Facing elimination Sunday in the Pennsylvania Youth Legion Upper Perkiomen Eastern Regional Tournament, the host Braves played loose and relaxed, according to Manager Perry Breyer.

     "They really settled in," he said. "Everything seemed to come together. It's the way I expected them to play all year."

     Upper Perk rebounded from an opening round loss Saturday night to post a 19-3, five-inning victory over Abington VFW on Sunday at Bonekemper Field. The following day, the team snapped a 1-1 tie against Beech Creek on an RBI single by Chalmers Stroup in the top of the sixth inning. 

     "I thought we had it," Braves first baseman Garrett Perlstein said. "We were hitting the ball and making the plays. I really thought we were going to win."

     But in the bottom of the sixth inning Monday, Beech Creek scored twice to rally for a 3-2 victory. Ross Glossner and pinch hitter A.J. Smith delivered consecutive run-scoring hits off Upper Perk pitcher Jaydon Young.

     Perlstein finished with two hits and scored both runs for Upper Perk (6-20), which finished with three hits.

     Breyer identified three questionable calls by the two-man umpire crew, all of which favored the West Branch League champions, in his team's season-ending loss. Two of the calls, which came on plays at first base, helped Beech Creek rally from a 2-1 deficit. One call, in the top of the sixth, helped limit the Braves to just one run.

     Mahlik Houtz legged out an infield hit leading off the bottom of the sixth inning for Beech Creek. However, Breyer argued vociferously that the throw on his ground ball beat the runner to first base. Two hitters later, Houtz sco   red the tying run on a single by Ross Glossner. The Braves claimed that Houtz failed to touch third base on his way home, but their appeal was rejected.  "It's unfortunate that the game had to come down to the judgement of an umpire," Breyer said.

     The host Braves opened the tournament with a 13-2 loss to Plains on Saturday, July 23. Post 558, the No. 2 seed from the Wyoming Valley League, scored once in the first inning and five times in the second inning to build an early 6-0 advantage.

     "We committed too many errors," Hunter Gooch said.

     Macauley Swenk and Jaydon Young scored the runs for Upper Perk, which finished with seven hits.

     Manager Perry Breyer said he didn't know how the Braves would bounce back for Sunday's elimination round game against Abington.  "It was a rough one," said Breyer, who added that his players were feeling the pressure of competing in the tournament. "I told them their destiny was in their own hands. It was up to them how long they wanted to keep playing."

     The following afternoon, Upper Perk responded to post its best offensive game of the season in a 19-3, five-inning victory over Abington.

     Justin Wornham finished with two hits and scored three runs. Bobby Lynch drove in three runs. Swenk scored three times for the Braves, who batted around in the initial two innings.

     Taking advantage of 12 walks, Upper Perk registered four runs in the first inning and 10 in the second off Abington starting pitcher Zach Allen and reliever Nick Davenport.

     Zach Rosanki worked a bases-loaded walk in each of the innings for the Braves.

     "We got a lot of help," Breyer said. "We did the right thing by showing discipline at the plate and forcing their pitchers to throw strikes."

     Meanwhile, Gooch went the distance on the mound. He allowed three runs on 10 hits while registering six strikeouts.  "I thought I pitched pretty well," Gooch said.

     According to Breyer, Gooch had control of all his pitches.  "Hunter pitched well," the manager said. "He was consistently around the strike zone. That's all I can ask for."

     On Monday against Beech Creek, Young, the Upper Perk starting pitcher, allowed a run in the first. But he pitched out of trouble in three consecutive innings before retiring the side in order in the fifth inning. Meanwhile, Stroup's bases-loaded walk.