none earned) and striking out nine. Wright finished up the final 1.2 innings, giving up two runs on one hit and striking out five East Penn batters. Collectively, the NL pitchers walked six batters. At the plate, Nolan Anspach finished the game with three hits and an RBI. Zang had two hits and an RBI. Fry was credited with two RBI.

What’s next?

Northern Lebanon will now begin preparations to play in the Section 4 Championship Tournament, which is set to begin on July 14th in Indiana, Pennsylvania.

If they are fortunate to win there, they will have earned their spot in the State Tournament after finishing 3rd in 2023.

Following States would then be Regionals (held in Bristol, CT & broadcast live on ESPN) followed by the Little League World Series at Williamsport.