State championship game. Scoreless tie. Fifth inning. Two on, two outs. And an 0-2 count on an eleven-year-old trying to snap an 0-for-the-tournament rut.

But Ryan Terry is at his best in championship games. The smallest player from the smallest league in the state tournament, Terry ripped a three-run homer over the left field fence to lift Levittown Eastern to a 3-0 victory over State College American in the final game of the 2000 Pennsylvania state tournament. Terry's homer was his third of the summer, and complemented the four-baggers he hit in the championship games of the District 21 and Section 5 tournaments.

Terry's homer completed a stunning comeback by Levittown Eastern. The team from Lower Bucks County, which drew its all-star team from a pool of just 31 eligible players, absorbed a 14-3 drubbing from State College in their second state tournament outing, a loss that was made worse when starting pitcher Mike Rodda had to exit after three innings due to a sore arm. Levittown regrouped with a trio of improbable wins. First, they outlasting Stroudsburg 3-2 in the longest game in Pennsylvania state tournament history, then they received back-to-back complete game shutouts from pitchers operating at partial strength in a sweep of State College American that sealed the title. Levittown's pitching staff ended the tournament by recording 20 consecutive scoreless innings, and did not allow an earned run following the loss to State College.

Levittown Eastern began play at the state tournament just two days after completing a sweep of Newtown-Edgmont in the Section 5 Tournament finals, and opened with the first of two bottom-of-the-last-inning wins over Stroudsburg. Reserve outfielder Phil Baker singled with two outs in the bottom of the sixth to score Jimbo Slemmer and lift Levittown to a 2-1 win over the District 29 champions. Brian Herman turned in the first of three stellar state tournament outings with a thirteen strikeout, four hit performance for Levittown. State College also used solid pitching to advance from the other side of the bracket, as Travis Guthrie and eleven-year-old Doug Suhey combined on a five-hitter in State's 2-0 win over Franklin. Matt Kenney's RBI single in the first started the scoring, and Suhey later added a mammoth 270' homer to left field for the Americans.

The next evening, a three-hour rain delay made both teams sluggish at the outset, but State College eventually found its rhythm in a 14-3 rout of Levittown. State College opened the scoring with four in the third -- Kenney and pitcher Brett Lissenden both contributed two-run singles -- and pulled away with big rallies against Levittown relief pitchers in the final two innings. Chris Wagner's two-run single and an untimely error keyed a four-run fifth inning rally, while Brook Hart's three-run double and Guthrie's solo home run paced a six-run sixth inning outburst.

The loss sent Levittown to the loser's bracket, where they would face Stroudsburg just minutes after the District 29 representatives eliminated Franklin 4-0. Herman was again brilliant on the mound for Eastern, but his nine inning, sixteen strikeout effort wasn't enough -- he also had to win the game with his bat. Herman led off the bottom of the thirteenth inning by ripping the first pitch he saw off a light pole in left field to give Levittown a 3-2 win that secured a title-game berth. The thirteen inning battle eclipsed DuBois' eleven inning, 4-2 win over Berwyn-Paoli in the 1989 state championship game as the longest game in Pennsylvania state tournament history.

Herman's heroics overshadowed the stellar effort of Stroudsburg's David Carpenter. Carpenter pitched nine innings, and, like his pitching counterpart, did not allow an earned run before Little League rules forced him to exit with the two teams tied 2-2. Carpenter held Levittown to four hits, while contributing four of his own at the plate. Levittown, meanwhile, escaped several tight spots throughout the game, as Stroudsburg stranded four runners at third base over the final eight innings, and failed to capitalize on a bases-loaded, one out threat in the twelfth inning.

The win earned Levittown a rematch with unbeaten State College in the title round, and the Philadelphia-area team turned its fortunes over to its pitching staff. Rodda returned from his arm troubles, and, while less overpowering than usual, still turned in a three-hitter as Levittown forced an 'if' meeting by defeating State College 6-0. Herman followed suit by throwing a complete game shutout just two days after a 153 pitch outing against Stroudsburg.

