Following Williamsport’s 2-1 Backyard Brawl win against Loyalsock last Tuesday, Millionaire coach Tyler Albert brought up a concept every player should embrace.

“One thing we talk to our guys a lot about is taking yourself out of the game. The second you stop putting yourself first and stop worrying about a couple failures here and there throughout the course of a game, it gets easier,” Albert said. “The game gets easier when you don’t worry about yourself.”

It’s a simple message but it’s powerful. It’s one that players sometimes have trouble grasping. I know I did when I played and was my own worst enemy, treating every situation like it was life or death.

The thing is, baseball truly is a game of failure. Ty Cobb has the greatest lifetime average ever compiled by a Major Leaguer at .367. That means he failed .633 percent of the time, although all outs are not created equal. That’s beside the point, anyway.

The point is this is a game where failure is a part of life. One can’t play the game expecting that he or she will succeed every time. Stuff happens and, to Albert’s point, it’s being able understand that fact which can open the door and lead to something wonderful.

“Nobody wants to fail but that’s how this game goes. You’re going to fail,” Albert said. “The second you can accept that failure, you’re going to play at a higher level than you thought possible.”

That is especially true at the high school level. Outs are going to made when batting. Pitches are going to be missed when throwing and not every play will be made. That’s baseball; that’s life. It’s understanding that; not worrying about that which makes the big difference.

Especially with the playoffs have started last Saturday and really hitting full throttle this week, hearing that message and embracing it is especially important.

This is the time of season every player works toward during the offseason. These are the fun times, so the last thing one should do is worry. Play hard; have fun and enjoy the moment.

STEPPINGSTONES

Muncy fielded one of the district’s youngest teams last year, starting several freshmen and going 8-10. While the team missed the playoffs, many lessons were learned and Muncy has continued growing this season, heating up at the perfect time.

The Indians (12-7) earned a home playoff game when they rallied past Warrior Run, 2-1 in eight thrilling innings last Tuesday, then made the most of that homefield advantage, edging Northwest, 4-3 in Saturday’s District 4 Class AA quarterfinals. Muncy has won nine of its last 12 games, including its first playoff contest since 2023, and plays Southern Columbia Wednesday in the semifinals at Central Columbia.

“We were still learning things even halfway through the season. It was new experiences; kids that never started before,” sophomore Jameson Barlow said after earning the save against Northwest with 1 1/3 hitless innings. “We’ve definitely grown as a team.”

That has shown in the last two wins. Warrior Run had routed Muncy in recent years, including, 15-0 last year. This time, Kase Snyder and Graden Dohl did not allow a run after the first inning and Dohl’s walk-off single off the left field fence lifted Muncy to a dramatic, 2-1 win.

Coming right before playoffs started, that victory was an eye opener. And despite not having Dohl, nor Cam Caldwell due to transfer roles, Muncy stayed cool under fire against Northwest with Snyder, Corbyn Gardner and Barlow stranding 11 runners.

“The Warrior Run game let us know we can play with teams. We just have to compete and play seven innings of baseball and good things happen,” Muncy coach Shawn Finn said. “That’s what we’ve been doing, and they’re starting to feed off each other a little bit. The dugout is having some fun which gets the starters going, too.”

Last week’s wins have provided not just season turning points, but potential future ones as well. Seven starters return next year and will have renewed confidence and big-time playoff experience moving forward. Considering injuries kept the team’s top two pitchers sidelined for long stretches this year and the team’s youth, it’s been a pretty impressive run. Not that it it’s over yet.

“That was a big team win (Saturday), but it’s not over,” Barlow said. “We won this game and we have to move on to the next one and get ready for it.”

“To win that game and get to the semifinals, that’s a step forward,” Finn said. “I’m happy with the win (Saturday), and we’re excited about the challenge of Southern Columbia. They’re a good ball club and we look forward to heading to Central Columbia and playing them Wednesday.”

EXTRA BASES

Hughesville was rocked by costly injuries before the season even started and opened it 2-5, but is playoff-bound again. The Spartans reached the postseason for a sixth straight time and for the 17th time in 18 seasons last Monday, sweeping two games from Berwick, 6-0 and Central Columbia, 10-6. The Central game highlighted the team’s resilience with Hughesville erasing a 4-2 sixth inning deficit and winning in eight innings. Jed Abernatha hit a go-ahead RBI triple in the eighth and Blake Babb threw 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief with five strikeouts. The Spartans (10-10) play at Mount Carmel Tuesday in a rematch of last year’s District 4 Class AAA championship … Warrior Run has overcome similar adversity and captured a share of its second straight HAC-III championship the same day, defeating Bloomsburg, 8-1. The Defenders (15-5) share the crown with Mifflinburg and host Troy in Tuesday’s 3A quarterfinals. James Keifer and Tyler Ulrich combined on a three-hitter and struck out 14. Cohen Zechman sparked the offense, going 4 for 4 with a triple and three RBIs … St. John Neumann closed its season on a high, defeating East Juniata, 8-6. Avery Taddeo went 2 for 2 with two RBIs and two runs, while earning the win after throwing five innings and striking out seven. Kane Meixel produced a save, throwing two scoreless innings and striking out four.

