CORRECTION: Due to a source error, a previous version of this article contained incorrect information. Ryder Lessard made the throw in the outfield that led to the second out of the seventh inning.

Entering Saturday’s championship round of the Little League Intermediate State Tournament the conventional wisdom was that Elma’s all-stars had little chance to win the necessary two games against a powerhouse Bellevue National team that romped its way through the winner’s bracket, including a 14-0 thrashing over Elma two days prior.

Someone forgot to mention that to the Eagles.

Bolstered by back-to-back quality starts by pitchers Bryston Crawford and James Modersohn, the East County’s 11-13 year-0ld all-stars pressured a Bellevue team that had breezed through its tournament games, and Bellevue showed some cracks in the armor.

Elma forced a winner-take-all title game with a 6-3 win in the first championship round and rode a 3-run first inning to a 4-2 win to upset Bellevue and claim the state title, earning a spot in the Little League Intermediate 50/70 West Regional in Nogales, Arizona (dates to be determined).

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD The Elma Little League Intermediate all-stars won the state championship after defeating Bellevue National on Saturday at Lloyd Murrey Park in Elma.

Championship Round – Game 1

Elma 6, Bellevue National 3

Bellevue National entered Saturday’s championship round at Lloyd Murrey Park in Elma full of confidence after dispatching its three tournament opponents by a combined score of 41-3.

Elma starting pitcher Bryston Crawford and his teammates had something to say about that.

Crawford dazzled both on the bump and in the field to lead Elma to a 6-3 must-win victory in the first game of the tournament’s championship round.

Crawford shut down the vaunted Bellevue National offense in the first inning by striking out the side and followed that up with a big two-run single to stake Elma to a 2-0 lead after one frame.

The runs allowed were the first by Bellevue since a 10-3 victory over South Hill in the opening round one week prior.

Elma added to its lead when James Modersohn led off the bottom of the second with a single and raced around to third on a bunt single by Hunter Young.

Ryder Lessard drove in Modersohn with a fielder’s choice ground out for a 3-0 lead.

Bellevue National got to Crawford in the top of the fourth when Jory Goodwin – on board with a one-out walk – came in to score on a Leland Chen single.

With two on and two out in the fifth, a Zach Diaz bloop single to short right field allowed two runs to score, tying the game at 3-3.

Elma loaded the bases with one out in the sixth and scored the go-ahead run when Gavin Muir drove in Jordan Lisle with a fielder’s choice ground out.

Trey Sample then stepped to the plate and singled to right field, driving home Crawford and catcher Jackson Bucy for a 6-3 lead.

Sample – who took over on the mound for Crawford with two gone in the fourth – secured the victory with a 1-2-3 top half of the seventh to force a winner-take-all championship game later that afternoon.

Crawford allowed three runs – two earned – on three hits and three walks while striking out 11 – eight looking – in a solid performance.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Elma pitcher Brysten Crawford struck out 11 batters in the Eagles’ 6-3 victory over Bellevue National in the first game of the Little League State Intermediate Championship on Saturday in Elma.

“I’ve been throwing better and my four-seam fastball, I was locating it,” Crawford said.

Elma’s defense was also solid as evidenced by a Crawford leaping snag of a scorching liner at third with one out in the seventh, robbing Derrick Peterson of extra bases in the process.

“I kind of read it off the bat and I knew it was going to curve one way,” Crawford said. “So I jumped and put my mitt there.”

Bellevue National 000 120 0 – 3 4 1

Elma 210 003 x – 6 7 1

WP: Sample (2.1 IP, 0 R, H, 2 K). LP: Blaine (5 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 H, 4 K, BB).

Leading hitters: Bellevue National – Diaz (1-2, 2 RBI); Marcum (1-1, 2B, R); DeJesus (1-2, R); Chen (1-3, RBI). Elma – Bucy (2-3, 2 R); Rupe (1-3, R); Crawford (1-2, R, 2 RBI); Sample (1-3, 2 RBI); Modersohn (1-3, R); Young (1-3).

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Elma short stop Jace Gustafson tags out Bellevue National’s Alex Lee during the Little League State Intermediate Championship on Saturday in Elma.

Championship Round – Game 2

Elma 4, Bellevue National 2

Riding the momentum of the Game 1 victory, Elma capitalized on Bellevue National mistakes and rode a lock-down pitching performance from James Modersohn to emerge with a 4-2 win and claim the Intermediate 50/70 state championship.

