LLEWELLYN - As soon as the ball left his bat, Branch Maroon's Ryan Nettles knew exactly what he had done.
He rounded first base as he watched the ball land in deep left field. Nettles then stopped and watched Dylan Stephen and Chris Leshko cross home plate. Soon after, Branch Maroon celebrated another walk-off victory in the Schuylkill County Teener League Senior Division Playoffs.
Nettles' two-run single in the bottom of the seventh capped another comeback victory for Branch Maroon as it scored three times for a 6-5 win over Frackville in the losers' bracket final Friday.
"I am glad that happened, very jumpy right now," said a happy Nettles after he finished off Branch Maroon's third walk-off win, and second over Frackville, during the playoffs. "We just stay in the game and keep playing."
With the victory, top-seeded Branch Maroon (20-2) advances to this evening's championship round at No. 2 Schuylkill Haven (20-1) at 5:30. Schuylkill Haven beat Branch Maroon 5-2 on Wednesday in the winners' bracket final. If Branch Maroon wins today, a deciding game will be Sunday in Llewellyn.
Friday's walk-off was the most unlikely of the previous two as Branch Maroon trailed 5-3 entering the bottom of the inning.
Shane Hoffman led off the inning a bloop single into right field off reliever Tevin Murray. Stephen followed with a grounder that went off Murray's glove and deflected to second baseman Joe Nahas, who was unable to make a play. Leshko then hit a comebacker on a sacrifice bunt attempt, but the throw to third was high. Hoffman came in to score, Stephen ended up at third and Leshko at second.
Nettles, who was 0-for-3 in his previous at-bats, sent a 1-2 offering over the head of Frackville left fielder Mitch Wagner. Both Stephen and Leshko easily scored, setting off another celebration. Nettles got a high-five and hug from first-base coach Jon Marazas, while the Branch Maroon dugout emptied to mob Stephen and Leshko. The pile then went over to join Nettles.
"I was a little nervous," Nettles said of his at-bat. "I was just looking for my pitch and I got it.
"I was looking for a little off-speed something and a little fastball. He gave me a fastball and I hit it."
Branch Maroon beat Hegins in the opening round last Saturday when Chris Leshko singled home Nolan Hoffman for the game-winner in the bottom of the seventh for a 5-4 win. Then on Monday against Frackville, Branch Maroon was down two runs entering its final at bat as Leshko came through again, driving home Stephen with two outs for a 5-4 victory.
"These kids are resilient," Branch Maroon manager Jim Kramer said. "They came into the seventh inning with the same look on their faces. They could have tucked their heads, just got three outs and got out of here but they didn't."
Nettles was also the winning pitcher, relieving starter Nolan Hoffman one batter into the sixth inning. Nettles allowed one earned run on three hits. He also knocked in Branch Maroon's first run of the game on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the first.
Leshko was 2-for-4 with an RBI double in the second inning, while Tyler Hendricks knocked in a run in the sixth.
Major Jordan was 2-for-3 for Frackville, which scored single runs in the first, second, third, fifth and seventh innings. The run in the seventh - an RBI single by pinch-hitter Max Nolter that drove in Jordan - seemed to be enough insurance for Murray, who struck out Stephen, Leshko and Nettles the first time he faced them after Murray relieved starter Joe Nahas to start the fifth.
But Kramer credits a more patient approach at the plate as the difference the second time through.
"Those guys had horrible at-bats against Murray the previous at-bats and then they had great at-bats," Kramer said. "The first time up, I always tell them it's a learning process. See the pitches, and the more pitches you see, you are going to know what he is throwing and you are going to be able to handle it better. That's what we did."