Montoursville crowned decade's best

This is the final of a series of mock tournaments to determine the best Sun-Gazette teams this decade. Coming later this fall and winter will be all-decade individual teams. Nominations will be accepted and statistics would be appreciated.

Quarterfinals

2007 Montgomery (16-6) at 2008 Loyalsock (22-4)

About Montgomery: After coming close the previous two years, Montgomery captured its first District 4 Class A championship, outscoring Sayre and Line Mountain, 14-1 in two playoff games. Joe Agnoni and Joel Worthington formed a potent one-two pitching combination, while the offense had a nice blend of speed, contact hitters and power. Agnoni and Jay Hall both hit over .400 and combined for 10 home runs while three-year starter Ryan Hecknauer provided consistent hitting and defense. Everything came together in districts as the Red Raiders beat the 2008 and 2009 district champion and the top seed in convincing fashion.

About Loyalsock: A year after going unbeaten in the regular season, Loyalsock suffered four close losses, but avenged all those defeats in districts. The Cardiac Lancers then rallied from behind three times in states before battering Burrell, 8-3 to win their first state title. Coach Casey Waller built a team that could win games in a variety of ways and the lineup was solid throughout as was the defense and depth. Colin Kelly, Alex Cillo and Shane Carey all pitched well with Kelly and Cillo combining for six postseason wins. Cillo was one of the state's premier pitchers and was the ultimate closer that year. Catcher Brian Stopper was outstanding defensively and went 11-for-14 in districts. Still, this was a team that literally had a different hitting star deliver big hits each game and that was why it was so tough to beat.

The Game: Agnoni, a crafty left-hander keeps Loyalsock off-balance early and Montgomery grabs a 1-0 lead on Tony Harman's RBI double. Stopper ties it at 1-1 in the fourth inning, but Hecknauer gives Montgomery the lead back, ripping a two-out, two-run single. Loyalsock finally gets to Agnoni in the fifth, tying the game 3-3. Montgomery coach Pat Adams goes to his bullpen, but Stephen Stopper laces a go-ahead, two-run double into the right-center field gap. Waller then calls on Cillo who throws two no-hit innings and strikes out three as Loyalsock wins, 5-3.

2002 South Williamsport (19-4) at 2006 Montoursville (24-4)

About South: A young Mountie team rallied to reach districts in 2001 and returned experienced and hungry in 2002, capturing the District 4 Class A championship. South featured one of the district's most consistent offenses and had an outstanding pitching rotation featuring Penn State-bound Derrick Barr and future draft pick Chris Allen. Barr was a dynamic lead-off hitter and center fielder while catcher Paul Kropp was a versatile leader who excelled in big games. Barr delivered some of his best performances in big games and had two hits while pitching a complete-game in a 9-3 thrashing of top-seeded Line Mountain in the district final. South was adept at playing well late in games and came back to defeat Loyalsock in a big midseason win while also holding off Bucktail in an exciting district semifinal.

About Montoursville: Six outs from winning the program's third state championship, the Warriors still rolled to SVL and District 4 Class AA titles. Montoursville won 21 of 22 games entering the state final against undefeated Riverside and blew out most opponents with one of the storied program's most complete teams. Featuring dominant pitching, outstanding defense and quality hitting, this Montoursville team had it all. Pitchers Ryan Miller and Chad Jacobson combined for 21 wins and Miller was virtually untouchable, throwing 40 straight scoreless innings at one point and going 12-1 with a 1.00 ERA. Catcher Mike Knight was one of the best in program history and was one of three starters who went on to play Division I baseball.

The Game: Miller doesn't overpower South, but that's not his style. The right-hander mixes his pitches well and keeps South guessing, taking a no-hitter into the fourth inning. Barr, though, is equally impressive and allows just a Luke Trick lead-off single. He finally makes a mistake in the fourth inning and Knight makes him play, drilling a two-run home run over the left-field fence at Giles Field. Kropp cuts the deficit to 2-1 in the fifth inning, but Ty Russell prevents further damage with a diving stop at shortstop. Brian Johnson and Ryan Welker hit RBI singles off Allen in the sixth and Miller strands two on in the seventh as Montoursville wins, 4-1.