Levittown jumped on the scoreboard early in the first title series meeting. Slemmer and Herman singled, and Rodda reached on an error to load the bases with one out. Terry walked to force in the game's first run, and Herman then scored on a fielder's choice. State College stranded runners at third base in the second and third innings, and Levittown responded by putting the game away with a four-run fifth inning rally. Herman drove in the first run with a double to right, and Rodda added a two-run single before scoring on Baker's sacrifice fly. Herman, who closed the tournament with six hits in his final seven at-bats, had three of Levittown's seven hits.

In the 'if' game, Herman led the way with his arm. He ran his tournament-leading strikeout total to 39 with a twelve strikeout, no walk effort, and kept State College's bats in check until Terry's heroics in the fifth inning. Terry's homer plated Stefan Nordveit and Herman, both of whom had singled earlier in the inning.

Levittown Eastern's title run reprised an earlier era in Pennsylvania state tournament play. The baby-boom era suburb produced three Pennsylvania champions, a World Series titlist, and five state tournament qualifiers during the 1960s. Since 1974, however, only two Levittown leagues had managed district crowns, as the Levittown Americans won District 21 in 1985 and a Levittown Pacific club took district honors in 1996. The Eastern league hadn't shared in the success of earlier Levittown powerhouses: Levittown Eastern claimed its first ever district, sectional, and state tournament crowns in 2000. In doing so, it became the first Pennsylvania league in over 25 years to win its inaugural district and state titles in the same year.

Follow Levittown Eastern at the Eastern Region Tournament -- Click here to view results.

Linescores:

Opening Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13		R	H	E
Stroudsburg	2	0	2	0	0	0									4	5	1
Loyalsock Township	0	1	0	0	2	0									3	6	1
Winner's Bracket Semifinal
Franklin	0	0	0	0	0	0									0	5	1
State College American	1	0	0	1	0	x									2	6	0
Winner's Bracket Semifinal
Stroudsburg	0	0	0	0	1	0									1	4	2
Levittown Eastern	0	0	1	0	0	1									2	5	2
Elimination Bracket Quarterfinal
Loyalsock Township	0	0	2	0	1	0									3	6	1
Franklin	0	1	1	0	2	x									4	4	2
Winner's Bracket Final
State College American	0	0	4	0	4	6									14	9	2
Levittown Eastern	0	0	0	1	1	1									3	4	4
Elimination Bracket Semifinal
Stroudsburg	0	0	3	1	0	0									4	3	0
Franklin	0	0	0	0	0	0									0	3	0
Elimination Bracket Final
Stroudsburg	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		2	10	4
Levittown Eastern	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1		3	6	2
Championship Series Game 1
State College American	0	0	0	0	0	0									0	3	1
Levittown Eastern	2	0	0	0	4	x									6	7	0
Championship Series Game 2
Levittown Eastern	0	0	0	0	3	0									3	5	1
State College American	0	0	0	0	0	0									0	3	1

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2000 Pennsylvania District Champions and Sectional Tournament Results

