Bushy Run American Legion completed a goal Wednesday by winning its first Region 7 tournament. It was the third consecutive trip to the finals.
“The third time was the charm,” Bushy Run coach Scott Peyman said after his team defeated rival Murrysville, 4-3, in the finals at Claysburg.
Now it advances to the state tournament at Wexford, which is being hosted by Murrysville, for the first time.
Bushy Run and Murrysville had split their four previous meetings. Bushy Run used a four-run second inning and then held on for the win.
Murrysville threatened in the top of the seventh inning. It scored a run and had runners on first and second with one out. But Rob Andrews got Nolan Boehm to fly out into a double play to end the game.
Bushy Run grabbed a 4-1 lead in the second inning when Jonny Lovre and Colton Tyburski walked. Anthony Monroe singled to load the bases.
Brody Hoffman drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly, David Newsom singled home the second run and Chuck Fontana doubled home two more.
“We had a lot of guys who didn’t play a lot this summer step up big,” Peyman said. “Everyone who played contributed.”
Some of the players who came up big were Hoffman, Newsom, Tyburski and Nico Casciato.
Newsom and Fontana had two hits, each, and Carmen Metcalfe doubled.
Cole Brinker had a double and single for Murrysville. Ryan Catello had two hits.
Westmoreland County will have three teams in the state tournament. Belle Vernon won the Region 6 title.
The state tournament begins Saturday at North Allegheny.
Trafford Juniors win regional
Bryce Ruby, Nathan Rattigan and Evan Gigliotti drove in two runs each, and Trafford defeated Indiana’s S.W. Jack, 10-8, to win the Pennsylvania American Legion Junior Western Regional late Tuesday.
Caleb Kerstetter had three hits and scored three runs in the win. Kerstetter had two doubles and scored a run. Gigliotti had two hits.
Trafford heads to the state tournament beginning Saturday at Homer City.
It will play Sunbury Norry 1 p.m. at First Commonwealth Field.
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West Points blanks Maryland
Jayelyn Luft and Lexi Stabile combined on a one-hit shutout, and West Point advanced to the Little League Mid-Atlantic Championship with a 3-0 victory against Brunswick, Md.
Twin sister Jocelyn Luft singled home the game’s first run.
Jayelyn Luft had three hits. She worked into the fifth inning, striking out five. Stabile worked the final two innings, striking out one and not allowing a hit.
Morgan Maiers had three stolen bases.
West Points boys split
The West Point 10U Little League team squeezed out a 2-1 victory against East Side at the state tournament at Back Mountain Little League in Dallas.
West Point took a 1-0 lead when Dominic Bova tripled and scored on a Fin Walker single.
After East Side tied the score, West Point plated the winning run when Logan Bender walked, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Charles Saunders and scored on a hit by Carter Finley.
Finley earned the save, and Lucas Henry claimed the win by pitching the first five innings.
West Point will face Council Rock Newton 3 p.m. Thursday.
At Newville, the West Point 12U team dropped a 3-2 decision to Tri-Town.
West Point will face Coventry 4 p.m. Thursday.
Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.