SPRINGBROOK TWP. — The Back Mountain National all-stars spent a long night at North Pocono Little League on Saturday. Their game slated to start at 7:30 p.m. didn’t begin until 9:45 because of a long rain delay. It finally ended at 11:24.
On Sunday night, National played like it wanted to get out of the complex as soon as possible.
National scored six runs in the first inning and then cruised to a 10-4 victory over North Pocono in the winners bracket final of the Section 5 Little League Major Baseball tournament.
The victory means District 31 champ National won’t have to return to North Pocono until Tuesday when it takes on the winner of Monday’s game between D16 champion Mountain Top and D17 champ North Pocono.
Mountain Top and North Pocono play in the elimination bracket final at 5:30 p.m. The winner of that game would have to defeat National twice, on Tuesday and Wednesday, to be the champion.
National needs just one win for the championship. If it comes Tuesday, it will be without manager Todd Paczewski. He was suspended two games because one player didn’t get an at-bat in Saturday’s 5-4 win over D32 champ Archbald. The player did play in the field and was on deck when Aidan Conrad hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the sixth.
As for Sunday, National jumped out quickly as Max Paczewski and Luke Spencer opened the game with singles. Zach Holthaus knocked both of them in. Ty Federici followed with a two-run homer to dead center for a 4-0 lead.
National wasn’t done. Xander Shaner singled and Michael Rother was hit by a pitch, and both scored on Will Youngman’s base hit. In all, National pounded out seven hits in the first inning as North Pocono starter Kyle Serine didn’t even get through the frame.
North Pocono answered back with two runs in the bottom of the first, one coming on a solo shot by Jake Millan. But the North Pocono bats made very little noise the rest of the game, with the exception of DeMarco Maglio’s homer to center in the fourth. The team tacked on a run in the bottom of the sixth, but by that time National’s lead was seven runs.
National added another run in the second when Kyle Sincavage hit a solo home run off the scoreboard that is located well above the left field fence. Luke Spencer doubled in two more runs in the third. Federici walked in the fourth and eventually came around to score National’s 10th run on a wild pitch.
