Bushy Run wins District 31 Legion title over Lower Burrell with big 5th inning
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Wednesday, July 16, 2025 | 10:12 PM
Bushy Run center fielder Jake Sincak rips a double in the first inning of the District 31 American Legion championship game July 16.
Bushy Run right fielder Noah Rattigan celebrates his two-run triple in the District 31 American Legion championship game July 16.
Bushy Run shortstop Brody Hoffman steals second base in the fifth inning of the District 31 American Legion championship game July 16.
Bushy Run shortstop Brody Hoffman lays down a perfect bunt in the fifth inning to load the bases in the District 31 American Legion championship game July 16.
Bushy Run pitcher Brandon Roher delivers a pitch in the District 31 American Legion championship game July 16.
Lower Burrell pitcher Colton Whitlock delivers a pitch in the District 31 American Legion championship game July 16.
Bushy Run coach Scott Peyman holds up the District 31 American Legion championship trophy after defeating Lower Burrell, 9-3, on July 16.
Bushy Run shortstop Brody Hoffman scores on a wild pitch during the fifth inning of the District 31 American Legion championship game July 16. Lower Burrell pitcher Henry Krogh arrives late to the plate.
Bushy Run manager Scott Perman kept telling his players that something big was going to happen in the District 31 American Legion championship game on Wednesday.
It did in the fifth inning.
Bushy Run broke open a scoreless game with eight runs in the fifth inning to propel it to a 9-3 victory against Lower Burrell.
Both teams, along with Latrobe and Hempfield East, will advance to the Region 7 tournament beginning Saturday at Forest Hills High School in Sidman. The third-place consolation game between Latrobe and Hempfield East was rained out.
“I did not see this coming,” Peyman said. “If you would have asked me we’d be the favorite, I would have been shocked. But this team came together at the right time. They played good baseball at the end of the season.”
Bushy Run will face the Central Penn/Cambria third-place team Claysburg at 1 p.m. Saturday at Portage High School.
Lower Burrell will play Central Penn/Cambria second-place team Bedford at Forest Hills.
Latrobe opens the tournament by playing Central Penn/Cambria champion Phillipsburg at 11 a.m., and Hempfield East faces the host, Saint Michaels, at 5 p.m.
Bushy Run pitcher Bradnon Roher and Lower Burrell’s Colton Whitlock were locked in a pitchers’ duel until the bottom of the fifth inning. Designated hitter Dylan Ridley started the inning with a single. Roher walked, and shortstop Brody Hoffman laid down a perfect bunt single to load the bases.
Jake Sincak and Carmen Metcalfe drew bases-loaded walks to force home the first two runs. Whitlock was replaced by Henry Krogh, who uncorked a wild pitch, which scored Hoffman to make it 3-0.
“The bottom of the order got us started, and we took advantage of some of their mistakes,” Peyman said. “Brandon pitched a strong game.”
Noah Rattigan then ripped a one-out triple to make it 5-0. Jordan White reached on an error that Rattigan. Ridley singled for the second time in the inning to score Caleb Kerstetter, and Evan Gigliotti scored on a wild pitch.
Lower Burrell chased Roher in the top of the sixth inning, but Gigliotti came in to shut down the rally.
“They are a really good team, and hats off to those guys,” Lower Burrell coach Steve Scheftic said. “I played this game over a million times in my head in the last couple of days, and, win or lose, I can tell you that is not the way I ever saw it playing out.”
Scheftic was proud of the effort he got from Whitlock.
Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.
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