After Modersohn worked out of a two-on, two-out jam in the top of the first, Elma took advantage of multiple miscues from a shaky Bellevue National defense.

With one out in the bottom of the frame, Troy Rupe reached base on a dropped infield pop up followed by Jackson Bucy reaching base on a single.

With runners on second and third after a passed ball, an poor throw on a bunt attempt by Bryston Crawford allowed two runs to score, giving Elma the early lead.

Gavin Muir followed with a ground ball up the middle, but a bad feed to second base went into the outfield, extending the inning.

Elma’s Trey Sample then reached on an infield single and was credited with an RBI after Crawford scored on the play for a 3-0 lead.

The Eagles had chances to extend its lead later in the first and in the second inning with the bases loaded and one out, but Elma chances to pad its lead went by the wayside as poor baserunning led to three outs over the first two innings.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Elma’s Hunter Young, right, attempts to avoid the tag of Bellevue National pitcher Derrick Peterson during Elma’s 4-2 win in the Little League State Intermediate Championship on Saturday in Elma.

Bellevue National tied the game when an Elma error with one on and two out allowed Alex Lee to score.

A second consecutive Elma error put runners on first and third with Derrick Peterson at the plate. A passed ball allowed Ryota Suzuki to score and put the tying run on third base. But Modersohn struck out Peterson on a high fastball to end the threat and keep Elma in the lead at 3-2.

RYAN SPARKS | THE DAILY WORLD Elma pitcher James Modersohn earned a complete game victory with a 4-2 win over Bellevue National in the Little League State Intermediate Championship on Saturday in Elma.

Elma responded in the third when Bucy reached on Bellevue’s fourth error of the game and scored from second when Crawford singled with a hard liner that was deflected off the glove of Bellevue pitcher Suzuki.

Suzuki then picked off Crawford at first, recording Elma’s fourth out of the game on the base paths.

But that was all the run support Modersohn and the Elma defense would need. The lanky right-hander retired the next nine Bellevue batters in a row, needing just 22 pitches total to get through the fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

In the seventh, Bellevue threatened when Suzuki reached with a leadoff single and advanced to second on a walk drawn by Leland Chen, putting the tying run at first base.

Modersohn got Peterson to fly out to Hunter Young in center for the first out of the inning.

Gio Lopez then singled to center field as center fielder Trey Sample couldn’t come up with a diving catch. Ryder Lessard – who was shadowing the play from his spot in right field – picked up the ball and fired a strike to cut-off man Rupe, who wheeled a throw to Bucy at home in time to get Suzuki out at the plate and elicit a roar from the Elma faithful.

“I can’t say enough about that relay,” Elma head coach Mike Lisle said of the play. “That was a huge play for us. It killed the inning.”

“That got me excited and made me feel like I’m going to do it,” Modersohn said of the play.

Needing just one out to secure the title, Modersohn fell behind Blaine Richardson 2-0 and allowed the tying run to advance to second base on a wild pitch.

But on the next pitch, Modersohn got Richardson to pop out in foul ground behind home plate, with Bucy drifting over toward the backstop to make the catch, ending the game and setting off a tearfully joyous celebration among the Elma team and dozens of family and friends in attendance.

“I thought it was going to go over the fence,” Bucy said. “When it was coming down in play, I was just amazed. … I was surprised (it stayed in play).”

“It was just excitement and I just ran over to the coaches,” Modersohn said after the final out was recorded. “It was amazing.”

Modersohn earned the win, allowing two runs – none earned – on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts using mostly a fastball with a curve and change-up mixed in on occasion.

“I just tried to keep it low and away to keep getting ground balls,” Modersohn said of his strategy on the bump. “(Second baseman) Jordan (Lisle), (shortstop) Jace (Gustafson) and them were able to get the outs.”

Rupe was named the tournament’s Offensive MVP with Crawford earning Defensive MVP honors.

Bellevue National 002 000 0 – 2 4 4

Elma 301 000 x – 4 5 3

WP: Modersohn (7 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 K). LP: Peterson (2 IP, 3 R, 0 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K).

Leading hitters: Bellevue National – Lopez (2-3); Suzuki (1-3, R); Lee (1-2, R). Elma – Sample (2-3, RBI); Bucy (1-3, 2 R); Crawford (1-3, R, 3 RBI); Young (1-2, 2B).