RIDGE, Md. — The Stripes & Strikes Post 76 baseball team has embraced a “nothing easy” mantra all season.

In fact, team members proudly wear T-shirts with that very saying.

Even in racking up team-record 29 wins against only four losses and advancing deeper into the summer than the Hazleton-based team ever has, things haven’t always gone smoothly for the locals. Just in the past two weeks alone, Stripes & Strikes Post 76 rallied after losing its first game in its first state tournament to win its next four to punch its ticket to this week’s American Legion Baseball Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament and then needed a late comeback from a three-run deficit to outlast New Castle, Del., 4-3, in 10 innings in its second regional game on Friday morning.

Nothing came easily for Stripes & Strikes Post 76 in the winners’ bracket final later in the day either, as Cherry Hill, N.J. broke open a close game in the latter innings for an 11-2 victory over the locals, sending them into an elimination contest against Chesapeake, Va., Saturday, at 1 p.m. back at Joe Cannon Stadium. S&S will need to win that game and defeat either New Castle again and/or the New Jersey team, possibly twice, on Sunday to advance to the American Legion World Series Aug. 14-19 in Shelby, N.C.

After stranding 15 baserunners against New Castle, the same dilemma haunted the locals against Cherry Hill. Only this time, there would be no comeback.

With them game scoreless in the home third, S&S table setters Riley Katchur and Ryan Racho singled off hard-throwing righthander Josh Litsky with one out, the latter on a well-placed bunt. Both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch with Bryant Diaz at bat. One pitch later, Katchur was cut down trying to score on Diaz’s sharp grounder to third base. Litsky then retired Jamie Martoccio on a foul popup to thwart the locals’ best chance to score until the game was no longer in doubt.

Cherry Hill broke through against Stripes & Strikes Post 76 starter Sam Miller in the top of the fourth. Mason Kelleher drew a one-out walk and raced to third on Luis Sanchez III’s single up the middle. Brian Martello followed with an RBI single on Miller’s next pitch for the game’s first run, but Miller managed to keep his team’s deficit at 1-0.

In the bottom half, Hazleton’s Josh Witner singled down the left-field line and took second on Darian Haraschak’s sacrifice bunt. After a walk to Shea Higgins, Litsky set down the next S&S batters to keep the locals’ side of the scoreboard stuck on zero.

Cherry Hill added three more runs in the top of the fifth to bump its lead to 4-0. Brett Chiesa and Kelleher delivered the biggest base hits in the rally with an RBI double and two-run single, respectively, both part of their team’s 16-hit barrage.

In the sixth, Jake Barletta singled in one run and later came home on a wild pitch to make it 6-0.

Litsky, meanwhile, allowed only S&S batter to reach in the fifth and sixth innings, that coming on a hit batsman.

Back at the plate, the winners continued their assault with five more runs in the top of the seventh. Chris Aherns’ two-run double, Noah Harvey’s RBI double, Chiesa’s sacrifice fly and a bases-loaded walk to Kelleher accounted for the brunt of Cherry Hill’s final offensive push.

Stripes & Strikes avoided the shutout in the bottom half as James Festa started a two-run rally with a double, Andrew Burns walked and Katchur singled to load the bases against Cherry Hill reliever Andrew Bechtel. Racho’s fielder choice grounder plated Festa and Martoccio’s grounder brought in Katchur with the game’s final tally.

Cherry Hill, N.J………………. 000 123 5 — 11 16 0

Stripes & Strikes Post 76…. 000 000 2 — 2 6 0

Litsky, Bechtel (7) and Kelleher; Miller, Higgins (5), Frask (6), Yenchko (7) and Witner.

W — Litsky. L — Miller

AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL

Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament

At Joe Cannon Stadium

Ridge, Md.

Wednesday, Aug. 6

Game 1 — Cherry Hill, N.J. Post 372 5, Wheeling, West Va. Post 1 4

Game 2 — New Castle, Del. Post 30 4, Chesapeake, Va. Post 280 1

Game 3 — Cecil County, Md. Post 194 3, Bristol, Pa. Post 382 2

Game 4 — Hazleton Stripes & Strikes Post 76 4, St. Mary’s, Md. Post 255 0

Thursday, Aug. 7

Game 5 — Bristol, Pa. Post 382 6, Wheeling, West. Va. Post 1 3 (Wheeling eliminated)

Game 6 — Chesapeake, Va. Post 280 8, St. Mary’s, Md. Post 255 3 (St. Mary’s eliminated)

Game 7 — Cherry Hill, N.J. Post 372 11, Cecil County, Md. Post 194 6

Game 8 — Hazleton Stripes & Strikes Post 76 3, New Castle, Del. Post 30 3, suspended after eight innings

Friday, Aug. 8

Game 8 — Hazleton Stripes & Strikes Post 76 4, New Castle, Del. Post 30 3, 10 innings

Game 9 — Chesapeake, Va. Post 280 8, Cecil County, Md. Post 194 4 (Cecil County eliminated)

Game 10 — New Castle, Del. Post 30 4, Bristol, Pa. Post 382 3 (Bristol eliminated)

Game 11 — Cherry Hill, N.J. Post 372 11, Hazleton Stripes & Strikes Post 76 2

Saturday, Aug. 9

Game 12 — Chesapeake, Va. Post 280 vs. Hazleton Stripes & Strikes Post 76, 1 p.m.

Game 13 — New Castle, Del, Post 30 vs. Cherry Hill, N.J. Post 372 4 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 10

Game 14 — Game 12 winner vs. Game 13 winner, 1 p.m.

Game 15 — if necessary, 4 p.m.

Originally Published: August 8, 2025 at 11:31 PM EDT