Little League: Back Mountain National wins, sets up decisive game with Abington

DALLAS TWP. — Back Mountain National will get a chance at a threepeat thanks in big part to Nick Federici.

Federici clubbed two opposite-field home runs to drive in three as National defeated previously unbeaten Abington 6-3 Thursday in a Section 5 Little League Major Baseball game in front of the a large crowd.

The two teams will decide the title — and a spot in the state tournament — at 6 p.m. Friday at the Back Mountain Little League. Abington will be going for its first Section 5 championship since 2011.

Federici tied the score 1-1 in the second inning by launching a homer over the right field fence. National exited the top of the second with a 2-1 lead as Wyatt Engel followed with a walk, moved to second on a single by Logan VanValkenburgh, made it to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch.

National increased its lead to 4-1 in the fourth when Federici blasted another home run to right that not only cleared the fence but reportedly cleared the street and landed in the firehouse lot.

Abington sliced a run off the deficit in the fourth on a “Little League home run” by Jake Kwiatkowski. Kwiatkowski doubled to left and an error on the hit allowed him to score. Abington moved within 4-3 in the fifth as Brady Nalevenko doubled in Daniel Spanish, who had walked.

National added two runs in the sixth on consecutive two-out doubles by leadoff hitter Kevin DeFalco and Carter Samanas. Samanas’ double brought home the runs. Sam Greblunas, hitting in the 11th hole, had a key at-bat. He walked and that allowed National to flip the batting order. He also scored on the double.

Samanas picked up the win, throwing 4.1 innings and allowing two hits while striking out six.

Abington won the first matchup of the tournament 4-3.

BMN-PLAINS CONNECTION

Back Mountain National defeated Plains 11-2 in an elimination game Tuesday night between two teams with a connection.

National manager Rich Samanas and Plains manager Don Stark co-manage the Northeast Pride travel team, which is based out of the Honesdale/New York area. Six players on the field Tuesday are teammates on the Pride travel team — Plains Donny Stark and Braedon Hollingshead and National’s Nick Federici, Carter Samanas, Jordan Medrano and Ben Nulton.

Section 5 Major Baseball

Back Mountain National 6, Abington 3

Back Mtn. National`AB`R`H`BI

DeFalco c`3`1`1`0

Samanas p`2`0`1`2

Nulton cf`2`1`1`0

Federici rf`3`2`2`3

Engel eh`1`1`0`0

VanValkenburgh ss`2`0`1`0

Lapidus 1b`2`0`0`0

Dieffenbacher eh`2`0`0`0

Medrano 3b`2`0`0`0

Kovach 2b`2`0`0`0

Grebulunas lf`1`1`0`0

Ronczka eh`2`0`0`0

Totals`24`6`6`5

Abington`AB`R`H`BI

Jordan 3b`3`0`0`0

Kwiatkowski p`3`2`2`0

Wilson lf`2`0`0`0

Goldberg ss`2`0`0`0

Donohue c`2`0`0`0

Hillebrand eh`1`0`0`0

Spanish rf`1`1`0`0

Thomas 1b`2`0`1`0

Nalevenko 2b`2`0`1`1

Volchoff eh`1`0`0`0

McIntyre c`2`0`0`0

Conaboy eh`1`0`0`0

Totals`22`3`4`1

Back Mtn. National`020`202 — 6

Abington`100`110 — 3

2B — DeFalco, Samanas, Kwiatkowski, Nalevenko. HR — Federici 2.

Back Mtn. National`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Samanas (W)`4.1`2`3`2`4`6

Nulton`1.1`2`0`0`0`2

Federici`0.2`0`0`0`0`2

Abington`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Kwiatkowski (L)`5.2`3`5`5`3`7

Wilson`0.0`1`1`1`0`0

Jordan`0.1`2`0`0`0`0

Section 5 Major Baseball

Elimination Game

Back Mtn. National 11, Plains 2

(Tuesday night)

Back Mtn. National`AB`R`H`BI

VanValkenburgh p`2`0`0`0

DeFalco ss`2`1`1`1

Nulton cf`3`0`0`0

Samanas c`2`1`0`0

Federici 1b`1`0`0`0

Engel eh`2`2`0`0

Kovach 2b`1`2`1`1

Lapidus eh`3`2`2`1

Medrano 3b`2`2`2`2

Greblunas eh`2`1`1`1

Dieffenbacher rf`2`0`1`1

Ronczka lf`2`0`0`1

Totals`24`11`8`8

Plains`AB`R`H`BI

McKeown 2b`2`0`0`0

Stark ss`2`0`0`0

Hollingshead 1b`2`0`1`0

Tommaselli lf`2`0`0`0

Tarnalicki eh`1`1`0`0

Havard c`1`0`0`0

Vincente-Sanchez p`1`0`0`0

As.Dutter 3b`2`1`1`2

Antolik eh`2`0`1`0

Miller cf`2`0`0`0

Paulino eh`2`0`0`0

Al.Dutter rf`2`0`0`0

Totals`21`2`3`2

Back Mtn. National`042`302 — 11

Plains`020`000 — 2

2B — Lapudis, Dieffenbacher, Hollingshead. HR — DeFalco, As.Dutter.

Back Mtn. National`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

VanValkenburgh`1.1`0`1`1`2`4

Kovach (W)`1.2`2`1`1`0`5

Nulton`1.2`1`0`0`1`4

Medrano`1.1`0`0`0`0`3

Plains`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Vincente-Sanchez (L)`1.1`2`3`2`2`1

Tarnalicki`1.0`2`3`3`3`1

Hollingshead`2.2`4`3`3`0`3

Tommaselli`1.0`0`2`0`1`0