Doylestown tops Spring City to claim State Legion title
After the trophy had been handed out and all the picWuUHV finDOOy WDNHn, 5yDn Gilbert was able to fully appreciate what Doylestown accomplished Saturday afternoon.
“It’s like the only time, probably, in my career, I’ll ever get this experience,” he said. “It’s a wonderful feeling.”
Trailing 5-3 in the eighth, WKH 7LJHUV VFoUHG fiYH WLPHV in the top of the inning and went on to defeat Spring City 8-5 to claim the Pennsylvania American Legion State Tournament champi- onship at Bear Stadium.
“Winning states, proving you’re the best team in Pennsylvania, it’s something awesome,” Doylestown’s Marty Martens said.
Gilbert went 3-for-4 with Dn 5B, DnG D Uun VFoUHG, while Martens went 2-for-5 ZLWK Dn 5B,, Uun VFoUHG DnG also collected the save as he was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament. Doylestown’s state title is WKH fiUVW IoU D Bux-0onW WHDP since Nor-Gwyn in 2005.
The Tigers (35-7-2F were GoZn 5-1 DIWHU fiYH LnnLnJV, but scored twice in the sixth to get within two. In the HLJKWK, GLOEHUW’V 5B, VLnJOH made it 5-4. After a walk to Joe Monaghan loaded the bases, Doylestown took the lead for good as two runs VFoUHG ZKHn 5yDn COoZ OHJJHG ouW Dn LnfiHOG VLnJOH DnG FoOOLGHG ZLWK fiUVW EDVHman Cody Clarke.
“He hits a ground ball to the shortstop and he’s flyLnJ GoZn WKH EDVHOLnH, turned that whole inning around, turned the whole game around. Changed the whole complexion,” said Doylestown coach Steve 5uDnH oU COoZ’V EDVH KLW. “And that’s what you have to do. You don’t have to hit WKH fiYH-Uun KoPHU, EuW you got to hustle all the time.”
Martens and Dylan Glassmire followed with consecu
tive RBI singles for a three-run lead, which the Tigers maintained the rest of WhH wDy WR finLVh WhH WRurnDment 5-0. Doylestown has now won 22 of its last 23 games.
Both Doylestown and Spring City (33-12) — which needed to beat the Tigers twice Saturday for its second state title in three years — advance to the MidAtlantic Regional, which begins Thursday at Owls Field at Ted Palka Park in West Lawn. Spring City faces the Maryland champion at 12:30 p.m., while Doylestown takes on Delaware champ Stahl Post at 4 p.m.
The Tigers are making their second appearance this postseason in West Lawn after winning the Region 2 tournament there July 25.
Doylestown starter Jason Goldberg earned the win, JLYLnJ uS fiYH runV — DOO earned — on 10 hits in seven-plus innings. He walked four and struck out one. The victory was the second at states for Goldberg, who was given the tournament’s pitching award.
“I’ll tip my cap to this team (Spring City), they’re a good-hitting ball club,” Goldberg said. “I had better VWuII WhDn , GLG WhH firVW JDPH (7uHVGDy DJDLnVW HHPSfiHOG East), but they just put the bat on the ball. They did their job, they put the ball in play. You know, that timely hit, second and third, that’s going to happen.
“I had faith in my teammates, I had faith in our hitters. They really earned that win, not me today. My hitters earned the win.”
Martens got the save as he did not give up a hit, struck out two and walked one in two innings.
For Doylestown, Matt Hanson was 2-for-3 with an RBI double before leaving the game with a hand injury in the sixth. Brennan Snyder was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two run scored.
Martens and Gilbert shared the tournament hitting award, as both batted .500 during the 7LJHrV’ fiYH JDPHV.
Clarke went 2-for-5 with a double and run scored, while David Gulati was 3-for-4 with an RBI double and scored twice for the Red Sox.
Spring City starter Tyler Eckman took the loss, giving up eight runs — all earned — Rn 14 hLWV Ln 7⅔ LnnLnJV. He walked four and struck out two.
“I felt like we were hitting him (Eckman) very well early,” Gilbert said. “But pretty much (the) ball started falling in the right spots and everyone just started driving in more runs.”
Spring City took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second as Tom Grablewski and Gulati scored on Cory Rantz’s two-RBI single.
The Tigers made it a onerun contest as Snyder came home on a wild pitch in the third. The Red Sox, however, posted three runs in the fiIWh WR JR uS 4-1. )ROORwLnJ GrDEOHwVNL’V 5B, VDFrLfiFH fly WR FHnWHr, GuODWL VFRrHG Clarke with his double to left. Vince Ianni’s RBI single put the Red Sox ahead by three.
Doylestown cut the margin to 5-3 after scoring twice in the sixth on a Hanson RBI double and Snyder’s RBI single.