Honesdale and Wallenpaupack met in the Championship Round of the 12-Year-Old Cal Ripken Little League Baseball Finals and added yet another chapter to the storied history of the two schools and areas battling it out on a sporting field.

If Wallenpaupack wins the game they are crowned the champions. If Honesdale wins they would force another game to be played because of the double elimination style tournament. The latter would happen after an emotional game on Tuesday night that needed extra innings before it was all said and done and Honesdale took game one 5-3 in dramatic fashion.

Connor Jones took the mound for Paupack and Kevin Miller for Honesdale and the two right-handed hurlers were both pitching a gem of game. Jones started the game by forcing a fly out to centerfield from Honesdale’s Kyle Carney but Miller, up next in the order smacked a single through the middle to get things started. Unfortunately for Miller, Jones buckled down, got the first inning jitters out and struck out the next batter. Miller would be stranded on base and the inning ended on a ground out.

Paupack went down in order in their first at bat of the frame and the rivalry was just getting started. The Red and Black crowd seemed to outnumber the home team with their sideline lined with chairs from the bench and stretching way out into the right field grass. Paupack was not to be outdone though as they had scattered fans down the first base line, in the bleachers, and cooking up some of the finest ball park hot dogs in the area, but back to the game.

The game remained knotted at zeros on the scoreboard until Honesdale broke the ice in the top half of the third frame. Nick Duffy reached on an infield single. Carney singled to shallow center field and Alex Sandercock blasted a sacrifice fly to right field to score Duffy. Jones ended the inning with a strike out but the damage was done as Honesdale struck first and took the one nothing lead.

Paupack didn’t lay down in the bottom half of the frame. With two outs, and the bench cheering “Two-Out Rally” that is exactly what happened. Shayne McCormack walked. Zach Wirth knocked a shot into shallow center that led to some confusion in the Hornet’s defense and after seeing the shot, with two outs and a very possible third out being recorded, McCormack took off and never looked back until he touched the dish. Wirth played heads up ball and took third on the attempted throw home and in a few short minutes he tried to steal home on a passed ball. In a cloud of dust the “man in blue” called him out at the plate, to the dismay of the coaches, and the inning ended. It was one all and the fans and players had themselves a ball game that would go down in the history books as one of the most exciting of all times.

The fourth saw Josh Taylor reach on a single and then John Gillow launched one at a charging second baseman, Wirth, who scooped up the ball and did a spin move while throwing in time to get Taylor at second. Cole McConnell reached first next and Gillow stole third. Runners on the corners with one out and Jones went to work on the hill. Jones threw some heat at the next two batters and got them both swinging at strike threes to end the inning.

Nothing going in the bottom half of the frame for Paupack as they only put one Purple jersey on base when Ean Hibbian was hit by a pitch and left stranded.

The fifth saw little damage done either as the two teams combined for only one baserunner and he was left stranded.

The score remained at one all going into the bottom of the sixth when Paupack looked ready to strike. With one out Jones ripped a shot to left field landing him safely on first. Dan Skibber was hit by a pitch and eventually Jones was moved over to third on a fielder’s choice. With runners on first and third and two outs Miller dug in on the mound and collected the final out with a strikeout forcing extra innings.

Honesdale, after surviving the late scare in the sixth came out fired up and racked up four runs in the seventh to take a huge lead. All the runs came with two outs as Carney got things started with a single. Miller followed that up with a single of his own and the next batter was seemingly out on strikes when the third was dropped. He reached first when Carney came sliding into home for the go ahead run and was safe. In a replay of what just happened Miller slid into home on another passed ball and the lead was at two. The damage kept coming as the Paupack pitchers, in for relief of Jones after the sixth, had trouble finding the zone. Two walks and a HBP later the Honesdale team was up by four, and the deflated Bucks had one last chance to get even.

They almost did just that in the bottom of the seventh. Sammy Vargas reached first on an error. McCormack walked and Wirth singled to load up the bases with just one out. Vargas and McCormack would eventually cross home plate and cut the lead to two. Brandon Newsome reached and Jones was given the intentional walk to load the bases again. Honesdale buckled down and collected the last two outs of the game on the next two batters and won 5-3.

The win gave Wallenpaupack their first loss of the tournament and forced a decisive game two in the Championship Round to be played on Wednesday night and one that will most certainly be filled with a dramatic finish.