PHILIPSBURG — Dylan Crunick’s home run in Game 2 of the District 5 Little League championship series was just a hint about what he and his Bellefonte teammates were about to do in the final game against Philipsburg.
Bellefonte launched an assault on the fences at Philipsburg’s Little League Field on Sunday night in the championship game, smashed six homers — two by Crunick, two by Greg Watson, and one each by Ethan Corman and Evan Wincek — on the way to a 14-7 victory and its first District 5 Championship since 2005.
Crunick, who also pitched a complete game for Bellefonte, hit his first homer in the top of the third inning to tie the game at 4-4 and then he connected with a grand slam in the fourth that gave his team a commanding 9-4 lead.
As District 5 champions, Bellefonte now travels to Camp Hill for the Regional Little League Championships beginning Saturday against a team yet to be determined.
“I was just trying to get some runs in to help me out pitching,” Crunick said of his grand slam, “and I got a pitch pretty much down the middle. I got a hold of it and it went out. It felt pretty good to have that lead going back to pitching. It helped me out and I began to relax a little bit.”
“I was actually surprised that they didn’t walk Dylan at that point, even with the bases loaded,” Bellefonte coach Larry Horner said. “I guess they didn’t know Dylan like I do, and I’m surprised they didn’t walk him and take the one and move on.”
In all, Bellefonte lashed out 15 hits, and they were all necessary because Philipsburg amassed enough offense to win most games. Philipsburg struck 14 hits, including home runs by Logan Williamson and Nick Conklin, and held a 4-2 lead before finally bowing to the onslaught by Bellefonte.
Bellefonte didn’t wait to get its offense started as it had in the two previous games and took a first-inning lead of 3-0 after RBI singles by Joey Dellaquilla, Warefield and Watson.
Philipsburg came back with an RBI single by Caleb Belinda in the bottom of the first and then a two-run single by Williamson in the second to tie the game at 3-3. Williamson later scored on an error to give Philipsburg a 4-3 lead going into the third inning.
Crunick immediately connected to tie the game at 4-4, and then two outs later Watson hit his first home run to give Bellefonte a lead it would not relinquish.
“I was in a slump coming into the game and having two home runs and a sacrifice fly is just amazing, especially in a big game like this,” Watson said. “And our team this game was pumped up and ready to go.”
In the fourth for Bellefonte, Alex Horner led off with a walk, and Hunter Homan and Jon Kerschner followed with singles to load the bases with Crunick due up.
After taking a ball and two strikes, Crunick hit a monstrous homer that cleared the fence and all the fans’ cars that surrounded the field and landed far into the parking lot. Bellefonte’s lead was now at 9-4, but it was still not done. Corman followed Crunick with an inside-the-park home run that sailed over the center fielder and then bounced away as he circled the bases, and , one out later, Watson connected for his second homer and a big 11-4 Bellefonte lead.
“I don’t know where they were the first game on Friday, but the last two games our bats were there,” Horner said. “I was confident that we could hit any of the pitchers that Philipsburg had left, and then today Crunick’s grand slam really opened things up.”
Wincek’s homer in the fifth made the score 12-4, but Conklin homered in the bottom of the frame for a 12-5 score.
Bellefonte added two more in the sixth on a ground out RBI and a sacrifice fly before Williamson set the final score at 14-7 with a long two-run shot in the sixth.
“I think it is cool that we won this championship, but I think it is important that we keep going, keep playing as hard as we did in these last two games. I think we came out today with the right attitude.”
“This feels amazing,” Watson added, “My brother was on the team that won it a long time ago (2005), now to win one myself feels amazing.”