2004 Mansfield (22-2) at 2004 Muncy (20-6)

About Mansfield: The Tigers made history, capturing the program's first district championship while reaching the state quarterfinals. Pitcher Rob Brant was one of the state's best, going 11-0 with an ERA under 1.00. The Pittsburgh-bound left-hander struck out 152 in 72 innings and eight times allowed fewer than three hits while throwing a no-hitter against Loyalsock in the district semifinals. Mansfield won 19 straight games before losing to state champion Northeastern in the quarterfinals, 7-2. The Tigers won their first district championship in dramatic fashion as Kevin Hill hit a walk-off three-run home run in a 7-6, 10-inning final against Wyalusing, the only team to defeat them in the regular season.

About Muncy: A year after reaching the Class A state semifinals, Muncy went a step farther and reached its first state championship. The Indians won a program-record 20 games and featured a potent blend of strong offense and quality pitching. Nate Messner, selected in the 18th round of the 2004 draft by the Marlins, was one of the state's best players, hitting near .500 and clubbing 13 home runs. He also won seven games, had a 1.72 ERA and struck out 125 in 65 innings while throwing four no or one-hitters. Ben Fish, Trevor Egli and Brandon Parrish also provided plenty of pop, while Fish and Pat Kelly added solid pitching depth for a team that outscored its first five playoff opponents, 44-13.

The Game: As expected, Brant and Messner stage a classic pitcher's duel. Brant strikes out six of the first nine batters he faces, while Messner retires the first 10 Tigers. Levi Weiskopff goes deep again in the fifth, giving Mansfield a 1-0 lead. It appears that will be all the support Brant needs as, despite some control issues, he is one out away from victory. Egli falls behind 0-2, but draws a walk, setting the stage for a classic encounter with Messner who is 0-for-2 with a walk. Brant falls behind 2-0, but still throws a curve on the third pitch. It hangs a bit too much and, like he did against Canton and Loyalsock in consecutive years, Messner wallops a walk-off home run onto the football field behind the center-field fence, lifting Muncy to a dramatic 2-1 win.

2006 Jersey Shore (18-7) at 2002 Williamsport (24-3)

About Jersey Shore: Jersey Shore captured its first District 4 Class AAA championship in coach Shawn Weaver's first year while also reaching the Class AAA state quarterfinals. Jersey Shore improved its win total by 12, starting off an impressive run that produced three straight league titles from 2007-2009. Junior left-hander Eric Jarrett developed into a shut-down pitcher, becoming the last District 4 pitcher to beat Montoursville while going 7-3 with a 0.95 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 74 1/3 innings. Zane Bower also was outstanding, winning seven games while hitting .390 with 26 RBI. Derek Smith, Curt Herman and Seth Miller, to name a few, also delivered clutch hits and plays as Jersey Shore went 10-3 in games decided by three or fewer runs.

About Williamsport: Blessed with a powerful mix of dominant pitching, balanced hitting and terrific defense, the well-coached Millionaires captured the District 2-4 Class AAA championship and broke the program-record for wins before losing in eight innings in the state semifinals. Dan Yoder, Nick Grove and Ricky Cowher formed the area's best pitching staff this decade. All three were aces, all played collegiately and all three had more than five wins and ERAs under 2.00. Different players came through at various times for a team that played well under pressure and allowed more than four runs just once. Brett Leinbach, Ryan Hess, Brian Frame and Matt Kreamer were just a few of the dangerous all-around players that nearly brought a state title to Williamsport.

