DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Montoursville’s Royce Bowes makes the tag at second on Williamsport’s Gio White during last year’s Backyard Brawl championship at Millionaire Mountain on Saturday, May 10, 2025. Port won 5-3.

District 4 playoffs start Saturday, May 16, but a four-team bragging rights tournament between four proud programs comes our way again this weekend.

It’s Backyard Brawl time and it comes from two venues this year. Friday’s semifinals will be held at Millionaire Mountain and the consolation and championship Saturday at Bowman Field. Montoursville faces rival Loyalsock in Friday’s opener before two-time defending champion Williamsport battles South Williamsport.

An added change the past two seasons is that all four teams will play the other. Whatever matchups do not occur next weekend will take place the following Tuesday at sites to be determined.

Highlighting the competitive nature of this tournament, every team has captured at least one championship since 2019. From 2018-21, three different teams in succession took the crown.

Montoursville went 2-1 at last year’s Brawl and finished as the runner-up. It is fighting Athens for District 4 Class AAAA’s top seed and Loyalsock is fighting for a Class AAA playoff berth. That adds more intrigue to this semifinal showdown.

Montoursville (12-2) has won five straight games and 11 of its last 12. It played, arguably, its best game Saturday, routing New York power Waverly, 13-1 and handing it its first loss in 10 games. Logan Kirby improved to 6-0 there, throwing 5 1/3 strong innings, and has been dominant, allowing one or no runs in all six starts. The offense broke out at Waverly and all nine starters produced hits, RBIs and/or runs. Montoursville captured the 2022 Brawl championship but has lost in its last two finals appearances.

Loyalsock gave its playoff hopes a boost Friday when it stormed back from a five-run fifth inning deficit and defeated Jersey Shore, 10-7. The Lancers also have big wins against surging Hughesville and Bloomsburg this season and are seeking their first Brawl championship since 2019.

South vs. Williamsport is a battle of the past three champions with the Mounties being the last non-Millionaire team to win the title, doing so in 2024.

South (9-5) has again navigated a demanding schedule and performed well, winning nine of its last 12 games. The Mounties have won four games in their final five at-bats and feature one of the area’s premier pitchers in sophomore Cole Gerber. Before running into surging Wellsboro Saturday, South generated 26 runs and 26 hits in wins against Canton and Midd-West.

Williamsport (13-1) enters the week as the area’s hottest team, having won 11 straight games. The Millionaires are tied for first in the HAC-I and feature both deep hitting and pitching. Trey Damschroder improved to 5-0, winning twice last week and the top of the lineup is among the area’s best.

Forget all the other implications which involve playoffs, seedings, etc. These four teams simply want this one for the bragging rights themselves. While they are wearing different uniforms now, many have played alongside each other on various youth and/or travel teams. And when one is friends with another, that person often wants to win that much more.

Add that into the tradition involved in this long-standing event and it is a true jewel on the area sports landscape each May. The best part this weekend will be following the journey as one team looks to shine brighter than all others.

FIGHTING ON

Muncy features just two senior starters and its projected top two pitchers, Graden Dohl and Jameson Barlow have been limited all season. Dohl recently has increased his workload following an injury, but Barlow has not pitched in more than a month.

Through it all, the Indians have scratched and clawed their way to nine wins and are playoff-bound. Muncy (9-5) has an 18-game schedule and secured its berth in the 2A field after defeating Canton, 5-2 last Saturday. Kynton Fish, Corbyn Gardner and Kase Snyder have come up huge on the mound, so it seemed fitting that all three factored into a strong performance, scattering six hits as Muncy erased a 2-0 third inning deficit.

“Our main focus is keeping things short, so we don’t have to change our defense around too much,” Muncy coach Shawn Finn said after helping his team earn an 18th playoff spot in 19 years of coaching. “Gardner and Snyder have been doing a great job for us on the mound and Fish has been a spot starter for us and has done an excellent job.”

“Our two best pitchers have been out at some point in time but we pulled our third, fourth and fifth guys together,” Snyder said. “That’s helped us win some games.”

In fact, Muncy has won five of its last six games. A bonus is that Dohl, operating on a pitch count, is getting stronger. He was dominant in relief, striking out the side to finish games against Northwest and Sugar Valley before making his first start and allowing three hits in six innings last Thursday against Lewisburg.

Through it all, Muncy has compiled a 3.25 ERA. Snyder graduates, but all the other pitchers return next spring. The future is now, however, and Muncy is fighting for a home playoff game. The Indians are currently fourth in the 2A standings and would host the No. 5 seed if they hold that spot. If Muncy falls to five it would go on the road for the quarterfinals.

Either way, that Muncy reaching the playoffs is impressive, considering the youth and injuries. And with the playoff spot secured, the Indians now can focus on refining things as districts approach.

SURGING SPARTANS

Hughesville looked dead in the water a few weeks ago when it lost five straight games and dropped two 2-5. Instead of folding, the Spartans pulled together and have thundered back, winning five of their last six games to get back into 3A playoff contention. Hughesville continued its push last week, producing impressive wins against Loyalsock and Tunkhannock, outscoring those teams, 21-5.

Injuries took a toll early but Si Abernatha made his season debut Saturday at Tunkhannock and it was a great one as the junior went 3 for 5 with two doubles and two RBIs. Jed Abernatha was 2 for 2 with a home run and double and Wynter Foglemen went 3 for 4. Blake Babb produced two hits and did not allow an earned run in 4 2/3 innings.

