(Cutline: Umpire Jeremiah Pensyl greets Penfield players along with plate umpire Robert Wade, an Air Force veteran. Wade worked all tournament with Zac Roberts on the bases. Roberts is a Marine Corps veteran who donated the new American Flag for the 2026 season. A video of Pensyl’s performance is on the Wellsville Sun Facebook page)
By JOHN ANDERSON, photos by RYAN CLARK
WELLSVILLE — Forgive the 12u All-Stars from Penfield and Wellsville if they looked a little confused during the introduction of lineups on Wednesday night at historic Hank Sinkey Field in Wellsville.
As each player went to high-five the umpires, one of them was holding a trumpet.
That volunteer umpire was Jeremiah Pensyl, who just graduated from Wellsville, was a member of the marching band and music department and went through District 2 umpire training this year.
Pensyl belted out an amazing rendition of the National Anthem on the trumpet, and then the players put on a display with great hitting and defense. In the end, Penfield advanced to the state finals tournament with a 15-5 victory in the best-of-three Section 1 West tournament.
Penfield, who had to down Webster, 2-1 and Fairport, 1-0 to reach the section, will head to West Nyack for the state tournament. They will be in a four-team round robin. The winners of the two round robins will face off with the trip to Williamsport on the line.
Wellsville’s field has been a good luck charm. Maine-Endwell won states on the field and 10 years ago won the Little League World Series.
Wellsville’s bats made a game of it, but Penfield’s John Bayer came up clutch early and often. In the second, he ripped a 2-RBI double and scored. When Wellsville made a comeback, Bayer laced a 2-RBI single scoring Griffin Sage (2-for-3, two runs) and Gage Collichio (2-RBI double, walk, two runs).
Ian Baker got the win on the hill and JJ Rothfuss was the closer, striking out two.
Also for Penfield, Jace Hooge was 3-for-3 with a double, 3 RBI’s and scored three runs, Rothfuss had a single, two RBI’s and scored, Baker was 2-for-2 with a double and two runs, Evan Campbell had a RBI, Lucas Mazzullo had a RBI single, Hudson Francis walked, Bobby Pelligrino and Roland Truelove each scored runs and Henry Porter walked twice and scored both times.
For Wellsville, Jace HerrNecker was 2-for-2 with two runs, Mason Russo was 2-for-2 with 2 RBI’s and a run, Matthew Helveston was 2-for-2 with a RBI, Felix Grimes had a RBI single and Colsin Short singled and scored. Maddoc Johnson had a single, walked and scored. Braidon Potter, Wyatt Green and Luke Aftuck (single) all reached base.
Johnson and Potter had two strikeouts in a relief appearances.
In the first game loss to Penfield, Potter had a two-RBI double, Wyatt Green had a RBI single, Bentley Crittenden, Herrnecker, Johnson, Sullivan Kehrer, Grimes and Short (run) singled, Luke Aftuck blasted a double and Wyatt Scheible reached base.
Penfield ran the outfield with their flag, posed for photos and all players received their free hot dog, chips and drink as part of a tradition at Hank Sinkey Field. Wellsville Little League is nearing 80 years of volunteer baseball for kids ages 6 to 16.