The Game: Jarrett was dominant down the stretch in 2006, but Williamsport is used to facing strong pitchers and starts strong, scoring a run each in the first three innings. Yoder gives up some long fly balls that could cause damage if the game were anywhere but Bowman Field where the Millionaires used to play their home games. Matt Francis makes it 4-0 in the fifth with a RBI double before the Bulldogs make a comeback similar to the numerous ones they made in 2006. Smith rips a two-out, two-run sixth-inning double and Jersey Shore pulls within 4-3 in the seventh. Coach Scott Grove calls on Cowher to slam the door and the hard-throwing junior delivers, retiring three straight as Williamsport holds on for a 4-3 win.

Semifinals

2002 Williamsport (25-3) at 2008 Loyalsock (23-4)

The Millionaires are eager to make a statement and they do so in the first inning, stunning Loyalsock with a five-run, seven-hit barrage, similar to the strong start they made against district favorite Hazleton in the 2002 semifinals. The Lancers are used to rallying in big games but doing so against Nick Grove is a tall order. Still, Loyalsock effectively manufactures runs in the second and fourth innings and has first and second with one out in the fifth. Just when Loyalsock appears poised to come back, Josh Howe and Ryan Hess turn a slick 4-6-3 double play. Kreamer belts a two-run home run an inning later and Grove allows only an unearned run the rest of the way as Williamsport eliminates the state champions, 7-3.

2004 Muncy (21-6) at 2006 Montoursville (25-4)

Muncy enters as a big underdog but goes up 2-0 when Ryan Tollackson and Messner single and double, respectively, before scoring on Fish's two-run double in the top of the first. Fish works a perfect bottom of the first, but Montoursville comes alive in the second when Jacobson, Marc Schoch and Miller hit consecutive doubles. Ty Russell and Luke Trick hit consecutive singles and Montoursville builds a 3-2 lead. That lead grows to 4-2 an inning later when Knight, who throws out two basestealers, homers to center field. Jacobson settles into a groove after the first inning and retires 10 straight at one point. Montoursville erupts for five fifth-inning runs, highlighted by Schoch's three-run home run. Messner hits a two-run shot in the seventh, but Montoursville wins, 9-4.

Championship

2002 Williamsport (26-3) at 2006 Montoursville (26-4)

It's a dream matchup between two of the state's most storied programs and two dominant pitchers in Miller and Cowher, who lost just once in his varsity career. When both teams played in the past it was referred to as "The Game" and this contest quickly shows classic potential. The lead changes hand three times, Kreamer throws out Trick trying to score from second on a single, Knight throws out Cowher trying to steal second and Brett Leinbach robs Aaron DeMay of a RBI hit with a diving catch in right field. The score is tied 4-4 in the seventh when Montoursville loads the bases with no outs. Yoder, who played at Montoursville for three years before going to Williamsport in 2002, records a strikeout and then induces an inning-ending double play, forcing extra innings. Montoursville went 15 innings with Pius X in the 2006 state semifinals and it's looking like this one might go that route as well when Yoder works a perfect ninth. PIAA rules prevent pitchers from throwing more than nine innings and, because Jacobson pitched a complete-game in the semifinals, coach Corey Twigg has to turn to freshman Vince Molesky in the biggest spot of the year. Unrattled, the freshman, who clinched the SVL championship win over Shikellamy, strands Jordan Staib at third. Yoder retires the first two batters in the bottom of the 10th, but Russell lines a gapper into right-center and hustles in for a triple. The top of the order comes up, but Montoursville is hit with adversity when Trick fouls a ball off his foot and has to come out. Coach Corey Twigg calls on Bryant Kuntz to pinch hit. Ahead in the count 2-0, Kuntz stuns everyone when he drops a perfect suicide squeeze down the first-base line as Russell breaks for home. Yoder sprints off the mound and in one motion fields the ball while underhanding it to Francis who dives around for the tag. Russell makes a hook slide and his foot grazes home before Francis can tag him. Montoursville wins 5-4 in dramatic fashion becomes the decade's best baseball team.