Max Gannon (3) of Back Mountain is greeted at home plate by teammates after he scored to tie up the game against GPA on Wednesday night.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Back Mountain’s Tim Tarr (10) is safe as he slides under the tag of GPA shortstop Kaysen Simmons.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
GPA’s Madesto Matalonis connects against Back Mountain at West Pittston Little League on Wednesday evening.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
GPA’s Kaysen Simmons cheers to his dugout after arriving at second base safely against Back Mountain.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
GPA’s Anthiony Cerasario zeroes in on a pop-up off of the bat of Back Mountain’s Max Gannon.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
WEST PITTSTON — A bloop and a dribbler helped Back Mountain send the District 31 Little League 9-11 Baseball championship game into extra innings Wednesday night.
A bunt won it.
Maddox Zaruta scored from second base on an error on a bunt by Marco Scatton as Back Mountain edged Greater Pittston Area 7-6 for the title in eight innings.
The run scored a few minutes shy of 10 p.m. and after Back Mountain scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to keep the game going.
The score was tied 5-5 after six innings and the tiebreaker rule — where the teams started their at-bats with a runner on second — took effect in the seventh.
GPA scored a run in the top of the seventh on an RBI single up the middle by Joey Sobeski. Back Mountain tied it 6-6 in the bottom of the inning when Matthew DeSanto ripped a double down the left-field line. Back Mountain appeared poised to win the game, but GPA got a huge double play when right fielder Mason Waters caught a flyball and threw home to get the runner tagging from third.
The extra-innings dramatics wouldn’t have been possible if Back Mountain hadn’t scored twice in the bottom of the sixth.
With one out, Back Mountain’s Tim Tarr lifted a fly into short left by the foul line that resulted in a double. Max Gannon followed with a dribbler down the third-base line for an infield single to put runners on the corners.
Tarr scored on a groundout by Hudson Mann and Gannon later crossed the plate with the tying run on a wild pitch.
GPA took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Kaysen Simmons doubled and Joey Basile reached on an error. Both scored on the same wild pitch due to an error.
Back Mountain got a run back in the bottom of the first in unique fashion. Tarr opened with a hard bouncer up the middle that clipped the side of the second-base bag and ricocheted into left-center field for a double. He scored an out later on a groundout by Hudson.
Back Mountain took a 3-2 in the second when Zaruta doubled with two outs and scored when Scatton reached base on an error. Jaxon Pentka brought in Scatton with a single to right.
GPA tied the score 3-3 in the third when Anthony Cerasaro doubled with two outs and scored on a single by Basile. It then took a 5-3 lead in the fourth. Lukas Verdekal walked and Crue Ziobro singled to start the inning. Verdekal scored on an error on a double steal and Ziobro scored on a single by Waters.
Back Mountain will join District 16 champion Mountain Top and two district champions from the Scranton area in the Section 5 tournament.
District 31 9-11 Championship
Back Mountain 7, GPA 6
(8 inn.)
Greater Pitt. Area`AB`R`H`BI
Cerasaro 2b`3`1`1`0
Simmons ss`2`1`1`0
Basile p`4`1`1`1
Matalonis lf`4`0`1`0
Verdekal 1b`2`1`1`0
Ziobro cf`3`1`1`0
Garubba 3b`3`0`0`0
Collins c`1`0`0`0
Waters rf`3`1`1`1
Lavelle eh`3`0`1`0
Sobeski eh`3`0`1`0
Rugletic eh`3`0`1`0
Totals`34`6`10`3
Back Mountain`AB`R`H`BI
Tarr c`2`2`2`0
Gannon rf`3`1`1`0
Mann 1b`3`0`0`2
Roman eh`3`1`0`0
DeSanto p`3`0`1`1
Brodginski 2b`3`0`1`0
Zaruta ss`3`2`1`0
Scatton eh`3`1`0`0
Stavish lf`1`0`0`0
Pentka 3b`2`0`1`1
Hornak rf`2`0`0`0
Mercadante cf`2`0`1`0
Totals`30`7`8`4
Greater Pitt. Area`201`200`10 — 6
Back Mountain`120`002`11 — 7
2B — Cerasaro, Simmons, Tarr 2, DeSanto, Zaruta.
Greater Pitt. Area`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Basile`6`7`5`3`1`6
Lavelle (L)`1`1`2`1`0`0
Back Mountain`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
DeSanto`3`5`5`3`3`4
Gannon`1`2`0`0`0`2
Stavish (W)`4`3`1`1`2`6