PITTSTON TWP. — Back Mountain American kept coming back, but it never did erase the damage from three quick runs Back Mountain National produced in a bizarre third inning.
National used an overturned call, followed by back-to-back home runs from Kyle Sincavage and Zach Holthaus, to build an early lead before hanging on for an 8-7 victory in Tuesday night’s District 31 Little League Major Baseball championship game.
The game came to a halt to sort out the first run of the sequence, which stretched National’s lead to 4-0 after 2 ½ innings.
Luke Spencer ripped a hard single off the body of pitcher Jake Shaver.
When Shaver recovered the ball, he tried to get Spencer at first base, only to have the throw sail high.
Spencer made it to third where he was ruled safe when tagged on a close play. Possibly thinking he was out, Spencer wandered down the line toward his team’s dugout – and toward home plate.
Coaches and players yelled from both dugouts, getting the attention of Spencer, who stepped on home plate before the American defense tagged him.
Two umpires conferences followed. The first resulted in Spencer being ruled out. After questions from National coaches, the umpires met again and ruled that Spencer was safe because he touched home before being tagged.
The play seemed to give National a boost.
Sincavage took three straight balls before ripping a home run and Holthaus followed with another on the next pitch.
“The kids’ energy coming out of here, they couldn’t contain themselves,” National manager Todd Paczewski said. “Then, home run, home run.
“It was a big change.”
National built the lead as high as 5-0 and carried four-run leads into the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings only to have to hold on each time.
Zack Luksic’s three-run homer cut the National lead to 5-4 in the bottom of the fifth.
National came back with three more runs in the sixth. Spencer and Sincavage started the inning with singles and scored on consecutive groundouts by Holthaus and Ty Federici before Michael Rother homered for what proved to be the winning run.
Rother also had to close out the game on the mound. He entered in the bottom of the sixth with one run in and the bases loaded.
American’s comeback had been extended when Cooper Lewis, who had hits in his first three times at bat, was awarded first base on catcher’s interference after what momentarily appeared to be the last out of the game.
Two wild pitches and a walk by Rother allowed American to creep within a run and move the winning runs into scoring position before one more close play ended the suspense.
Max Paczewski made a tough backhand play on a ball right down the line at third and threw across the diamond for the final out.
“They didn’t stop,” Todd Paczewski said of American.
Sincavage led the National offense, finishing 3-for-3 with a home run, double, walk, two runs and an RBI.
Federici, Rother and Spencer each had two hits. Spencer scored twice while Federici and Rother each had both a run and an RBI.
Federici shut out American for three innings before needing relief help from Spencer in the fourth.
The National defense also came through with two inning-ending double plays. Sincavage started one in the second inning by snagging a line drive at second base. Holthaus ended a bases-loaded jam in the fourth by fielding a grounder at third, stepping on the base and throwing across the diamond.
The loss was the first for American, which had opened pool play by handing National its only defeat, 15-4, in five innings.
National advances to Section 5 play in the Scranton area.
Back Mountain National 14
West Pittston 3
Zach Holthaus went 3-for-3 with a second-inning grand slam July 11 to carry Back Mountain National into the final with a 14-3 win over host West Pittston in four innings.
Holthaus also had an RBI double, drove in a total of six runs, scored three times and pitched a scoreless inning to finish the game.
Starting pitcher Michael Rother, who drove in three runs, and leadoff hitter Max Paczewski, who scored three times, added two hits each.
Luke Spencer scored twice, drove in two runs and pitched a scoreless inning.
After falling behind, 3-2, in the top of the second, National rallied with five runs in the bottom of the second and seven in the third.
Back Mountain American 17
Kingston/Forty Fort 3
Back Mountain American moved within one win of a fourth straight district title when it broke loose for 15 runs in the fourth inning July 11 for a 17-3 four-inning semifinal rout of visiting Kingston/Forty Fort.
Frankie Nockley finished 4-for-4 with two home runs, six RBI and three runs scored.
Jake Shaver struck out the first six batters and made it through a three-run third to get the win.
Cooper Lewis started the 15-run outburst with a three-run homer to rally American into a 5-3 lead.
Lewis and A.J. Bednar, who had two hits each, and Austin Finarelli all drove in three runs.
Nick Gashi had two hits, drove in two runs and pitched the scoreless bottom of the fourth to close out the game.
