PHOTO PROVIDED West End’s 15-16-year-old all-star team won the Pennsylvania state championship for Babe Ruth Baseball on Monday. Shown in the first row is Jaxson March and Mason Hess. In the second row is, from left, manager Marc Hess, coach Fred March, Trey Damschroder, Zack Neill, LJ Hill, Javhon LaRosa, Camden March and Cade Lusk. In the back row is, from left, Jaymes Carpenter, Nate Crowe, Briar Persing, coach Tom Persing, Isaac Sparks, Coach Will Neill and Norh Kirby.

West End’s 15-16-year-old all-star team won the state championship for Babe Ruth Baseball on Monday evening, 11-1, in Bellefonte over Mifflin County in six innings.

West End’s Trey Damschroder and Briar Persing combined on the mound to limit Mifflin County to just three singles. Damschroder threw four innings with five strikeouts while Persing had two innings of relief and struck out six with no walks or hits allowed.

“Good pitching and timely hitting. To only give up one walk for our pitchers was good to see and to get some guys on base and a couple nice timely hits was key to separate ourselves,” West End manager Marc Hess said.

Damschroder led West End with a 2 for 4 performance where he hit two doubles with three RBIs. Noah Kirby was 2 for 3 wtih three RBIs. Jaymes Carpenter had a double while going 1 for 3. West End also received two singles from LJ Hill (2 for 3, two runs) and Cade Lusk, Mason Hess, Persing and Camden March all had singles.

“The kids are excited to win another state championship and also know we have bigger aspirations for this summer,” Hess said. “We have four players — Trey Damschroder, Mason Hess, LJ Hill and Jaxson March — that this is their fourth straight state championship and many others wtih three in the last four years.”

West End jumped out to a three-run lead in the first inning and led 5-0 after two. Mifflin County cut the deficit to 5-1, but that’s the closest Mifflin County came to erasing the deficit. West End responded with four runs in the fourth inning and scored once each in the fifth and sixth to put the mercy rule into effect in the sixth inning.

“Every kid you talk to loves to hit and they all put together some great at bats over the four games and we hit one through ten all weekend,” Hess said. “Hitting is very contagious and it’s fun to watch them all get hot at the same time. Would have never guessed us to outscore our opponents 74-5, but that just shows our hitting and pitching were ready to go.”

Throughout the state tournament, West End’s pitching and defense were key to win.

“Pitchers throwing strikes is always key to success. When we don’t give them free base runners and make the other team work for everything, it’s harder on them for sure,” Hess said. “All the kids we pitched this weekend threw well and we didn’t need to throw any of them too many pitches to get us through the tournament.”

West End’s 15-16-year-old Babe Ruth all-star team advanced to the state championship game thanks to a 17-3 rout over Pine Forge.

Briar Persing was key for West End’s win in the semifinals thanks to driving in six runs on just two hits to lead West End. He singled in the third inning which brought in three runs before hitting a three-run home run to centerfield in the fourth inning. He also had a sac fly in the first inning to score a run.

West End got on the board against Pine Forge in the top of the first after Camden March grounded out and Persing hit a sac fly for a 1-0 lead. Trey Damschrouder would double in the second down the right-field line for a 3-0 lead.

West End broke the game open in the third inning with eight runs scoring off two hits. LJ Hil was hit by a pitch and reached base and brought in a run. Damshroder drew a walk with bases loaded for a run before March was walked, bringing in another run. Persing would single for three runs and Jaymes Carpenter was hit by a pitch which brought in another run.

The final run was scored when Mason Hess singled for an RBI.

West End added four more runs in the fourth to extend its lead to 16-3. Damschroder singled for a run before Persing’s huge home run for three.

Jahvon La Rosa began the game for West End and allowed five hits and three runs over four innings of work with six strikeouts and two walks

Cade Lusk threw an inning of shutout relief for West End and didn’t allow a hit with three strikeouts and no walks allowed.

Damschroder had three hits and March ended the game being walked three times. Overall, the team collected 12 walks and Damschroder and Nate Crowe each had multiple stolen bases.

West End 11, Mifflin County 1

(15-16s STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME)

(6 INNINGS)

Mifflin County 001 000 — 1 3 2

West End 320 411 — 11 11 4

C. Cherry, W. Parkes (3), L. Shaffer (4) and L. Shawver. T. Damschroder, B. Persing (5) and J. March. W: Damschroder. L: Cherry.

Top Mifflin County hitters: K. Shirey 1-3; J. King 1-3; C. Cherry 1-3. Top West End hitters: T. Damschroder 2-4, 2 2Bs, 3 RBIs, 2 runs; LJ Hill 2-3, 2 runs; N. Kirby 2-3, 3 RBis; J. Carpenter 1-3, 2B, run; M. Hess 1-2, RBI, BB, 2 runs; C. Lusk 1-2, BB, 2 runs; B. Persing 1-4, RBI, run; C. March 1-1, 2 BB, RBI, run.

West End 17, Pine Forge 3

(5 INNINGS)

West End 228 41 — 17 9 0

Pine Forge 003 00 — 3 5 3

J. La Rosa, C. Lusk (5) and N. Kirby. S. Weil, C. Drost (2), N. Bondi (3), D. Tomasi (3) and P. Barrow. W: La Rosa. L: Weil.

Top West End hitters: T. Damschroder 3-3, 2 2Bs, 4 RBIs, 2 BB, 3 runs; B. Persing 2-2, HR, 6 RBIs, 2 runs; M. Hess 1-4, RBI, run; J. Carpenter 1-1; N. Kirby 1-3, 2B; L. Hill 1-3, RBI, BB, 3 runs. Top Pine Forge hitters: L. Reinert 2-2, run.