​POTTSVILLE — Chase Goodman did almost everything right on the baseball diamond to propel Blue Mountain to a 9-6 victory over Pottsville and claim the District 24 Southeast Little League Championship at Rotary Park on Friday. Goodman opened the scoring with a first-inning solo homer over the left-field fence, then took the mound for 5.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits while tallying 10 strikeouts. “I was just looking for a first-pitch fastball to jump on it and make something happen for my team,” Goodman said. “The momentum from that at-bat carried into my pitching and kept the team strong throughout the game.” With the win, Blue Mountain advances to the District 24 Little League Majors Championship on Sunday.
Blue Mountain surged in the pivotal fourth inning, crafting a six-run frame that featured RBI singles from Anthony Grimminger, Jayse Callaghan, and Christian Machamer. Grimminger then relieved on the mound in the sixth, giving up four runs before closing out the game with a swinging strikeout and protecting a three-run lead. “This group rallies off each other and feeds off last year’s run, and they’re hungry to do it again,” Blue Mountain coach Cory Porrino said. “We’re ready for Sunday and hopeful to secure another district championship.”
Enzo Ritter, Joe Minnick, Owen Borger, Machamer, and Grimminger each finished with two hits for Blue Mountain, while Ike Schneider drove in two runs. Grimminger and Ritter each crossed home plate twice.
Goodman put Pottsville’s Jace Spiess on the ropes early, blasting a solo homer with two outs in the first to put Blue Mountain ahead 1-0. “We needed some early momentum, Spiess pitches well and is tough to score on, so credit to him for keeping his composure,” Porrino noted. Goodman then took the mound in the bottom of the first, striking out three after allowing a leadoff single.
In the second, Minnick doubled on a fly ball to left to drive in Grimminger for the 2-0 edge. Spiess managed to retire the next two batters to end the threat. Goodman yielded a leadoff hit to start the bottom of the second but followed with three consecutive strikeouts, including a swinging punch-out to end the inning. He also retired the side in order in the bottom of the third, capped by a Max Stank groundball double play to first base.
“It’s great to get back to the championship game and perform at a high level,” Goodman said. “The fourth inning got us going and carried the energy from there.” Blue Mountain broke the game open in the fourth, as Callaghan singled on a grounder to left to drive home Ritter for a 3-0 lead. Ben Ciccone came home on a passed ball, and Grimminger’s ground-ball single to center scored Callaghan, pushing the advantage to 5-0.
Blue Mountain’s offense and pitching carried them through the rest of the game, building a cushion that Pottsville could not overcome. The Eagles’ balanced attack and strong start from Goodman set the tone, and the team carried that momentum into Sunday’s championship chance, seeking to claim another district title.