Dr. Masse’s Top Five rankings

1. Williamsport (19-1): Williamsport completed the most successful regular season by a Millionaire baseball team in the 2000s, closing on a 17-game winning streak. Williamsport won a thriller against Loyalsock before thumping perennial District 2 title contenders Holy Redeemer and Dallas. The 8-2 win against Dallas Friday was especially impressive. Trey Damschroder improved to 7-0, though, and LJ Hill ran his scoreless streak since returning from injury to eight innings as he closed it out. Ethan Chilson earned his area-best fifth save against Loyalsock, stranding the go-ahead runners with one out. It was the third straight exciting Brawl game that Williamsport won and that provided a boost as the week progressed. Now, the Millionaires prepare for the postseason and will host either Wilkes-Barre or Scranton in Friday’s District 2-4 Class AAAAAA semifinals.

“These close games, finding ways to win these tight games is setting you up. You’re challenged in a 2-1 ball game and you have to encounter different forms of pressure you wouldn’t have to use otherwise,” Albert said. ” This group, and the way they have battled and continued to find ways to win throughout the course of the season, says a lot.

2. Montoursville (16-4): Montoursville did just that in its regular-season finale against South Williamsport, overcoming three different deficits before walking off with a 6-5 win in nine innings. Gabe Moser, Emerson Lehman, Cy Heddings and Zack Neill all threw well in relief, the final three combining for 6 2/3 scoreless innings. The Warriors also rallied against Loyalsock in their first Backyard Brawl game, winning both against it in South on walk-offs after having never led until those moments. Right fielder Carson Menne has come up big defensively for the Warriors and threw out a runner trying to score from third in the second inning. As the game progressed, it might have been easy to forget that play, but look at how it played out and that perfect throw was a true game-changer. Menne also had two hits against South, scored the winning run and threw out a runner at third base in the Backyard Brawl championship against Williamsport. Menne and the Warriors face Athens for the District 4 Class AAAA championship Thursday at Bowman Field.

3. Central Mountain (13-4): Central Mountain made a statement with a 6-5 comeback win against Hazleton before Dane Hanna threw an excellent game against Mifflin County in a 6-3 victory. An offense which was slow to burn for a while is starting to heat up and Watt Probst went 2 for 4 against Mifflin County. Central Mountain has earned the top seed for the District 4-6 Tournament and will play either long-time rival Hollidaysburg or Shikellamy for the championship Tuesday, May 26 at Bald Eagle Area.

4. Montgomery (17-3): Montgomery takes a five-game winning streak into Wednesday’s District 4 Class AA semifinals against South Williamsport. The Red Raiders closed the regular season with a 20-0 win at Sullivan County as nine players collected hits. That included senior shortstop Parker Bennett who went 3 for 3 with two RBIs and two runs. Montgomery three-peated as Mid-Penn West Division champions and have gone 48-11 the past three seasons.

5. Wellsboro (17-2): The Hornets captured a share of the NTL-I championship when they won the completion of a suspended game against Athens, 6-5 in eight innings before building on the momentum with a 10-5 win at Hughesville. Wellsboro vaulted ahead of defending champion Mount Carmel in the District 4 Class AAA standings, earning the top seed and hosts Bloomsburg Tuesday. The Hornets have won 13 straight games and avenged one of their two defeats by beating Athens. Wellsboro has received quality production throughout its lineup and five players collected at least two hits against Hughesville.

Players of the Week

Coen Tennis, Wellsboro and Gage Webb, Hughesville: Tennis had four of those hits, going 4 for 4 with three doubles and two runs. The junior catcher fields his position well and also provides Wellsboro a strong bat in the middle of the lineup. It was not just that Webb threw great in a huge game against Berwick, but when he did so. Hughesville was fighting for its playoff life last Monday and Webb continued building on a super sophomore season, throwing a three-hit shutout. Webb has provided stability to a staff which dealt with injuries this year and struck out nine against Berwick, providing Hughesville his fourth straight quality start.

Game of the Week

South Williamsport vs. Montgomery: A year after colliding in the District 4 Class AA championship, these rivals do so in Wednesday’s semifinals at Millionaire Mountain. The winner goes to both the district final and the state tournament. Montgomery defeated South, 3-0, last month but South won last year’s title, 8-6. With both teams returning nearly all their players from last year, this is about as even a a showdown as there can be. Get the popcorn ready because this should be a great one.

–Masse may be reached at cmasse@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @docmasse