Cherry Hill Falls to Gibbsboro in Junior Legion Tournament

The Cherry Hill Stealers pulled off back-to-back come-from-behind wins to get into the winner's-bracket final against Gibbstown in the Junior American Legion state tournament Monday.

A third comeback, as it turns out, was not in the cards.

The Stealers slipped behind, 7-0, and though the team chipped back and threatened in the bottom of the seventh, Gibbsboro walked away with a late-night 7-2 victory and a berth in the state finals Tuesday.

It was a pitchers' duel the first three innings, with Cherry Hill not getting a hit until Vinny Guckin's infield single; the Stealers would go hitless until the sixth after that.

By then, Gibbsboro had put together a two-run fourth inning and a five-run sixth, putting Cherry Hill in the awkward position of trying to make up ground yet again—and the Stealers almost pulled it off.

Jack Goan and Jake Thorndike smacked back-to-back singles in the bottom of the sixth, and some wild pitching and heads-up baserunning brought Goan home on a passed ball in the next at-bat.

Ryan Stainrook followed that up with an RBI single, but Cherry Hill couldn't get any closer in the inning.

After sending down Gibbsboro with a double play in the top of the seventh, the Stealers tried to rally with two outs in the bottom half, loading the bases before Stainrook was jammed and flew out to end the comeback bid.

The loss puts Cherry Hill into the elimination bracket final against Washington Township Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Eastern, with the winner of that game facing Gibbsboro in a potential championship game later that afternoon.

If Gibbsboro loses that Tuesday game, the championship-deciding game would be held Wednesday at 6 p.m. at Eastern.