LAURELTON -- Shikellamy-Acorn Little League center fielder Seth Burk took care of several things with one swing of the bat Saturday morning, during the winners' bracket final of the Area II Major Division tournament at the Field of Dreams.
Burk's team had built a four-run lead in the first two innings, but their bats had gone silent and Snyder County had begun to swing the momentum by the time Burk stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth inning.
But when Burk tomahawked a pitch over the left-field fence for a grand slam, the momentum was firmly back on the Shikellamy side, and Burk had his first career homer, grand slam and Little League tournament RBIs to help Shikellamy to an 8-2 victory over Snyder County.
"I really like high-inside pitches, and that's where it was," Burk said. "I just took a hack at it."
"Seth really likes pitches at his Adam's apple, and he got on top of one and hit it hard," Shikellamy manager Don Leitzel said.
Shikellamy advances to the championship game on Wednesday and awaits the survivor of the elimination bracket final between Snyder County and the Mifflinburg-Milton winner. The elimination bracket final is at 5:30 p.m. on Monday.
Shikellamy built a 4-0 lead over the first three innings. Colby Lahr and Kyle Leitzel started the game in the top of the first with back-to-back singles. Nick Dunn walked and Brandon Kashuba followed with an RBI single. After an out, Blake Bettleyon made it 2-0 with a sacrifice fly. The second runner was thrown out at home by Snyder County to end the inning.
Lahr had an RBI groundout in the second to make it 3-0, while Matt Snyder singled home a run in the third as Shikellamy built its lead.
Snyder County got a run back in the third when Tyler Arbogast walked and came around to score when Hunter Shuff doubled off the left fielder's glove at the fence.
Snyder County got the first two runners on in the fourth with no outs. Nick Dunn came on in relief for Shikellamy and three pitches later, Shikellamy escaped without allowing a run thanks to a popout to center and a double play off a popped up bunt.
Shikellamy was able to break the game open in the fifth when, with two outs, Brett McCreary, Bettleyon and Hayden Pope all worked walks to load the bases.
"We got some critical at-bats with two outs in that inning," Leitzel said. "Those guys did a good job of getting on base."
Burk came to plate, took a pitch for a ball and then a strike. With a stiff breeze blowing in from left field, he launched the next pitch over the left-center field fence. When the ball cleared the fence, Burk leapt in the air as his team took an 8-1 lead.
"I don't think I've ever jumped that high," Burk said.
Snyder County didn't go away quietly, making two great diving catches, one in foul territory by left field by Zac Frymoyer, and one in right-center by right fielder Andrew Bishop to end the top of the sixth. Then in the bottom of the inning, Snyder County scored a run on Ryan Kerstetter's sacrifice fly to make it 8-2. But with two runners on base, Bettleyon, the third Shikellamy pitcher, got the final two outs to end the game.
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Little League baseball: Shikellamy-Acorn rolls past Snyder County in Major Division action
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