UNIVERSITY PARK — For the second consecutive year, the Bald Eagle Area baseball team finished at the top of the PIAA Class AA mountain.
The Eagles locked up their second consecutive state championship with a late-inning surge to defeat Tri-Valley 11-3 on Thursday at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.
The top of the Eagles’ order set the tone for the game as Kahale Burns and Gavin Burns both finished with three hits each. Kahale Burns scored four times during the win, while Gavin Burns tallied a game high three RBI.
Teammates Carson Nagle and Westin McClain both pounded out two hits each. The four had 10 of the Eagles’ 11 hits in the morning contest. Brayden Dubbs posted a two-run double for the other hit.
Picking up the win for the Eagles was McClain, going sixth and two-thirds innings and giving up three runs while scattering eight hits and striking out five.
Taking the loss for the Bulldogs was Caden Leonard.
Designated as the visitors, the Eagles got started with a run in the first. Kahale Burns got things started with a double then scored on a Gavin Burns single.
The game remained that way until the bottom of the third. Tri-Valley tied things as the game went into the fourth.
However, the Eagles flicked a switch on its offense and the runs started to accrue in a hurry. In the fifth, the Bald Eagle bats exploded for five to take back the lead and give themselves a little cushion for its defense.
Cam Watkins led off the inning with a walk and Kahale Burns was hit by a pitch, putting two runs on base still with nobody out.
Both moved up a base via a passed ball, and Gavin Burns singled again to bring in Watkins. On the play, Kahale Burns scored on an error by the Bulldogs and Gavin Burns moved up to second.
Gavin Burns made it 4-1 as he scored on two passed balls.
Nagle kept things going as he tripled to left field. Dubbs followed by reaching on a Bulldog miscue and Nagle scored to extend the Eagles’ lead.
McClain doubled in Dubbs to give his team a comfortable 6-1 advantage.
Bald Eagle added four more in the top of the sixth and Tri-Valley plated two in the bottom half of the inning to narrow the Eagles’ lead to 10-3.
Offensively, the Eagles had one more run left in them, scoring Kaden Burns to go ahead by eight runs.
That would all the defending champs would need, downing the Bulldogs in the seventh without a run. And the celebration began.
The Eagles finished the season with a 25-2 record and most importantly the title of being the best of the best in Class AA.
Their two-year run will not soon be forgotten and placed them in rare air in the long distinguished history of Bald Eagle baseball.
This article first appeared on Hometown Sports Scene and is republished here with permission.