Hughesville avenged a loss from a few weeks ago against Loyalsock in a big way, scoring 13 runs in its final three at-bats to win, 13-3. Gage Webb won his third straight start, throwing a complete game and also generated two hits with five RBIs.

EXTRA BASES

Lewisburg (8-8) has made massive strides since a slow start, highlighting that with an 8-7, eight-inning win Saturday against Mifflinburg. The Green Dragons went 3-0 last week and have won eight of their last 12, overcoming a two-run seventh inning deficit against a Mifflinburg team less than 24 hours removed from a 6-1 win against Central Mountain. Colin Shannon scattered four hits in 6 1/3 innings of relief and went 3 for 5 with an RBI … Cole Gerber threw six innings of two-hit baseball and struck out nine, helping South Williamsport defeat Midd-West, 8-1 in the rain Friday. The sophomore lefty has allowed just six hits in his last two starts, striking out 20 in 12 2/3 innings. Marc Molina went 3 for 4 at Midd-West, scoring three times and Trace Wertz added two hits with an RBI … A year after capturing the District 4 Class A championship, Cowanesque Valley has added an NTL-II title, finishing league play undefeated. The Indians (14-2) have put together two seven-game winning streaks this year and capped that perfect league season with a 15-run eruption over the final two innings at Sayre, turning a tie game into a 16-2 win. Dave Hess and Ayren Morgan both had three hits, while Lucas Hamilton homered.

Dr. Masse’s Top Five rankings:

1. Williamsport (13-1): Williamsport will be trying to clinch at least a share of the HAC-I championship Wednesday when it heads to Jersey Shore. A win in its league finale and the Millionaires would either share that crown with Central Mountain for a second time in three years or earn it outright with a victory and Central Mountain loss in any of its last three league games. Trey Damschroder continues impressing, earning wins last week against State College and Altoona. He is 5-0 and has allowed one or no runs in his last three starts. Williamsport rallied from a two-run sixth inning deficit to win at State College, 4-3, and Cole Deitrick went 4 for 6 with two doubles and two RBIs in two games.

2. Montoursville (12-2): The cliché is that baseball is a funny game, but it’s so true. Just look at the boxscore from Montoursville’s 9-3 win at Jersey Shore last Monday. The Warriors generated just one hit, that coming in the first inning, but scored seven first inning runs and cruised. Elijah Eck made that hit a big one, belting a grand slam which highlighted a seven-run eruption which began after the game’s first two batters were retired. Montoursville is tied for first with Mount Carmel in the HAC-II and the next three days will determine its league fate. The Warriors play Danville, Milton and Central Columbia through Wednesday and would earn no worse than a share of their first league title since 2019 if they can win those games.

3. Central Mountain (9-3): It was and up and down week for the Wildcats who earned a statement 3-1 win against DuBois before losing, 6-1 at Mifflinburg. Central Mountain handed DuBois just its second loss in 14 games as Blake Walker threw a four-hitter. Aiden Jones continued his breakout season with two hits and two runs and the defense played one of its best games. The offense, however, struggled at Mifflinburg, managing two hits. Central Mountain hosts Jersey Shore today and has a big game against perennial power Bethel Park Friday.

4. Montgomery (12-3): Like Central Mountain, Montgomery went from a big high early in the week to a big downer to close it. The Red Raiders snapped Warrior Run’s 10-game winning streak with a 2-1 win Monday but a three-run seventh inning lead became a 5-3 loss against Selinsgrove Saturday. Still, it helps that Montgomery is playing these tough non-conference games, also posting wins against South Williamsport and Montoursville. Briar Persing has dazzled throughout his junior season, earning the win against Warrior Run and throwing 12 1/3 innings of one-run baseball last week. Over his last 31 1/3 innings, Persing has surrendered just one run.

5. Wellsboro (12-2): One of the district’s hottest teams, Wellsboro has won eight straight games and 10 of its last 11. Max Mascho threw a gutsy four-hitter Saturday in a 4-3 win against South Williamsport, striking out 11 and fanning the game’s final batter after falling behind 3-0 and facing his pitch limit. Wellsboro has won slugfests and pitching duels this season, erupting for 15 fourth inning runs to turn a tie into a 20-5 win against Canton. Griffin Morral is having a strong sophomore season and scored six runs in those two wins. Cameron Owlett and Coen Tennis each had three hits in an 18-0 win against Wyalusing. Mascho threw a one-hit, five-inning shutout there and is 4-1 with a 2.39 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings.

Players of the Week

Landen Wagner, Lewisburg and Cade Lusk, South Williamsport: Wagner broke out of a recent funk in a seismic way last week, going 7 for 11 with two home runs, three triples and 10 RBIs. The all-state outfielder hit for the cycle in a 14-10 comeback win against Milton and tripled in all three games. He closed his week with a home run, triple and four RBIs against Mifflinburg. Lusk once turned the lineup over at the No. 9 spot, but now ignites it from the lead-off position. The sophomore left fielder channeled his inner-Rickey Henderson against Midd-West last Friday, opening the game with a home run. In games there and at Wellsboro Saturday, Lusk displayed pop and speed, going 5 for 7 with a double, five RBIs and two steals.

Game of the Week

Muncy at Montgomery: While the Backyard Brawl takes centerstage Friday, there will be another good rivalry game going that day as Muncy and Montgomery collide. A Montgomery win would give it the Mid-Penn West Division championship outright but Muncy could tie it for the crown if it also defeats St. John Neumann this week. Depending on how the District 4 Class AA seeding shakes out, this could potentially also be a playoff preview.

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