Three-run home runs by Ben Nulton and Trever Cunningham highlighted a nine-run fifth inning as Back Mountain National rallied past DuBois 10-4 Friday afternoon in an elimination game at the Little League Major Baseball state tournament at Newtown Edgmont Little League.
Back Mountain National will play in an elimination game at 5 p.m. Saturday against East Side, which eliminated Mifflinburg 3-2 later on Friday.
After managing one run and missing some opportunities through four innings, Back Mountain National’s offense exploded in the fifth. The first six batters reached base and Back Mountain National had 15 players bat.
Down 4-1, Carter Samanas opened the fifth with a double. Johnny Comitz then doubled to score him. Dominic Smacchi then bunted his way aboard and Nulton followed with a three-run homer to center to give Back Mountain National a 5-4 lead.
The hits kept coming as Thomas Fostock and Jack Oliver both singled. They were bunted over a base by Michael Viglone. Cunningham then homered to center to make it 8-4. Back Mountain National immediately loaded the bases on singles by Gavin Bayer and George Rolland and a walk by Lorenzo Zangardi. An error on a grounder by Landon James scored Bayer. Comitz brought in the ninth run of the inning with an RBI single to left.
James pitched the sixth for Back Mountain National. He gave up a lead-off single to Brycen Buzard, but then got two fielder’s choices and a strikeout to end the game. Oliver picked up the win in relief. He pitched two innings, striking out four and surrendering a single.
DuBois struck first, scoring two runs on an error in the first inning. Back Mountain National got a run back in the bottom of the inning when Cunningham scored on an error on Rolland’s grounder.
DuBois built its lead to 3-1 in the second as Brady Baronick doubled and later scored on a wild pitch. The lead bumped to 4-1 in the third. Tyler Farrell opened the inning with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. He scored on an error on Buzard’s infield single.
If Back Mountain National wins Saturday, it will still need to win three more games for the state championship and a spot in the Mid-Atlantic tournament Aug. 6-11 in Bristol, Connecticut.
