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ALEXANDRIA -- Trailing by three entering its last at-bat, Juniata Valley rallied for two runs but couldn't muster any more in a 5-4 season-ending loss to Homer-Center in District 6 Class 1A semifinal action on Friday afternoon.
The top-seeded Green Hornets fell into a 4-1 deficit as the fifth-seeded Wildcats put up one run in the top of the first and three more in the second.
JV tied the score at 1-1 when Robert Hess was walked by HC pitcher Dom Shimko with the bases loaded to allow Elijah Johns to cross the plate.
The Hornets pulled within one run in the bottom of the fifth as Johns once again came in on a Nate Rodkey single to left field to get JV within 4-2.
Homer-Center bagged the eventual winning run in the top of the seventh the Hornets' Kyler Spurlin hit Brayden Rado with a pitch when the bases were loaded. Drew Fisher was forced home to make the score 5-2 Wildcats.
With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Hess singled, Blake Harbst and Ethan Wright walked on back-to-back at-bats to load the bases.
Logan Harpster grounded into a fielder's choice but pushed Hess across the plate in the process to make it 5-3.
With two outs, Ethan Scalia singled to center, and Wright took advantage of an error by Wildcat centerfielder Connor Deyarmin to come around to touch the plate to set the final score.
Homer-Center will play Claysburg-Kimmel in the championship game on Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Mount Aloysius College.
Spurlin led the Juniata Valley offense with three hits, while Scalia delivered two and Johns scored twice.
HOMER-CENTER (5): Rado c 321, Budner ss 311, Shimko p 201, Turk rf 300, Fisher lf 411, Dunn 3b 501, Deyarmin cf 110, Zerfoss 1b 401, Shoup 2b 101. Totals -- 26-5-7.
JUNIATA VALLEY (4): Scalia p 402, Johns ss 421, Spurlin 3b 403, Dick 1b 300, Rodkey cf 301, Hess rf 211, Boyd 2b 301, Harbst p 000, Wright c 210, Mease c 100, Harpster 400. Totals -- 30-4-9.
SCORE BY INNINGS
Homer-Center 130 000 1--5 7 3
Juniata Valley 100 010 2--4 9 1
E--Deyarmin, Zerfoss, Budner, Johns. 2B--Shimko. RBI--Rado 2, Budner, Shimko, Fisher, Rodkey, Hess, Harpster. WP--Budner. LP--Spurlin. SO--Shimko 3, Budner 3, Scalia 3, Spurlin 2. BB--Shimko 4, Budner 3, Scalia 2, Spurlin 3.
Records: Homer-Center (13-9); Juniata Valley (14-7).