Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania erases deficit and plays well in all facets in thrilling Series win against Massachusetts

A closer look at Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania’s 7-5 win over Middleboro, Massachusetts, Saturday at Lamade Stadium.

PLAY OF THE GAME--Aspen Anderson’s clutch fifth-inning relief performance: OK, this is a bit of cheating since it’s two plays. But this was the turning point in the game. Massachusetts had trimmed a 4-1 deficit to 4-3 and had the go-ahead runners on first and second after ripping three straight hits. Anderson then came in and put out the fire. Like he did at regionals, Anderson excelled under extreme pressure. He recorded a strikeout for the second out and then closed the inning by inducing a flyout. Pennsylvania seized on the momentum and scored three runs in the bottom of the inning to take control. Anderson did it again in the sixth inning after Massachusetts scored two, two-out runs and brought the tying run to the plate. This time, Anderson snared a hard-hit grounder hit back to the mound and threw to first for the final out.

PENNSYLVANIA OF THE GAME--Jackson Boob: Pennsylvania produced a fantastic team performance, so this was a tough call since every player did his part. Boob epitomized that, coming off the bench to excel, so he is the choice. Boob went 1 for 2 with three RBIs in a reserve role. He first did his job and moved runners in the fourth inning, hitting an RBI grounder before delivering one of the game’s biggest hits an inning later. Boob belted a two-run single which put Pennsylvania up 7-3 and had many of the 16,287 fans cheering at maximum volume.

MASSACHUSETTS PLAYER OF THE GAME--Mike Marzelli: The hard-hitting second baseman capped his super summer with another strong performance. Marzelli went 2 for 4 with an RBI and was in the middle of both rallies the first two innings in which Massachusetts scored. Marzelli ignited a first-inning rally with a single before scoring on Ayden Morris’s RBI double. He added an RBI single in the fifth inning, pulling his team within 4-2. Honorable mention goes to Jayden Murphy who went 2 for 4 with a double and three RBIs.

BIG INNING--Pennsylvania fifth: The Mid-Atlantic champions scored four times in the fourth to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 lead. But because Massachusetts answered right back with two runs in the top of the fifth, it is the bottom of the fifth which gets the call here. Pennsylvania put five of its first six batters on base that inning and Caleb Detrick made it 5-3 with an RBI single before Boob hit his timely two-run single.

BEST EFFORT--Each team coming back: Whenever it seemed like these teams were down for the count they kept coming back. Pennsylvania did so in the fourth inning after Gavin Gillpatrick shut it down the first three innings. At that point Pennsylvania had endured eight straight scoreless innings but it answered with four runs in the fourth. Trailing 4-1, Massachusetts delivered three straight hits and cut it to 4-3 in the fifth, only for Pennsylvania to answer with three runs. Finally, it looked like Massachusetts was done, but again it was not. The New England champions scored two, two-out runs when Jayden Murphy hit a two-run single. It took a great play by Anderson at the mound to finally put away this valiant team.

HOME RUNS: Chase Link had struggled in his first two games until he tattooed a 1-0 pitch well over the center field fence and helped Pennsylvania break through to tie the game, 1-1. It was a game-changing home run, giving Pennsylvania the momentum it desperately needed. The Mid-Atlantic champions took off from there, scoring four times in the fourth and three in the fifth to go up 7-3. Link has delivered big hits throughout the last two years while playing on this team and this home run may have been his biggest yet.

FLASHING LEATHER: Pitcher Braden Hatch and the Pennsylvania defense turned a huge double play to prevent Massachusetts from putting together a big first inning. Massachusetts led 1-0 when Hatch fielded a slow roller just to the left of the mound. He looked the lead runner off and held him halfway down the line before throwing to first baseman Brody Dull for the second out. When the runner broke for home, Dull made a perfect throw home to catcher Chase Link, hitting him in the chest. Link made a quick tag and Pennsylvania put out the fire. It may get lost in what happened in a big offensive fourth inning, but that double play was one of the game’s most important plays. Third baseman Nate Phillips came up big in the third inning, fielding a Jayden Murphy grounder down the line. Murphy can fly, but Phillips played it well and made a snap throw, with Dull stretching to help beat Murphy by a step. Gillpatrick made a nifty play off the mound in the bottom of the inning, coming off quickly to field a Nate Phillips bunt. Phillips was running like the wind down the line and looked like he would have a bunt single. Instead, Gillpatrick’s alertness and rifle throw beat him to the bag by a step. Phillips continued being involved in fantastic defensive plays, again showing off his glove in the fourth inning. After moving to shortstop, Phillips charged a grounder and fielded it on the field grass. He then made a quick throw across his body with Dull making an excellent scoop to again deny Massachusetts a hit. Massachusetts left fielder Nathan Mello made a tremendous catch to end Pennsylvania’s fifth-inning rally. Mello somehow went into the gap, stretched his entire body out and held on while hitting and rolling on the ground. So good was the catch that it even fooled Pennsylvania which sent its runners thinking the ball had drop, resulting in a double play.

WHAT THE ADULTS SAY: "That’s who we are. We focus a lot on one team, 11 strong and it’s something we practice each and every day and they believe it," Pennsylvania manager Jim McGough said. "The more they believe it, the more they deliver it, and tonight was a true testament of being able to deliver as a team and having everyone step up and come out with a win."

WHAT THE KIDS SAY: "It felt great. I sit fastball and adjust to curve," Link said about his home run. "It was a fastball up and away, the same pitch I struck out on. I wanted to hit that pitch because I knew I should have the at-bat before. I looked at that pitch and it just started flying."

WHAT IT MEANS: Pennsylvania does not have a lot of time to savor its big win. The Mid-Atlantic champions return to Lamade Stadium and 2 p.m. Sunday and play another elimination game against New York. Massachusetts concluded a spectacular summer in which it became the first Middleboro team to reach the Series since 1994. This team also was the first to win a state championship since that season and raised the bar for its league.