District Champions in Section 1	District Champions in Section 2
D4 - Ingomar American (McCandless) D5 - State College American D9 - Connellsville D11 - Greater Mount Union D26 - Lower Valley (Cheswick) Section 1 Tournament Host - Latrobe (District 26) Tournament Results: 1 - State College American 6, Connellsville 0 2 - Greater Mount Union 11, Ingomar American 7 3 - State College American 11, Lower Valley 1 (5 innings) 4 - Connellsville 5, Ingomar American 0 (elim.) 5 - Connellsville 4, Lower Valley 2 (elim.) 6 - State College American 16, Greater Mount Union 4 7 - Connellsville 10, Greater Mount Union 4 (15 innings; elim.) 8 - State College American 12, Connellsville 1 (TITLE)	D1 - Cochranton/Vernon Area D2 - Grove City D7 - Indiana National D10 - Punxsutawney Groundhog D25 - Franklin Section 2 Tournament Host - Meadville Area (District 1) Tournament Results: 1 - Franklin 9, Grove City 3 2 - Punxsutawney Groundhog 12, Indiana National 9 3 - Franklin 7, Cochranton/Vernon Area 3 4 - Indiana National 5, Grove City 0 (elim.) 5 - Cochranton/Vernon Area 7, Indiana National 6 (elim.) 6 - Franklin 5, Punxsutawney Groundhog 1 7 - Punxsutawney Groundhog 11, Cochranton/Vernon Area 3 (elim.) 8 - Punxsutawney Groundhog 3, Franklin 1 9 - Franklin 4, Punxsutawney Groundhog 2 (TITLE)
District Champions in Section 3	District Champions in Section 4
D12 - Loyalsock Township D13 - Northumberland Acorn D14 - Dillsburg D15 - Potter-McKean (Roulette) D24 - Orwigsburg Section 3 Tournament Championship Game Host - Northumberland Acorn (District 13) At Little Acorn Park Tournament Results: 1 - Northumberland Acorn 8, Potter McKean 3 2 - Orwigsburg 2, Dillsburg 1 3 - Loyalsock Township 9, Northumberland Acorn 3 4 - Dillsburg 11, Potter McKean 1 (elim.) 5 - Northumberland Acorn 4, Dillsburg 3 (9 innings; elim.) 6 - Loyalsock Township 8, Orwigsburg 5 7 - Northumberland Acorn 5, Orwigsburg 3 (elim.) 8 - Northumberland Acorn 6, Loyalsock Township 3 (7 innings) 9 - Loyalsock Township 17, Northumberland Acorn 9 (TITLE)	D16 - Jenkins/Pittston/Pittston Township D17 - North Scranton D18 - Valley West (Conyngham) D20 - Hellertown Lower Saucon D29 - Stroudsburg Section 4 Tournament Championship Game Host - Stroudsburg (District 29) Tournament Results 1 - Stroudsburg 5, North Scranton 2 2 - Hellertown Lower Saucon 3, JPPT 1 3 - Stroudsburg 14, Valley West 4 4 - JPPT 10, North Scranton 3 (elim.) 5 - JPPT 3, Valley West 2 (elim.) 6 - Stroudsburg 4, Hellertown Lower Saucon 2 7 - Hellertown Lower Saucon 4, JPPT 0 (elim.) 8 - Stroudsburg 5, Hellertown Lower Saucon 4 (8 innings; TITLE)

District Champions in Section 5

D19 - Newtown-Edgmont (Newtown Square) D21 - Levittown Eastern D22 - Hatboro D23 - Conestoga Valley (Lancaster) D27 - Coventry (Pottstown) D28 - West Side (West Chester) D30 - Lenape Valley (Lansdale) Section 5 Tournament Championship Game Host - Hatboro (District 22) Tournament Results: 1 - Coventry 5, Conestoga Valley 4 2 - Hatboro 6, West Chester West Side 4 3 - Levittown Eastern 6, Lenape Valley 4 4 - Newtown-Edgmont 4, Coventry 2 5 - Levittown Eastern 6, Hatboro 1 6 - Lenape Valley 5, West Chester West Side 3 (elim.) 7 - Conestoga Valley 7, Hatboro 1 (elim.) 8 - Lenape Valley 13, Coventry 2 (elim.) 9 - Newtown-Edgmont 13, Levittown Eastern 5 10 - Lenape Valley 8, Conestoga Valley 3 (elim.) 11 - Levittown Eastern 6, Lenape Valley 5 (elim.) 12 - Levittown Eastern 3, Newtown-Edgmont 1 13 - Levittown Eastern 5, Newtown-Edgmont 3 (TITLE)

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Toward the past

Toward the present

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