On Monday, July 21, as WWN was heading to press, Hagerstown defeated Jasper 6-2 in a final four game, a win that sends the team to the state championship game against Brownsburg on Tuesday, July 22.
Check back to WesternWayneNews.com and in future print editions for the latest coverage of this team’s exciting run.
Here’s our coverage of the games leading up to the final four:
July 17: Win vs. Chet Waggoner
The Hagerstown Little League team had to work overtime in their state tournament opener against Chet Waggoner Little League on Thursday, July 17, but they battled back to pull out a 3-2 win. Even though they consistently out-hit Chet Waggoner, they left runners stranded and trailed 1-0 after four innings.
With their backs against the wall, the boys in purple scored a single run in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game and the score remained deadlocked at the end of regulation.
Under Little League rules, if the game goes to extra innings, the team at bat starts the seventh inning with a runner at second base. Chet Waggoner scored on consecutive ground outs to take a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh inning.
Palmer Ward started as the runner on second base for Hagerstown in the bottom of the seventh, quickly moved to third base on a wild pitch, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Jase Cowan. Owen Hale and Corbyn Harrison followed with back-to-back singles. Corbin Bulmer followed with a hard-hit ball. An errant throw to first base allowed Hale to score the winning run.
Quinn Schlotterbeck started the game on the mound for Hagerstown and left after delivering 38 pitches. Jase Cowan came on in relief and also left after 38 pitches. Kenlan Sherwood finished the game and got credit for the win. The trio combined to hold Chet Waggoner to only four hits.
Chet Waggoner 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2
Hagerstown 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 3
Hagerstown hits: Bulmer, Cowan, Harrison, Jace Hale, Owen Hale, Adam Murphy, Schlotterbeck, Sherwood
July 19: Loss to Jasper
The Hagerstown Little League played perennial power Jasper in pool play on Saturday, July 19, at the Chet Waggoner Little League facility in South Bend for the right to stay in the winner’s bracket of the double elimination tournament. The two evenly matched teams battled to a 1-1 tie through three innings before Jasper exploded for four runs in the top of the fourth inning to take the lead for good. Hagerstown battled back but fell short, losing 6-3.
Hagerstown outhit Jasper nine to seven, but they also committed two errors and stranded six base runners. With his team trailing 5-1, Owen Hale led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a solo home run, but Hagerstown could never move closer.
With the loss, Hagerstown was forced to play on short rest, facing a rematch with Chet Waggoner on Sunday, July 20, in an elimination game.
Jasper 1 0 0 4 0 1 6
Hagerstown 1 0 0 1 0 1 3
Jasper hits: James Cook, Cam Eiler, Ben Ernie (2), Crew Ernie, Brady Ware, Will Werner — Hagerstown hits: Brady Brown, Corbin Bulmer, Jace Hale, Owen Hale, Corbyn Harrison, Quinn Schlotterbeck (2), Palmer Ward
July 20: Win vs. Chet Waggonner
There are four teams left in the Little League state tournament, and one of the four is Hagerstown. Hagerstown came back from a late-game deficit to defeat Chet Waggoner 5-3 on Sunday, July 20, to move to the Pool “B” final game. The Pool “B” title game, to be played on Monday, July 21, will be a rematch with Jasper for the right to play for the state championship on Tuesday, July 22, against the winner of the Pool “A” game between Brownsburg and Silver Creek. What was a double elimination tournament now becomes a single elimination tournament.
Through four innings Sunday, it looked bleak for Hagerstown. The boys in purple had base runners but they could not drive them across the plate. The second inning was a shining example of their dilemma. The first three batters singled to load the bases with no outs. They were all stranded. Hagerstown stranded six runners and trailed 2-0 entering the bottom of the fifth inning.
The bottom of the Hagerstown batting order stepped to the forefront in the crucial fifth inning.
Displaying a refuse-to-lose attitude the Nos. 7, 8 and 9 batters all produced base hits. The No. 10 hitter reached on an error, the No. 11 batter singled and the No. 12 batter greeted a new pitcher with a hard hit ball that drove in a run that gave Hagerstown a 5-2 lead with one inning to play.
Chet Waggoner scored a single in the top of the sixth inning but it was too little, too late, and Hagerstown moved on.
Kenlan Sherwood turned in a masterful complete game performance to pick up the win. Hagerstown collected 12 base hits, and Chet Waggoner collected eight.
Chet Waggoner 0 1 1 0 0 1 3
Hagerstown 0 0 0 0 5 x 5
Chet Waggoner hits: Trey Christie (2), Damion Green (2), Carter Hostetler, Kalen Snyder, Chase Yates (2) — Hagerstown hits: Brady Brown (2), Corbin Bulmer, Jase Cowan, Jace Hale, Owen Hale (2), Corbyn Harrison, Kenlan Sherwood, Andy Tinkle (2), Palmer Ward
A version of this article will appear in the July 23 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.