SALISBURY, Md. - Brandon Stine went 3-for-3 with two doubles and scored the game-winning run in the top of the sixth inning, as District 1 champion South Mountain beat District 2 champ Thurmont 5-4 in a winners' bracket semifinal at the Maryland State Little League Baseball 11 & 12 Tournament at Winterplace Park on Sunday.
South Mountain, now 8-1 in tournament play, faces District 8 champ West Salisbury in the winners' bracket final on Tuesday at 5:45 p.m. The winner of that contest advances to Thursday's championship game.
South Mountain took a 1-0 lead in the first, as Cody Linton reached on a bunt single and scored on Adam Chambers' triple.
Thurmont answered in the bottom of the inning, taking a 3-1 lead on Mitchell Alphoff's three-run homer.
South Mountain regained the lead with three runs in the second. Stine doubled, Zack Demers walked and Adam Collins reached on a fielder's choice, in which everyone was safe, to load the bases. Shane Lowery then drew a walk to plate Stine, and Linton hit a fly ball to left that was misjudged by the left fielder to plate two more for a 4-3 lead.
