KINGSTON — Things looked a little bleak for Greater Wyoming Area, trailing 8-0 midway through the second inning of Wednesday’s District 31 Major Little League Baseball semifinals.
But the bats never quit, confidence never wavered and ultimately, GWA played its way to a spot in the district title game.
GWA scored six times in the home half of the second inning and four more times in the fifth, pulling off a massive comeback to beat Kingston/Forty-Fort 10-8.
GWA will play unbeaten Back Mountain National for the District 31 title Monday at 5:30 at Jenkins Township. The winners moves on to the Section 5 Tournament.
After surrendering seven runs to a very potent KFF offense in the top of the second, GWA had the answer it absolutely needed, hanging a six-spot in the bottom half of the inning to keep itself very much alive.
“We’ve been battling,” GWA manager Chris Evans said. “This team’s gotten better every single game.
“Those first two innings were tough, but we stayed confident … this was a fantastic, big win for GWA.”
After both teams found some success with their relievers, GWA struck again in the bottom of the fifth to take a 10-8 lead with four runs.
Walks were as important as hits in some spots for GWA, and definitely in the fifth when a bases-loaded walk from Kellan Bradshaw made it an 8-7 ballgame.
Dillon Kivak’s sacrifice fly tied the game 8-8, and GWA leadoff man Chase Evans scored on a wild pitch to give GWA its first lead.
Bradshaw and Evans were key cogs in GWA’s second-inning rally as well. Evans drove in two runs with a double, and Bradshaw followed him up with a two-run single.
Frank Pacelli and Brian Reynolds each had RBI singles in the second as GWA had five hits and drew three walks to turn a game that had the makings of a rout into an intense contest worthy of the semifinal stage.
Lewis earned the win in relief for GWA with 4 2/3 innings of work, allowing just two runs while mopping up in the second inning and then holding KFF scoreless the rest of the way. He struck out five and walked just one.
“He (Lewis) battled against a really good baseball team … that top of the order, and down into the middle, is really hard to get out,” Evans said. “Nate came out and battled. He’s a warrior.”
KFF gave itself a shot in the bottom of the sixth, bringing the tying run to the plate after a leadoff single from Noah Shortz.
Lewis quickly shut it down by retiring the next three batters.
GWA made it to the semifinals as the third seed after going 2-2 in the five-team, round-robin. The semifinal win avenged a 9-5 loss at Kingston-Forty Fort June 26.
After losing to Back Mountain National 8-0 in a June 29 game shortened to 3 ½ innings by rain, GWA bounced back Monday with a 7-5 win over host Back Mountain American.
GWA took the lead for the third time Monday, then made it hold up.
Nate Lewis finished up with two scoreless innings to make Brayden Snyder’s go-ahead, bases-loaded walk in the fifth and an RBI single by Kyle Lazarowicz in the sixth the difference in a 7-5 win over BMA.
GWA had leads of 2-0 and 5-2, but BMA battled back to tie the score both times.
GWA loaded the bases in the fifth on a leadoff single by Kellan Bradshaw, a hit-by-pitch by Lewis and a single by Dillon Kivak. After two batters were retired, Snyder walked to break the tie.
Lazarowicz singled in Frank Pacelli, who had singled for his second hit of the game, in the sixth for GWA’s final run.
GWA took a 2-0 lead in the first when Kivak doubled in Bradshaw, who had reached on an error, and later scored on another error. GWA the used RBI doubles by Bradshaw and Kivak to regain the lead in the third but BMA again answered right back.
Kivak had three hits, two runs and two RBI. Bradshaw had two hits and scored three times.
Bradshaw got the win, allowing only an unearned run in two innings.
8-10-YEAR-OLDS
Cameron Depriest drove in four runs and Michael Fanti went 3-for-3 Tuesday as Greater Wyoming Area handled Pool B champion West Side 14-4 in four innings in a district semifinal.
The win earned GWA, the second-place team in Pool A, another shot at Back Mountain National Saturday afternoon in an attempt to avenge a 2-1 defeat for its only pool loss.
Stephen Arnold, Albert Cordero and Depriest all had two of the team’s 16 hits. Depriest singled in two runs in the first and doubled in two more in the third when GWA scored seven runs on seven hits.
Depriest and Dom Giordano combined on a four-hitter with seven strikeouts.
GWA had wrapped up pool play June 30 with a 15-0, three-inning romp over Northwest.
Depriest and Tommy Mazar each had two-run singles and Arnold had an RBI triple for GWA, which scored nine times in the second inning.
Fanti, Vinny Ginocchetti and Cavalieri each had RBI singles.
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