Back Mountain Holds Off Green Ridge, Forces Winner-Take-All Section 5 Championship
By: Justin Bradley | SportzWire | July 17, 2026 | Photo courtesy Team photo
MOUNTAIN TOP — The Section 5 9-10-11 Championship wasn’t decided Friday night.
Back Mountain Little League earned a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Green Ridge Little League, evening the championship series and setting up a winner-take-all Game 2 on Saturday afternoon.
Green Ridge struck first in the top of the second inning when Jimmy Haggerty battled through an 0-2 count before delivering an RBI single to give District 32 champions a 1-0 lead.
Back Mountain answered immediately in the home half of the inning. A three-run rally, highlighted by a two-run single from Maddox Z., gave Back Mountain a 2-1 advantage before adding another run to take control.
Green Ridge continued to battle throughout the evening. Leland Kearney and Jordan Vescovi each drove in runs, trimming the deficit to one, but Back Mountain’s pitching staff came up with the outs it needed down the stretch to preserve the victory.
Matthew D. turned in a strong start for Back Mountain, allowing three runs, none earned over 4⅔ innings while striking out five. Hunter S. closed out the final four outs without allowing a run to secure the win.
Green Ridge starter Leland Kearney worked all five innings, allowing four runs, two earned, while striking out five in another solid outing.
Back Mountain finished with seven hits, led by Maddox Z., who went 2-for-2 with three RBIs from the ninth spot in the lineup. Max G. also collected two hits, while Marco S. created pressure on the bases with two stolen bags.
Green Ridge received hits from Will Mackrell, Evan P., Mike Meyers, Alex Cantafio, Jimmy Haggerty, and Jordan Vescovi, but couldn’t quite complete the comeback.
With the win, Back Mountain forces a decisive winner-take-all Section 5 Championship Game on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Mountain Top Little League. The winner will advance to the Pennsylvania State Tournament.
Top Performers
Back Mountain Little League
- Maddox Z. — 2-for-2, 3 RBIs, game-changing offensive performance.
- Matthew D. — 4⅔ IP, 5 H, 3 R (0 ER), 5 K to earn the win.
- Max G. — 2-for-2 at the plate with a pair of hits.
Green Ridge Little League
- Leland Kearney — Complete game (5 IP), 5 strikeouts while adding an RBI
- Jimmy Haggerty — RBI single to open the scoring and one hit.
- Jordan Vescovi — Hit and RBI as Green Ridge battled to the final out.
- Mike Meyers — Double
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