1982 District Tournament

Little League All-Star Rosters. (1982, July 13). Centre Daily Times, p14.

Little League All-Star Rosters

Bellefonte

Mid-State Bank - Ross Thal, Greg Nau, Andy Houser and Robert Gillespie. Lions Club - Paul McClure, Cris Reese, Todd Hosterman, Tory Hosterman and Todd Hardy. Plumb's Drugs - Matt Lessman and Brian Murray. Undine Fire Company - Tim Fortney and Mike Mitchell. Knights of Columbus - Joe Rider. Manager - Dave Smith. Coach - Greg Thal.

Gildea, D. (1982, July 15). Defense, Pitching Leads Bellefonte Stars to Win. Centre Daily Times, p23. 

Defense, Pitching Leads Bellefonte Stars to Win

Bellefonte combined solid defense and pitching with some power to score a 6-1 win over visiting Tri-County in a District 5 Little League Tournament game yesterday.

The victors now face State College Suburban, a 9-6 winner over Lewistown tomorrow in the double-elimination tourney.

Bellefonte broke open a scoreless game in the top of the third inning (Bellefonte was declared the visiting team) when Tim Fortney drilled a three-run home run over the leftfield fence.

“The league has had more power this year than its had in a long time, said Bellefonte Coach Dave Smith. “Tim Fortney led the league in homers.”

Bellefonte increased its lead in the next inning. Winning pitcher Greg Nau ripped a ground double down the leftfield line, and he scored on Ross Thal’s single up the middle. Catcher Andy Houser followed with a blast over the left-centerfield fence to make it 6-0 against Tri-County pitcher Dave Robison.

Tri-County broke Nau’s shutout in the sixth. With one out Todd Speary singled to center and advanced to second on an error by the centerfielder. Rick Peterson followed with a hard shot to left that scored Speary.

Nau got out of the inning with a strikeout and a fly to center.

“Greg did a nice job,” Smith said. ” We feel we have a good enough defense to play against anybody. We want a pitcher in there throws strikes, and we rely on our defense. That’s what we want in every game.” Tri-County got to Nau for five hits, while Bellefonte had six hits off Robison. The two home proved to be the difference. Nau didn’t walk a single batter and recorded eight strikeouts.

Carlson, J. (1982, July 16). Suburban Rolls, 12-2. Centre Daily Times, p17. 

Suburban Rolls, 12-2

The best way to describe last night’s District 5 Little League All-Star lower tier semifinal game between State College Suburban and Bellefonte was that a coaching move made by Suburban Manger Wayne Prisk was a gamble that paid off.

Prisk said he saved the ace of the All-Star pitching staff, Mike Sproul, for Bellefonte, and took a chance Wenesday night by throwing the second and third best pitchers.

Suburban survived a scare Wednesday by Lewistown but last night had no problem with Bellefonte, as Sproul tossed a four-hitter and Suburban cracked 14 hits in a 12-2 win.

Suburban will play at its home field Monday night against Nittany in the lower tier winner’s bracket.

Sproul, a sizeable 12-year old, struck out six and walked just three, as his team staked him to a 3-1 first -inning lead.

“He’s really not overpowering,” Prisk said of Sproul, “but he’s consistent. He’s played for me for three years and just this year he started mixing his pitches.”

Meanwhile, Bellefonte was mixing pitchers as Suburban went through three of them. Losing pitcher Todd Hardy gave up three runs on two hits and two errors in the opening inning as Suburban scored on a throwing error, an RBI single by centerfielder Tim Kulka and a sacrifice fly by first baseman Jeff Kolakowski. Chris Kerr singled in Darren Moriarity, who had doubled, for a run in the second inning.

Bellefonte relieved Hardy with Tim Fortney, but Suburban greeted him with six runs on six hits. Kulka and Kolakowski opened with bunt singles and were plated on a single by Moriarity, whos was 3 for 4, and a throwing error, respectively. Chris Kerr, Matt McClellan and Kevin Curtis, who doubled, were responsible for the other four runs.

Bellefonte’s Mike Mitchell gave up two more runs in the sixth, while Chris Reese homered in the bottom of the final inning for Bellefonte’s second run.

Suburban’s defense turned one double play and had center fielder Kulka make two beautiful diving catches in the outfield gaps.

“We’ve practiced harder than any team I’ve been involved with,” Prisk beamed. “An example was that double play; we’ve been working hard ant it’s been paying off. There are no superstars on this team,” he concluded. “We could put in any boy.”

On the other side of the field sat Bellefonte Manager Dave Smith, who felt that his squad didn’t “play as well as we possible could.” Said Smith, “We’ve had better nights.”

Smith added that he feels Bellefonte an “bounce back” tonight against Pleasant Gap (at Bellefonte at 6) in a loser’s bracket game.

Smith said Greg Nau, the pitcher in Wednesday night’s win over Tri-County, is considered to be the team’s best, “but we had confidence in the guys we came back with tonight. We didn’t play good defense tonight and perhaps that’s because of Suburban’s aggressiveness.”

Bellefonte would have to be aggressive enough to win five straight games, now that it is in the loser’s bracket.

Kulka and McClellan complemented Moriarity’s three-hit effort with two hits apiece for Suburban, while Fortney cracked two for Bellefonte. – Jim Carlson

Little League Playoffs. (1982, July 17). Centre Daily Times, p13.

Pleasant Gap 10 Bellefonte 0

Pleasant Gap unleashed a 17-hit attack to eliminate Bellefonte from the District 5 Little League Tournament yesterday 10-0.

Jeff Burris hit a two-run home run in a six-run fifth for the victores, and Sam Corrigan nailed a two-run homer in the sixth to sew up the win.

Pleasant Gap pitcher Larry Walker allowed Bellefonte just three hits while Walker hat three himself in as many appearances at the plate.

Dave Chrissman and Mike Tressler also had three safeties for the Gap.

Pleasant Gap now 1-1 in the double elimination tournament, tangles next with the winner of the Tri-County vs A. R. Rook of Lewistown game which is set for Monday.