For the Emmaus Legion team, it's been a matter of too little, too late pretty much all season long. Sunday presented a perfect case-in-point when West Allentown jumped out to a 6-0 lead before the Emmaus bats went to work mounting a comeback. In the end, Emmaus dropped an 8-5 decision.

"That's pretty much what we've been doing all season," said Emmaus coach Mike Anderson. "We can't do anything early in the game and then when we do start to hit, we're already in a hole."

West Allentown got two runs in the second off starter Jacob Fick and then broke the game open with a four-run fifth inning.

The key was a drive down the right field line that ticked just off the end of right fielder Charlie Barebo's glove after he had made a long run. The ball was foul, but the umpire ruled that Barebo's feet were still in fair territory when he touched the ball, meaning that the ball was in play.

Emmaus responded in the top of the sixth when they batted around plus one, scoring five earned runs off West Allentown starter Brady Yocum. Cody Eastland and Fick both had key RBI singles in the inning and Tym Diehl lashed a double down the left field line to drive in two runs as Emmaus made a run at West Allentown.

Unfortunately, Emmaus allowed two more runs in the bottom of the inning on a triple by Chris Czonstka, who scored on the play when the throw to third sailed out of play, giving West Allentown an 8-5 lead.

Emmaus still didn't give up and had the bases loaded with two outs in the top of the seventh, but couldn't push across any runs.

Eastland was on base all four times he was up with a walk, double, single and a fielder's choice. He also made an amazing catch of a little pop fly behind first base to record the first out of the sixth inning.

"I saw it was a little pop-up and just ran to where I thought the ball was going to land and when I looked up, I was able to stretch out to make the play," said Eastland, who just finished his first year at Lehigh Carbon Community College after playing high school ball at Emmaus.

Eastland didn't play baseball at LCCC this season, but is kicking around the idea of trying out for the team next year.

The loss gives West Allentown a 5-11 record, while Emmaus dropped to 4-10, giving Allentown the edge in the battle for the final playoff spot in the Lehigh Valley Legion League.

"This definitely makes it a lot tougher," said Eastland. "We really needed this win today, but we didn't come out strong and it cost us."

Emmaus and West Allentown split their two games this season, meaning that if the two teams tie for that final spot, they would play a one-game playoff.

Should West Allentown win its two remaining games, which are both against Salisbury (9-5), Emmaus would have to win all four of itsremaining games, including both ends of a double-header with Fullerton (6-7) and single games against Northern Valley (10-6) and Salisbury.