NEWVILLE — With an unprecedented display of pure power, Michael Ropietski reached down for a low pitch and sent the baseball soaring high and deep over the left field wall.
His teammates in the Back Mountain National dugout erupted with sheer glee.
The first home run of Michael Ropietski’s life was a grand slam in the Pennsylvania state Little League tournament. And it went a long way toward helping his teammates celebrate their first win the state tourney early.
Michael Rother and Zach Holthaus combined to pitch a no-hitter and Ropietski’s slam capped the team’s three-homer day as Back Mountain National rolled over Mount Pleasant, 10-0 in a four-inning game at the Newville Little League Complex that kept the District 31 champion alive in the state elimination bracket.
“It means a lot to me and my team, winning your first (state) game,” Rother said.
It may have meant the most to Ropietski, who played a big part in taking Back Mountain National into today’s 4 p.m. elimination bracket game against either Mill Creek or Red Land at the Newville Little League Complex.
With Back Mountain National already holding a 4-0 lead, thanks to a pair of earlier home runs, Ropietski entered the game for the first time in the third inning and stepped to the plate with the bases loaded.
“I was just thinking about making contact with the ball,” Ropietski said. “I didn’t really want to swing for the fences.”
Three pitches into his at-bat, that changed.
Ropietski put a mighty swing on a low fastball and sent it sailing well over the left field fence as the entire Back Mountain National bench jumped to its feet. His teammates Kyle Simcavage, Holthaus and Ty Federici — who had all singled — trotted home ahead of Ropietski and could hardly wait to congratulate him on a bases-loaded blast that doubled the team’s lead.
“Oh man, I was excited,” Ropietski said. “Off the bat, I knew it was gone. I couldn’t believe it.”
Ropietski, a 12-year-old who’s winding down his Little League career, explained he hasn’t really come close to hitting a home run before. At least in a Little League game.
“The kids all cheer him on,” Back Mountain National manager Todd Paczewski said. “We had practice (Monday) and he hit the fence about three times. I’ve coached him in the regular season, in All-Stars, for the past five years. He’s a great kid. He comes to practice every day ready to play. All the kids, they just wanted him to hit that home run.
“For him to get it here, a grand slam, is an awesome moment in his life.”
Because this was a game, and Ropietski’s timing couldn’t have been better.
“My teammates were at home plate cheering me on,” Ropietski said. “They were excited.”
For good reason. The blow gave Back Mountain an 8-0 lead and a big sigh of relief, after the team built a 4-1 lead and lost 6-4 in its state opener Sunday.
“I was shocked,” a grinning Rother said of Ropietski’s game-breaking blow. “I know it’s his first home run, ever. Way to start it off, with a grand slam.”
Ropietski wasn’t the only one slamming the ball Tuesday.
Roper followed singles by Holthaus and Federici with a two-out, three-run laser about 30 feet over the 200-foot right field fence to stake Back Mountain National to a 3-0 lead in the second inning.
Then Luke Spencer led off the third with a home run of his own, putting Back Mountain National up 4-0. And after Ropietski’s big blow, Rother beat out an infield single and eventually scored on Spencer’s RBI grounder — as Back Mountain began eyeing an early end to the game by the 10-run rule.
The team got it the next inning, when Ben Fife walked, later moved to third base on a wild pitch and scored when Rother hustled out a two-out hit to shortstop for the team’s game-ending run in the bottom of the fourth.
“I was just thinking, ‘I had enough of this game. I’m tired,’ ” Rother said.
The offensive outburst — which included a 3-for-3 day and four RBI by No. 8 hitter Rother — helped him relax on the mound during an especially hot morning under the searing sun.
Rother allowed just three baserunners — all on walks — and struck out six batters over 3 2/3 innings to earn the victory. The hard-throwing lefthander then gave way to righty Holthaus, who struck out the only batter he faced to complete the combined no-hitter.
“I was just trying to have fun and just throw strikes,” Rother said. “It didn’t matter if they hit the ball or not.”
That’s because the Back Mountain batting order was having a field day.
Federici and Holthaus both finished with two singles and scored two runs apiece, Connor Morgan added a double and 10 Back Mountain National batters reach base. In the field, shortstop Max Paczewski helped preserve the four-inning no-hitter by throwing a couple of darts to first base to nip hard-running batters.
The performance came after the game between the teams was moved from Monday to Tuesday to allow the completion of Sunday’s opening round games. That break seemed to open the gates for Back Mountain National to come out smoking.
“That’s what we wanted to do from the beginning, put them down,” Todd Paczewski said. “This (Mount Pleasant) team got beat up pretty good the other day. We didn’t want to give them any reason to keep playing. I got a message at 6 a.m. (Monday) saying, ‘Your game is canceled.’ We went out to a state park, then we had practice, the kids had a great day.
“Maybe that’s why we played so well.”
Back Mtn. National 10, Mount Pleasant 0
Mt. Pleasant`AB`R`H`BI
George cf`2`0`0`0
O’Conner c`2`0`0`0
Kubasky ss`2`0`0`0
Yester 1b,p`1`0`0`0
Jones 3b`1`0`0`0
Bungard rf`2`0`0`0
Tate p,1b`1`0`0`0
Bair lf`0`0`0`0
Salvatore 2b`1`0`0`0
Totals`12`0`0`0
National`AB`R`H`BI
Paczewski ss,3b`2`0`0`0
Spencer cf,ss`2`1`1`2
Simcavage 2b,lf`3`1`1`0
Holthaus c,p`3`2`2`0
Federici 1b`2`2`2`0
Fife pr,ph`0`2`0`0
Youngman rf`2`0`0`0
Conrad ph`1`0`0`0
Shaner 3b`1`0`0`0
Ropietski c`1`1`1`4
Rother p,rf`3`1`3`4
Morgan lf`1`0`1`0
Osipower ph`1`0`0`0
Totals`22`10`11`10
Mt Pleasant`000`0`—`0
National`036`1`—`10
2B – Morgan. HR – Rother, Spencer, Ropietski.
Mt Pleasant`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Tate, L`2.1`9`8`8`0`3
Yester`1.1`2`2`1`2`0
National`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO
Rother, W`3.2`0`0`0`3`6
Holthaus`0.1`0`0`0`0`1
