DUBOIS — Double was the word of the day for the Punxsy Major League (11/12) All-Stars on Friday at DuBois. Despite the fact that doubles are usually associated with two-base hits in baseball, Punxsy had just one such double against its host, but in the final three innings, the guests doubled their lead — from one run to two in the fourth; from two to four runs in the fifth; and from four to eight in the sixth inning — to earn an 8-0 victory and advance to Tuesday's winners' bracket final against Brookville.
Punxsy will get to host Tuesday's game, which will be played at 6 p.m.
Punxsy starter Jake Sikora was dominant on the hill for five-plus shutout innings until his pitch count maxed out, allowing just three hits and issuing three free passes (two walks and a hit batsman) and striking out six. Then, Coy Martino came on to close things out and got three ground balls that turned into outs to keep DuBois off the board and secure the shutout.
Offensively, Martino and Jimmie Neese powered the Punxsy attack, with Martino tripling and adding a two-RBI single in the top of the sixth, while Neese doubled and tallied a two-run single in the fifth frame. Sikora also helped his own cause by picking up a pair of hits, adding one walk and tallying an RBI, and Porter Wood and Gage Gresock each had one hit and one RBI for the winners, while Cooper Hallman and Zach Presloid contributed one hit apiece.