Breaking News
Local Sports

Jon Gerardi on Little League: Atmosphere, crowd on Tuesday made doubleheader a fun one

By Jon Gerardi 4 min read

If you were at Bruce Henry Park in Loyalsock on Tuesday night for the District 12 winners' bracket final against Loyalsock and Williamsport Area, you likely had to park in a neighboring side street off Ritchey Street and make a bit of a walk to the field.

With an elimination game before the winners' bracket final between East Lycoming and Keystone, and a hyped-up game between two outstanding and talented teams in Williamsport Area and Loyalsock, fans knew parking would be a premium at Bruce Henry Park.

And if you looked out across the field, you'd see just how many fans were there.

Both the Loyalsock and Williamsport Area sides were full with fans in the bleachers and even more with folding chairs along the first- and third-base fences. And the outfield was packed with plenty of fans lining the fence in both left and right fields. It gave Tuesday's game a big-game feel.

During Tuesday's game, Williamsport Area manager Ryan Miller gathered his team on the infield to talk to them between batters and told them to look around at the fans and take it in.

"I think a couple of the times, even when I went out to pitcher's mound and our guys are frustrated about things, I said 'look around right now, you have hundreds of people here watching a Little League Baseball game and you guys get to be the center of whole thing,'" Miller said. "Teams that don't go to the World Series, they don't ever experience that."

That's for certain. It speaks to the passionate fan base that both Loyalsock and Williamsport Area Little League programs have, and District 12 in general for watching Little League all-stars. There was also a good-sized crowd the game before between Keystone and East Lycoming in a win-or-go-home elimination game in which East Lycoming won, 8-6. There were even some East Lycoming players who stuck around to watch the second game, knowing not only it'd be a fun and good game, but to get a look at their next opponent on Thursday evening.

"(It's) a lot of fun. Both crowds were into it, both coaching staffs were getting into it in a positive way when their team did something well," Miller said. "That's what it's all about. It stinks to be on the opposite side of it, but so much of this is about teaching these boys lessons from these games. That's what's more important today. We try to teach them a lesson about tonight and now hopefully they listen, regroup and go after it the next time."

The big crowds at local Little League all-star games are what enhances the environment. Every pitch, every strikeout, every huge hit, has a major feel to it and each opposing crowd gets loud. The players love playing in front of crowds like that, especially under the lights for a primetime game with the chance to advance to the championship at hand.

For both Keystone in the first game and Williamsport Area in the second game, the losses stung, but having big crowds showed the players that they had a ton of support from area fans from not only their community, but the area in general.

"That was an emotional loss," Miller said. "Tons of people here, an awesome crowd, two great teams, competitive the whole way and very emotional. But when you lose a game like that, you want to see how they're going to bounce back. We'll find out on Thursday."

And given how Williamsport Area and East Lycoming fans travel, there's a good chance you'll see another large crowd on Thursday at 5:45 p.m. at Nippenose. And, of course, another big crowd come Saturday afternoon at Volunteer Stadium for the District 12 final with the winner of that game facing Loyalsock.

It's what makes Little League Baseball games fun to watch, and even more fun for the kids on the field hearing the cheering and screaming from the fans.

Jon Gerardi is the sports editor at the Sun-Gazette. He can be reached by email at jgerardi@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter/X at @JonGerardi.

Starting at /week.