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Milton majors suffer elimination loss to Hollidaysburg, end summer at states

By BRIAN HOLTZAPPLE 6 min read

PITTSTON – Even as Hollidaysburg’s lead grew from three runs to five in a span of a couple of innings during Wednesday’s Pennsylvania major baseball elimination game against Milton, manager Garrett Shnyder still held out hope that his squad could come back.

But baseball can be a fickle sport. Sometimes the ball falls in your favor, and other times is doesn’t.

Milton relinquished an early three-run lead to Hollidaysburg, which stormed back to score a combined six runs in the third and fourth innings to take a 9-5 victory and end the postseason for the District 13 and Section 3 champs at Jenkins Township Little League Field.

“I don’t hate (the way the season ended). I thought we competed, and I truly think (Hollidaysburg) is a World Series-caliber team, and we’re right there. No one is ever going to keep us down; we have a lot of warriors on our team,” said Shnyder.

“We hit a lot of balls really hard today that just didn’t go our way. I think (Hollidaysburg’s) pitcher no-looked gloved two or three balls up the middle, and they had a lot of balls fall that weren’t hit very hard, but we were competitive.”

Hollidaysburg opened up a 6-3 lead in the third behind an RBI double by Blake Chamberlain and a two-run single from Jace Dodson.

A two-run double to right by Heath Hanlon built Hollidaysburg’s lead to 8-3 in the fourth.

Milton has been down before during the postseason, and came back to win, so manager Shnyder was confident his boys could come through once again.

“We’ve been there (before). It is what it is,” said Shnyder. “I’m always a fan of one swing can tie a ballgame, so if we’re within four we’re within reach.”

In the top of the sixth Milton showed what it can do when Jordan Brown and Weston Sumner hit back-to-back solo home runs to lead off the inning, but it was a case of too little, too late.

“Unfortunately in the sixth, one swing couldn’t tie it for us – we went back-to-back with solo shots rather back-to-back two- or three-run shots. But that’s baseball, and I was very proud of their determination and their grit to at least not lay down and to scratch out a couple more runs for the team,” said manager Shnyder.

“In the sixth we didn’t just tuck our tails and say that’s it our season is over; we put two really good swings on the ball, we hit another ball up the middle and my son, Max, had a very competitive at-bat where he unfortunately ended up striking out swinging. But we were in that game. Their effort was there today, and I appreciated it. ”

Milton delivered the first blow of the matchup when it got an RBI double from Brown and an RBI triple from Zeke White to take a 3-0 lead in the top of the first.

“We scored early, and that came against a really, really good ball team,” said manager Shnyder. “We were right there, so I’m very proud of my guys.”

Hollidaysburg responded in the bottom of the first with a two-run double from Aiden Anderson.

Milton then loaded the bases in the second when Reece Armstrong was hit by a pitch and Emmett Salwocki and Peyton Swineford both walked. Chamberlain, Hollidaysburg’s second pitcher of the game, would get Cullen Reese to strike out and Brown to pop up to end the threat and leave the bags full.

Following the game, manager Shnyder lamented about coming up empty in the second.

“I was saying if Jordan (would’ve hit his homer) in the second with the bases loaded. If he did that, and if we then go back-to-back, the score is 9-9 and a totally different game,” said Milton’s manager.

It also may have been a different game and a different outcome for starting pitcher Cohen Knarr, who was the tough-luck loser for Milton. Knarr pitched four innings and gave up 11 hits and eight of Hollidaysburg’s runs. He also struck out two and walked none.

“There were a few plays we could’ve made to keep a few more runs off the board, but I was just preaching like, ‘Hey, when you’re working and keeping the ball down they’re not putting great swings on it. Unfortunately, we kept a few pitches up and over the plate, but Hollidaysburg is a team that hits the ball out of the yard pretty consistently, and they had only (four) extra-base hits the whole game, so Knarr pitched well,” said manager Shnyder.

“Hollidaysburg hit a seeing-eye single through the right side, another one down the line, another one over the first baseman’s head, and another one that falls in front of the center fielder. Hollidaysburg had five or six hits that weren’t barrelled, but they just found a spot. There’s nothing you can do about about that – the old Texas Leaguers – it is what it is.”

Brown and Sumner both batted 2-for-3 to lead Milton in its final game, and manager Shnyder hopes his players continue to build off what they accomplished this postseason as they move along in their baseball careers.

“Today just wasn’t our day, and Monday wasn’t our day, either. But I think we did a lot of really good things, and I think the kids opened their eyes to their potential in this tournament, and their real potential in their baseball careers. As soon as you see it click in your players’ heads, as a coach there’s nothing more you want to see,” said Shnyder.

“As soon as you see the players get that confidence like I am that good and I do belong, it’s a job well done on my end, and on (coach) Stu (Sumner’s) end, and on (coach) Sean (Reese’s) end. But this isn’t it for us; we plan on winning a lot more titles and a lot more banners, and do a lot more things and have a lot of fun along the way. We’re a very tight-nit group and we’re a very tight-nit family. You’re going to hear a lot of the kids’ names from this team for a long, long time, so I’m very excited about that.”

Little League Baseball 2026 Pennsylvania State 11-12 Tournament

at Jenkins Township Little League Field

Hollidaysburg 9, Milton 5

Milton;300;002;-;5-7-2

Hollidaysburg;204;21x;-;9-13-1

Cohen Knarr, Jordan Brown (5) and Reece Armstrong. Carter Bridenbaugh, Blake Chamberlain (2), Aiden Pavlik (3), Jace Dodson (6) and Ronan Diehl.

WP: Pavlik. LP: Knarr.

Top Milton hitters: Cullen Reese, 1-for-3, double, run scored; Brown, 2-for-3, double, HR (6th, solo), 2 RBI, 2 runs; Weston Sumner, 2-for-3, HR (6th, solo), RBI, run; Knarr, 1-for-3; Max Shnyder, run; Zeke White, 1-for-2, triple, walk, RBI; Brody Rhodes, walk; Emmett Salwocki, walk; Peyton Swineford, 2 walks.

Top Hollidaysburg hitters: Chamberlain, 3-for-3, double, 3 runs, RBI; CJ Burger, 2-for-2, double, walk, 2 runs, RBI; Aiden Anderson, 3-for-3, double, 2 RBI, run; Trey Muth, 1-for-3; Dodson, 1-for-2, 2 RBI; Samuel Mikolajczyk, 1-for-2, run; Pavlik, run; Heath Hanlon, 2-for-2, double, 2 RBI, run.

Starting at /week.