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Borger’s Late-Inning Heroics Lift Blue Mountain Past Milton in State Tournament Thriller

Borger’s Late-Inning Heroics Lift Blue Mountain Past Milton in State Tournament Thriller

By: Brad Loff | SportzWire | July 27, 2026 | Photo courtesy SportzWIre

A high-stakes showdown in the Pennsylvania State Little League Major Baseball Tournament delivered non-stop action from the opening pitch to the final strikeout on Monday, as Blue Mountain held off a furious comeback attempt from Milton to secure a hard-earned 5-4 victory.

Blue Mountain set the tone early in the top of the second inning, executing a disciplined and explosive offensive rally. After Ben Ciccone drew a lead-off walk and Anthony Grimminger reached base, Jayse Callaghan lined a single to right field to load the bases. Joe Minnick kickstarted the scoring by smacking a sharp RBI single down the middle to plate Grimminger for the game’s first run. Moments later, Owen Borger kept the line moving by ripping a line-drive single into center field to drive in Callaghan. Ike Schneider provided the biggest blow of the inning, lacing a two-run single that brought home Minnick and Borger, giving Blue Mountain a commanding 4-0 cushion.

Milton, showing the grit that propelled them into the state tournament bracket, refused to fold and immediately went to work trimming the lead. In the bottom of the second, Cohen Knarr and Weston Sumner set the table with back-to-back singles. Zeke White then grounded out to second base, allowing Knarr to cross the plate and get Milton on the board 4-1.

Milton continued to build momentum in the bottom of the third. Reece Armstrong singled to right field and Peyton Swineford worked a walk to put pressure on the defense. Swineford created instant fireworks on the basepaths moments later, pulling off a daring steal of home during a groundout sequence to cut the Blue Mountain advantage to 4-2.

The turning point of the game arrived in the bottom of the fourth inning when Milton's offense surged once again. Weston Sumner led off with a line-drive single to left field, and Max Shnyder followed with a hard grounder to set up runners in scoring position. With two outs, Zeke White stepped into the batter's box and delivered the swing of the day. Battling through an 0-2 count, White crushed a line-drive double down the left-field line, scoring both Sumner and Shnyder to level the score at 4-4.

With the game tied in the top of the fifth, Blue Mountain needed an answer, and their Player of the Game, Owen Borger, provided it. Anthony Grimminger drew a walk and advanced to second base on a wild pitch, placing the go-ahead run in scoring position. Borger capitalized on the opportunity, hammering an RBI double into left field to score Grimminger and give Blue Mountain a 5-4 lead.

To protect the lead in the bottom of the sixth, Blue Mountain turned to Chase Goodman on the mound. Despite issuing a lead-off walk to Cullen Reese, Goodman showed remarkable poise under pressure. Pitching with precision, Goodman dialed in and struck out the next three batters in order, locking down a scoreless inning to earn the save and secure the 5-4 victory.