The Upper Perk Kiwanis Youth Legion team lived up to its billing as the No. 1 seed in the Berks County League playoffs by posting three straight wins to qualify for the title round, overcoming a challenge from the Boyertown Bear-Cubs.
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Upper Perk's Liam Weiss slide home safel against the
Shillington Dodgers last weekend in the Berks County
Youth League playoffs.
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Against the Bear-Cubs, Liam Weiss' two-run single lifted the Braves to a 6-5 walk-off victory on Monday. The following day, Benjamin Godshall pitched them to victory in the winners' bracket final.
Godshall allowed just two hits and four walks in a 2-0 win over Daniel Boone on Tuesday for Upper Perk, which registered its 17th consecutive victory.
The team was scheduled to take on Hamburg on Wednesday in a throwaway game. The championship round will commence the following day.
Regardless of the outcome of that tournament, the defending state champion Braves (24-4) are hosting a state regional tournament at Bonekemper Field that kicks off on Friday, July 19.
On Tuesday against the Mavriks, Godshall registered six strikeouts. At the plate, Upper Perk managed just four hits, scoring twice in the bottom of the first inning.
Evan Sands and Nathan Schramm combined to steal five bases in the first inning. Sands scored the first run, from third, on an error. Schramm's steal of home capped the rally.
On Monday, the Braves needed some seventh-inning heroics to overcome a 5-3 deficit against Boyertown and remain undefeated in league play.
Weiss' hit, off Gianni Costello, capped a three-run rally after Schramm's sacrifice fly had brought the team within 5-4.
Benjamin Sands tossed 2 2/3 innings in relief to earn the victory for Upper Perk, which overcame six errors to advance to the tournament's winners' bracket final round. He allowed two hits while striking out three.
Weiss delivered two hits for the Braves, who trailed 4-1 midway through the fifth inning. Zachary Adam and Godshall each scored two runs. Adam stole four bases, while Godshall swiped three.
Mason Reinert and Chase Artim each registered two hits for the Bear-Cubs, who added a single run in the top of the seventh inning to extend a 4-3 lead. Artim scored twice.
Over the weekend, the Braves utilized a fourth-inning rally to beat Shillington, 10-0, in five innings during the opening round of the playoffs. Grayson Sabo and Zachary Adam each drove in two runs during a six-run outburst. Sabo's triple capped the flurry.
Sabo earned the mound victory with four shutout innings to extend Upper Perk's winning streak to 15 games. He worked around one hit and six walks, throwing 71 pitches.
Upper Perk (22-4) made the most of five hits and six Dodger errors. Godshall, Ryan Cairns and Adam each stole two bases.
The Braves completed their undefeated run through the league's regular season last week with a dominant road victory over the Boyertown Grizzlies. They stole 12 bases in a 13-1 win on Wednesday, July 3.
Aiden Zuelch earned the mound victory, allowing just one unearned run and one hit. He walked three and struck out four.
Schramm and Corbin Engle each paced Upper Perk with two hits and two RBIs. Callen Schantz contributed two hits, scored two runs and stole three bases.
Engle drove in two runs with a single in the bottom of the first inning to stake his team to a 5-0 lead. Schramm, Grayson Sabo and Weiss each delivered an RBI hit during the inning.