TIM WEIGHT/For the Express The Bellefonte minor baseball team readies up in the dugout before an inning during a state tournament game against Lehigh on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at Theory Field in Drums.

DRUMS – On Friday night at Freedom Park’s Theory field, the Bellefonte minor baseball team faced off against Upper Providence in its fourth elimination game of the summer, this one coming in the state consolation final. The stakes were high, and Bellefonte fought like it, battling its way back from multiple imposing deficits throughout the night.

However, picking up where it left off on Thursday, Upper Providence wouldn’t slow down, remaining a step ahead of Bellefonte from the third inning to the final out. 18 hits – nine coming in the sixth inning alone – propelled Upper Providence to a 15-5 win, as Bellefonte’s run concluded a few wins away from a state championship.

“It just didn’t happen this evening,” said Bellefonte manager Ronald Tressler on the performance. “Upper Providence put the ball in play, we did have some costly errors. They fielded well, were aggressive on the bases and put the ball in play. You limit mistakes, put the ball in play and play solid D, good things happen.”

While the conclusion was heartbreaking, Bellefonte accomplished a lot to get to this point, finishing among the final three teams in the state. On top of its two state tournament wins, it also took home district and sectional titles.

“We are the second team from Bellefonte/Nittany Valley to make it to states in 75 years so this is a big accomplishment for our players,” expressed Tressler on the run. “This was the best all-around team, I have ever had the opportunity to coach, and I told the kids tonight that I was going to miss them and miss being at the ballfield with them.”

After going down 3-0 in the third, Bellefonte was able to grind it way into a position to respond, with Luke Heron fighting for a two-out walk and Austin Blasi doing the same. Rylan Shivery knocked a grounder into left field for a single to load the bases, and Tre Terza made the promise worth something with a two-RBI single to right.

It was a similar story when the team went down 7-2 in the fifth.

There, a leadoff walk from Caroline Albright started a rally, with the bases being loaded two at-bats later. And after seeing Upper Providence put the first out of the frame on the board, Heron and Blasi notched their second walks of the day to bat two runs home. Shivery added an RBI single, and the score was suddenly 7-5.

That’s where the rally ended, as two outs followed. But for a few moments, the tide appeared to be turning Bellefonte’s way.

“The late effort was something that we had done in previous games,” said Tressler on the team’s closing effort. “We found ourselves down in a few games, particularly in sectionals, and were able to battle back and come out on top.”

“We had some good timing hits. We made some nice defensive plays and our pitchers threw strikes. They just didn’t have the defensive support we typically have,” he added when discussing positives from the performance.

Offensively, Rylan Shivery led the way, going 3-for-3 with an RBI. Tre Terza added an RBI on the team’s fourth hit of the outing, with Heron and Blasi making it four RBIs for the team and Blasi, Albright, Isaac Heverly, Tanner Cain and Oliver St. Amant made up the team’s five runs.

Defensively, Kobie Urbanik put together a solid start from the mound, pitching two scoreless innings to start and getting Bellefonte two-thirds through a third in the fourth. Through 3 2/3 innings pitched, he scattered six hits, surrendered three runs and struck out one.

With the loss, Bellefonte finished its run through the PA 8-10 state tournament with a 2-2 record. It’s a building block for this team’s future in Little League, one which presented plenty of positives.

PA 8-10 BASEBALL CONSOLATION FINAL

Upper Providence 15, Bellefonte 5

Ryan L., Liam L. (5), Mason P. (5), Nathan B. (6) and Jamison O. Kobie Urbanik, Rylan Shivery (4), Oliver St. Amant (5) and Tanner Cain and Caroline Albright. W – Ryan L. L – Urbanik.

Top Upper Providence hitters: Nathan B. 4-4, 2 RBIs, 3 runs; Declan K. 3-4, 3B, 5 RBIs, 3 runs; Dylan M. 2-3, 2B, 2 runs; Ryan L. 2-3, 2 RBIs. Top Bellefonte hitters: Rylan Shivery 3-3, RBI; Tre Terza 1-3, RBI; Austin Blasi 2 BBs, RBI, run; Lucas Heron 2 BBs, RBI.