Little League: Back Mountain National rolls in major baseball sectional opener

DALLAS TWP. — The first four Back Mountain National batters reached base to start Sunday night’s game with Valley View. All of them scored.

A great start kept getting better for National as it defeated Valley View 16-3 in four innings in a Section 5 Little League Major Baseball game.

District 31 champion National will play District 17 champion Abington in the winners bracket finals at 8:30 p.m. Monday. District 32 champion Valley View faces District 16 champ Plains in an elimination game at 6:30 p.m. The tournament is at the Back Mountain Little League.

“Valley View, great team,” National manager Rich Samanas said. “Our bats were alive today along with pitching. Plains, Abington — it’s going to be the same thing. It’s a tough section.”

National started the game with Logan VanValkenburgh drawing a walk and Kellan DeFalco, Ben Nulton and Carter Samanas following with singles. All four scored, with Samanas knocking in two runs with his hit.

National then had its first six batters reach base in the second inning. Mattie Lapidus, Jordan Mendrano and Sam Greblunas all singled to begin the inning. Greblunas’ hit plated two runs. Liam Dieffenbacher and Mitch Ronczka walked and VanValkenburgh singled. Some aggressiveness on the basepaths, though, led to two outs.

The third inning looked familiar as well. Nulton deposited the first pitch he saw over the left field fence. Samanas singled, Nick Federici walked, Wyatt Engel hit an RBI single, Henry Kovach belted a two-run double, Lapidus added an RBI single and Mendrano was hit by a pitch. All that occurred before Valley View recorded an out.

“If you look at their season, we’ve scouted them as best we could, it’s the same thing everyone they play,” Valley View manager Dan Horn said. “They are a great hitting team and they took it to us. All we can do is bounce back and try to win tomorrow.”

There was more offense in the fourth. VanValkenburgh reached on an error and scored on DeFalco’s homer to left. Samanas doubled with one out and Federici followed with a single. Samanas later scored on an error and Federici on a sacrifice fly by Kovach.

Valley View’s Stephen Brosky had an RBI double in the second and Luke Fiorelli had an RBI single in the fourth that scored Jake Borusiewicz, who had doubled.

Fiorelli scored on a unique play — a ground-rule, two-base error. The ball hit off the bat of Eli Heim bounced off the glove of a National’s fielder and went under the fence.

Section 5 Major Baseball

Back Mtn. National 16, Valley View 3 (4 inn.)

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

VanValkenburgh ss`2`2`1`0

DeFalco cf`3`2`2`2

Nulton p`3`2`2`1

Samanas c`3`3`3`2

Federici 1b`2`2`1`0

Engel rf`3`1`1`1

Kovach 2b`2`1`1`3

Lapidus eh`3`1`2`1

Mendrano 3b`1`1`1`0

Greblunas lf`2`1`1`2

Diffenbacher eh`1`0`0`0

Ronczka eh`1`0`0`0

Totals`26`16`15`12

Valley View`AB`R`H`BI

Farrell ss`2`0`0`0

Borusiewicz cf`2`1`1`0

Boyko 3b`2`0`0`0

Fiorelli p`2`1`2`1

Heim 1b`2`1`0`0

Brosky eh`2`0`1`1

Horn 2b`1`0`1`0

Mills eh`2`0`0`0

Paone lf`1`0`0`0

Kelly rf`1`0`1`0

Spataro eh`1`0`0`0

Chilek c`1`0`0`0

Totals`19`3`6`2

Back Mountain National`435`4 — 16

Valley View`010`2 — 3

2B — Samanas, Kovach, Borusiewicz, Brosky. HR — DeFalco, Nulton.

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

Nulton (W)`2`3`1`1`0`4

Mendrano`2`3`2`1`1`3

Valley View`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Fiorelli (L)`1`6`7`7`1`1

Brosky`1`1`0`0`2`0

Boyko`0`5`5`5`1`0

Heim`1`1`2`1`0`1

Paone`1`2`2`0`0`0