Johnstown, PA scored three times in the first and never trailed, rolling past Manchester, NH, 10-3, in a World Series game delayed by Friday’s storms. Ben Kormanski doubled in one run, then scored on a two-run double by Lucas Oleksa. The Host Area champions sent 11 batters to the plate in the sixth, crushing a late rally by the East Zone qualifier. Noah Durham’s two-run single had pulled Manchester to within 5-3 in the fifth. Aaron Smearman got the win, allowing just one run over 3.2 innings. Oleksa, Kormanski and Connor Jones all finished with a pair of RBI for Johnstown. The winners advance to play Brownsville TX in Sunday’s winners bracket. Manchester faces San Jose, CA in the tournament’s first elimination game Sunday at noon.
Juliomar Campos singled with two out in the fifth, scoring Eliel Ramos with the game-winning run as Bayamon PR downed Bay County MI, 3-2. Bay County got a solo home run from Talan Debo in the top of the first but saw the Caribbean champions get an RBI single from Joniel Cuadrado and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Argenis Garay to take the lead. Debo walked in the fourth and scored on Jaxon Jenkins’ base hit tying the score before Bayamon went in front an inning later. In the top of the sixth, Bay County put two on with one out. Kingston Dufort singled to right but Alejandro Mujica started a 9-3-2 to cut down the lead runner at the plate and protect the lead. Bayamon advances to the winners bracket Sunday night (8 pm) while Bay County will play to stay in the tournament late Sunday afternoon (5:30 pm).
Washington County scored twice in the first, then loaded the bases with nobody out in the third but did not score. Youngstown exploded with a nine-run fourth, sending 13 batter to the plate. The Hosts didn’t have another hit in the game and managed only one more baserunner. A bases-loaded fielders choice got the Host Area runner-up on the board, then a wild pitch tied the game 2-2. Later in the frame, Anthony Triveri stroked a two-run single, Jackson Cheeks and Hunter Gavin followed by driving in runs, Carter Wilson and Dom Cubellis added run-scoring doubles before Washington County could stop the attack. Washington County drops into the elimination bracket late Sunday afternoon while Youngstown moves to the winners bracket Sunday night.
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