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DORRANCE TWP. &#8212; The crack of the bat echoed.Ryan Petrosky didn&#8217;t even need to watch the ball fly through the sky and over the center-field fence. The Mountain Top Little Leaguer knew he caught all of it. The roar out of his dugout as he trotted up the first-base line just emphasized what he already thought.Petrosky destroyed a game-winning three-run homer well beyond the fence in center field as Mountain Top captured the District 16 10-11 championship with a come-from-behind 12-10 victory over Plains.The win sends Mountain Top to the Section 5 tournament where it faces the District 17 champ on July 23.&#8220;It was a 3-1 count and I was just waiting for my pitch,&#8221; Petrosky said. &#8220;I wanted to try and get a pitch right at the letters. Once I got one there, I hit it out there, and it went. I knew it was gone as soon as I hit it.&#8221;It was quite the finish to a zany, wild contest that lasted almost two-and-a-half hours and featured a total of 13 runs plated in the final two innings.When starters Adam Litchkofski and Matt Martin exited as pitch-count limitations sunk in, Mountain Top was clinging to a 6-3 lead after four.That&#8217;s when the fireworks started, and that three-run contest seemed like a distant memory.Jayden Pahler&#8217;s three-run homer, coupled with Steve Simko&#8217;s RBI triple down the left-field line gave Plains a 7-6 lead. Plains did open with 2-0 lead in the first, thanks to a Joe Monahan&#8217;s two-run dinger to center, only to see Mountain Top answer with a five-run second inning.The fifth-inning lead was short-lived.A bases-loaded walk drawn by Hunter Taylor knotted it at 7-7 in the bottom of the frame, and Mountain Top plated two more on an error and Zach Antosh&#8217;s RBI double.&#8220;It&#8217;s tough to calm emotions in a game like this, but you just ask them to take a deep breath,&#8221; Mountain Top manager Terry Kline said. &#8220;You try to get them to relax, and have them remember that it&#8217;s just a game. That&#8217;s all. It&#8217;s just like every other game.&#8221;Everyone at the field knew a two-run lead wouldn&#8217;t be safe. And they were right.With the bases juiced and two down in the visitor&#8217;s half of the sixth, Robbie Watkins sent a hard shot toward short. The fielder cleanly scooped the ball, but the ball was juggled by the first baseman and got away. Two runs scored, and once again, another tie. Two batters later, Andrew Smigel drove a 2-1 Colin Williams offering right back up the middle for the 10-9 Plains lead.Plains still had the bases loaded, but Williams got a called third strike to get out of a jam. Dave Koretz&#8217;s team left a total of 10 runners on base in six innings.&#8220;It was a battle back and forth with them. This is the second time we&#8217;ve played them now. Give them credit. They have some good power guys, and they never hung their heads, either,&#8221; Koretz said. &#8220;Our ace threw a good game, but unfortunately, he ran out of pitches. We had some opportunities, but couldn&#8217;t take advantage.&#8221;Mountain Top only needed three batters to step to the dish in the home half of the sixth.Nick Kreuzer&#8217;s short blooper just over the outstretched glove of the shortstop started the inning. A single by Williams, his second one of the night, put two on for Petrosky.The shortstop waited for the fifth pitch of the at-bat, diving Monahan&#8217;s offering into the weeds past the center-field fence.&#8220;There were some nerves when the lead kept changing, but we kept coming back,&#8221; Petrosky said. &#8220;To win a title, it&#8217;s great.&#8221;Litchkofski, Mountain Top&#8217;s starter, threw a gem. He allowed just three runs, one earned, while punching out seven. His biggest dilemma was pitch count as he needed 52 to get through the first two innings. He also finished 2 for 4 at the plate with three RBI.Matt Martin, Monahan and Pahler had a combined six of Plains&#8217; eight hits.&#8220;We just wanted Colin to hang in there, and throw strikes,&#8221; Kline said. &#8220;Every game that we played with Plains, it&#8217;s been tough. But we are confident that all of our kids can hit. They know what to expect from each other. I&#8217;m excited for these kids; that they have an opportunity to win a championship. I&#8217;m proud of them.&#8221;Mountain Top 12, Plains 10Plains `AB`R`H`BISmigel CF `4`0`1`1Rood 1B `3`1`0`0Bush PH `1`0`0`0Ranieli PH `1`0`0`0Martin P `4`2`2`0Monahan 3B `3`4`2`2Pahler SS `3`1`2`3Kane C `3`1`0`0Simko RF `3`1`1`2Watkins LF`3`0`0`0Shedlock PH `1`0`0`0Koretz 2B `0`0`0`0Kenzakoski PH `1`0`0`0Totals `30`10`8`82B &#8212; Martin, Pahler; 3B &#8212; Simko; HR &#8212; Monahan, Pahler.Mt. Top `AB`R`H`BITaylor CF `2`1`0`1Antosh 3B `2`0`1`1Litchkofski P `4`2`2`3Kruezer 3B `3`1`2`0Williams 1B `4`2`2`1Petrosky SS `3`3`2`3Stoltz C `3`1`1`0Wills 2B `2`1`1`1Bukowski LF `1`0`0`0Zabregalski RF `1`0`0`0Kollar RF `1`1`0`0Smith LF `1`0`1`0Totals `27`12`12`10HR &#8212; Litchkofski, Petrosky.Plains `201 `043 &#8212; 10Mt. Top `050 `133 &#8212; 12Plains `IP `H`R`ER`BB`SOMartin `4`7`6`6`3`3Monahan (L) `1`5`6`3`1`1Mt. Top `IP`H`R`ER`BB`SOLitchkofski `4`3`3`1`3`7Williams (W) `2`5`7`4`5`5<style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL071415MtTop-PlainsLL_1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Mountain Top&#8217;s Adam Litchkofski delivers a pitch against Plains in the District 16 10-11 Little League championship game Monday afternoon in Dorrance Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL071415MtTop-PlainsLL_1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Mountain Top&#8217;s Adam Litchkofski delivers a pitch against Plains in the District 16 10-11 Little League championship game Monday afternoon in Dorrance Township. </caption0><photoCredit0>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL071415MtTop-PlainsLL_2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Mountain Top&#8217;s Ethan Stoltz, right, slaps the ball to right field in front of Plains catcher Connor Kane in the District 16 10-11 Little League championship game Monday afternoon in Dorrance Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL071415MtTop-PlainsLL_2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Mountain Top&#8217;s Ethan Stoltz, right, slaps the ball to right field in front of Plains catcher Connor Kane in the District 16 10-11 Little League championship game Monday afternoon in Dorrance Township. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL071415MtTop-PlainsLL_3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Plains&#8217; Joe Monahan heads for the plate after hitting a two-run home run in the top of the first inning against Mountain Top in the District 16 10-11 Little League championship game Monday afternoon in Dorrance Township. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_TTL071415MtTop-PlainsLL_3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Plains&#8217; Joe Monahan heads for the plate after hitting a two-run home run in the top of the first inning against Mountain Top in the District 16 10-11 Little League championship game Monday afternoon in Dorrance Township. </caption2><photoCredit2>Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Tom FoxFor Times Leader</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Times Leader sports at 570-829-7143 or on Twitter @TLsports</shirttailMeta></div>

Ryan Petrosky’s 3-run home run seals District 16 title for Mountain Top