By RAY WILDE
Sports correspondent
BELLTOWN — Strodes Mills’ Joel Beamer did some hitting and did some pitching and it was enough of both to help his team to a 5-4 win over Belltown Tuesday night in a key game in the Mifflin County Babe Ruth League.
The win kept pace with Reedsville for the top spot in the league. Reedsville, which beat McVeytown, is now 11-1, while Strodes is second at 10-3.
Belltown led 3-2 after three innings. Michael McNitt started for Strodes, but Evan Strohecker came in to pitch in the third with no outs and the bases loaded. He gave up a base hit that scored two runs off Logan Baumgardner. But after that, he allowed just one run on two hits. He retired eight men in a row from the fifth to the seventh inning. Strohecker finished with six strikeouts and got the win.
Beamer came in to pitch in the seventh with two outs. Belltown got two men on and runners on second and third, before he got the final out to pop up to third base.
Beamer finished with two hits. He knocked in two runs in the third and he had a base hit RBI that tied the game in the fifth, 4-4.
Strodes finished with 10 hits. Evan Strohecker, Jaxson Strohecker, Ezra Beamer and Joel Beamer each had two hits. Jaxson Strohecker and Kayden Hook each had doubles.
Belltown had only five hits and Logan Ruth had an RBI single in the first inning for a 1-0 lead.
Kaden Baker made a fine defensive play from second base for Belltown in the second inning.
Reedsville 13, McVeytown 3
MILROY – Reedsville rolled to another big win with a 13-3 victory over McVeytown. The game ended after five innings due to the 10-run rule.
Madden Weaver was the winning pitcher for Reedsville as he went deep into the fifth inning. Weaver struck out 10, walked two and gave up two hits. Carter Smith closed out the game for the league leaders.
Reedsville finished with 13 hits. Five players had multiple hits, Weaver, Gavin Powell, Austin McKnight, Zander Lawson and Nate Parkes. Weaver, Lawson and Parkes each had doubles.
McVeytown had three hits with Elliott Yetter getting two and Carson Cherry getting the other.
Beaver Springs 12, Milroy 2
BEAVER SPRINGS – Beaver Springs (8-4) moved into fourth place with a 12-2 win over Milroy.
The game ended after five innings due to the 10-run rule.
Braxton Smith went the distance for Springs. He had six strikeouts, walked two and gave up six hits.
Milroy had two multiple hitters in Blaze Shreffler and Karl Shirey with two each.
Beaver Springs had 10 hits with Colten Aumiller, a rookie, picking up two triples and Noah Wert getting two hits, including a double.
Burnham 4, Lewistown 2
LEWISTOWN — It was a pitching duel between Burnham and Lewistown. Burnham’s Chase Leister and Lewistown’s Chase Hartung battled for most of the game before Burnham won, 4-2.
Leister went five and one third innings. He gave up three hits, struck out seven and walked one. Fletcher Wilson finished the game and got the save. Hartung was just as strong as he went into the seventh. He struck out eight, walked three and gave up six hits.
Burnham scored three runs in the top of the fifth and Lewistown responded with two in the bottom of the inning. Burnham picked up an insurance run in the seventh.
The winners had seven hits with Jayden Smith and Wilson each getting two. Smith and Liam Shaffer each had doubles and they both came in the fifth inning when Burnham scored three times.
Hartung had two hits for Lewistown and Max Yoder and Landon Bowen each had one.
Burnham, which hasn’t played since May 24, is now 9-3 and is in third place.
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