Suffolk News-Herald

The Braves scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and held off a late charge by the Pirates to take a 6-5 victory in Suffolk Youth Athletic Association Bronco league competition Monday evening at Diamond Springs Park. The victory launched the little &uot;Atlantians&uot; to the top of the loser’s bracket, and they’ll battle the Yankees at 6 p.m. tonight. Should the Braves win, they’ll play another game immediately afterward for the title (the tournament is double-elimination). The Yankees have marched to an unblemished 15-0 record this season, including a win over the Braves in the opening round of the tournament.

Mike Bradshaw gave the Braves a 1-0 lead in the first inning when he singled and stole his way home. But the Pirates took the lead in the fourth when Jerry Hacker and Jeremy Hagwood crossed the plate, and added to their advantage in the next inning when Hacker knocked in Tyler Lainhart.

Cameron Smoke cut the lead to 3-2 in the fifth, and the Pirates were held scoreless in the top of the sixth. That was when the Braves came alive.

Scott Asbell opened things with a single, and stole second. Jonathan Horton singled him in, and scored on a single by Ricky Majeski. Smoke knocked a single into right field, and Derek Little batted both runners home.

&uot;We were praying that we’d hit the ball,&uot; Majeski said. &uot;We were happy when we got ahead, but we had to keep scoring.&uot;

Michael Murray and Lainhart scored, but Smoke shut the rest of the Pirates down from the mound, and the Braves had at least one more game to play.

&uot;I was nervous, but it didn’t matter if they scored, because we were still ahead,&uot; said Smoke, a student at Forest Glen Middle School. &uot;We’ll beat the Yankees the same way we beat the Pirates; by playing good defense.&uot;