Back Mountain National kept its Little League Major Baseball state championship hopes alive Sunday evening thanks in part to a huge effort from Ben Nulton.
Nulton finished a single short of the cycle and drove in four runs as National defeated Greencastle 8-2 in the elimination bracket finals at Newville Little League.
National’s task now is to defeat unbeaten Council Rock Newtown twice on Monday. The first game is at 10 a.m. and another if necessary at 1 p.m. The state champion advances to the Mid-Atlantic tournament Aug. 3-9 in Bristol, Connecticut.
Nulton had an RBI triple in the first inning, a two-run double in the third and a solo home run to start the sixth. Nick Federici followed Nulton’s homer with one of his own for National’s final run.
National also received a strong pitching performance from Henry Kovach. Pitching for the first time in the state tournament, Kovach threw 3.2 innings of relief, struck out six and allowed one earned run. Jordan Medrano pitched a scoreless first inning and Federici finished up by retiring four consecutive batters.
National scored three runs in the first. Carter Samanas walked with one out and was knocked home on Nulton’s triple to left. Federici followed with an RBI single and later scored on a fielder’s choice by Kovach.
The lead swelled to 6-0 in the third inning. Logan Van Valkenburgh reached on an error and went to third on a double by Samanas. Nulton doubled in both of them and scored two outs later when Kovach singled up the middle.
Greencastle stranded seven runners though the first three innings — including leaving the bases loaded in the third — before breaking through. The Section 7 champion scored twice in the fifth, with one run scoring on two throwing errors and another on an RBI double by Ryan Emlet.
National came right back with consecutive homers by Nulton and Federici to start the sixth inning.
National was in the same situation at the same field in 2015, needing two wins for a state title. Red Land, though, defeated National 17-0 in four innings and went on to play for the World Series championship against a team from Japan.
8-10 STATE BASEBALL
Hollidaysburg 10, Ridley Area 1
Hollidaysburg defeated Ridley Area for the second consecutive day at the Back Mountain Little League to win the state championship.
Hollidaysburg’s Trey Muth homered in the third inning for the only home run of the tournament. He also had an RBI single in the sixth.
Hollidaysburg took control with four runs in the fifth inning. Ronan Diehl drove in two while Aiden Anderson knocked in one.
Jace McFadden hit an RBI double in the fifth for Ridley Area’s only run.
Major Baseball State Tournament
Back Mountain National 8, Greencastle 2
Back Mtn. National`AB`R`H`BI
Van Valkenburg ss`3`1`0`0
Samanas c`2`2`1`0
Nulton cf`3`3`3`4
Federici rf`3`2`2`2
DeFalco 3b`3`0`2`0
Kovach 2b`3`0`2`2
Lapidus 1b`3`0`0`0
Engel eh`2`0`1`0
Medrano p`2`0`1`0
Greblunas lf`2`0`0`0
Ronczka eh`2`0`1`0
Dieffenbacher eh`2`0`0`0
Totals`27`8`13`8
Greencastle`AB`R`H`BI
Piper p`3`1`2`0
Emlet lf`2`0`1`1
Cordell ss`1`0`1`1
King 3b`2`0`0`0
Allen cf`3`0`0`0
Sholes eh`3`0`0`0
Horst 1b`3`0`0`0
Gordon rf`2`0`0`0
Stephens eh`2`0`1`0
Sprague c`2`0`0`0
Burkdoll 2b`1`1`0`0
Totals`24`2`5`1
Back Mtn. National`303`002 — 8
Greencastle`000`02o — 2
E — BMN 3, Greencastle 1. DP — Greencastle 1. LOB — BMN 5, Greencastle 9. 2B — Samanas, Nulton, DeFalco, Emlet. 3B — Nulton. HR — Nulton, Federici.
Back Mtn. National`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Medrano`1.0`1`0`0`1`0
Kovach (W)`3.2`4`2`1`4`6
Federici (S)`1.1`0`0`0`0`2
Greencastle`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Piper (L)`2`7`6`4`1`1
Horst`2`6`2`2`0`0
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