Devon-Strafford Little League struck for eight runs in the bottom of the first inning, and defeated Ligonier Valley Little League, 11-1 in four innings, in the deciding game of the Pennsylvania state championship series in West Middlesex.

Devon-Strafford, which last won a district championship in 1982, claimed its first-ever state championship in the major baseball division and advanced to the Mid-Atlantic Region tournament in Bristol, Connecticut.

Ligonier Valley had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning of the series' final game, but Devon-Strafford capitalized on a string of seeing-eye hits while sending 13 batters to the plate in the decisive inning. Three hitters reached on infield hits, and two more splashed bloop singles into the outfield. Ligonier Valley pitchers walked a pair of batters, and the team's defense committed a pair of errors.

Andrew Born started the rally for Devon-Strafford, reaching on an infield single with one out. Austin Shirley singled, and after a passed ball, Stephen Born walked to load the bases. One run scored when Chris MacGibbon reached on an error, and Shirley scored on Max Dolente's infield hit. Kyle Stefanic singled to right and John Miller reached on an infield hit to plate two more runs, and Dolente scored when Colin Murphy hit into a fielder's choice. Richter walked to re-load the bases, before Andrew Born's two-run single and Shirley's run-scoring single pushed Devon-Strafford's lead to 8-1.

"That was the most unbelievable inning I've been involved in," said Ligonier Valley manager Mark Zimmerman. "The nub hits and the flares -- we were running into each other trying to make plays."

Murphy, the Devon-Strafford pitcher, held Ligonier Valley scoreless after his team's big rally, and allowed just three hits in a four inning complete game. Shirley added a run-scoring single and Stephen Born followed with a two-run homer in the third to push Devon-Strafford's advantage to double-digits.

Devon-Strafford's decisive win came in the third game of the best-of-three championship series between the winners of Eastern and Western Pennsylvania. Ligonier Valley won the opener, handing Devon-Strafford its first loss in twelve games with a 6-0 victory. Devon-Strafford evened the series the next day with a 9-7 victory.

Ligonier Valley pitcher Bradley Coleman led the charge in the series opener, allowing just three infield singles and belting a two-run home run in his team's win. He struck out ten Devon-Strafford batters, including the final six hitters he faced.

"Bradley pitched well," said Zimmerman. "He's been like that all season."

Ligonier Valley jumped in front on Coleman's homer in the top of the first, but Devon-Strafford loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning on an infield single and a pair of walks. Coleman quelled the rally by inducing an inning-ending groundout, and Ligonier Valley pulled away with rallies in the fifth and sixth innings.

"That was a big out," noted Zimmerman. "If you're going to get Bradley, you'd better get him early. He got better as the game went on."

Ethan Neiderhiser delivered a run-scoring single in the fifth inning, and Nathan Neiderhiser followed Alex Tutino's RBI double with a two-run homer in the sixth.

Devon-Strafford countered the next day, scoring three times in both the first and second innings before holding on for a 9-7 victory that evened the series. Two-run singles from MacGibbon in the first and Shirley in the second helped the Eastern Pennsylvania champions to build the early lead.

"They were more aggressive at the plate and got a nice lead," said Zimmerman.

Ligonier Valley kept picking at the deficit, and narrowed Devon-Strafford's lead in the game's middle innings. Tutino and Coleman both doubled in the third to produce one run, and Ligonier scored twice more in the fourth on Kolby Luttner's solo home run and Ryan Torrance's RBI single. Ethan Neiderhiser added a two-run homer in the fifth.

Stephen Born's solo home run in the top of the sixth gave Devon-Strafford breathing room, and the District 27 champions added two more runs before the inning ended.

Ligonier made one final push in the bottom of the sixth, scoring twice after the first two hitters in the inning were retired. Nathan Neiderhiser's two-run homer halved Devon-Strafford's lead, then Coleman and Ethan Neiderhiser drew walks to bring the winning run to the plate. But Devon-Strafford finally stifled the rally with a game-ending strikeout.

"We just couldn't get caught back up," said Zimmerman.

"(But) we kept battling, and that was a good thing," added the Ligonier Valley manager.

Devon-Strafford, which last reached the state tournament in 1981, earned the Eastern Pennsylvania title with three victories at Council Rock Northampton Little Leage's field in Richboro. The eventual Pennsylvania champions edged Carlisle Area Little League, 11-10 in eight innings, in their opener, and downed Lehigh Little League, 13-8, in a second round-robin matchup.

Devon-Strafford then topped Back Mountain American Little League, 10-3, in the championship game. As in their state championship-clinching win, Devon-Strafford jumped on Back Mountain early, scoring four times in the first inning and adding three more in the second. Andrew Born opened the scoring with an RBI double, then Shirley and MacGibbon delivered run-scoring singles.

Andrew Born added a solo home run in the second, before Shirley and Stephen Born followed with consecutive doubles.

"(Our pitchers) hung a few curveballs and threw a couple of belt high fastballs," said Back Mountain American manager Greg Petorak, Sr. "And (Devon-Strafford) hit belt-high fastballs a very long way."

"It was great," noted Devon-Strafford manager Glen MacGibbon of his team's quick start. "We were delighted to have a 7-0 lead."

Back Mountain trimmed the deficit -- Greg Petorak, Jr. belted a two-run homer in the fourth to cut Devon-Strafford's edge to 7-3 -- but the eventual Pennsylvania champions re-established their advantage when Stephen Born launched a three-run homer that traveled an estimated 250 feet in the bottom of the inning.

"That was huge," said Greg Petorak, Sr. "It was going to be tough to come back from seven runs down at that point."

Devon Strafford -- the second District 27 league to claim Pennsylvania's crown in six years, after the Lower Periomen Little League won a state championship in 2003 -- split its four pool games at the Mid-Atlantic Region tournament. The Pennsylvania champions then avenged one of their defeats with a 13-11 victory over Haverstraw (New York) Little League in the semifinal round before falling, 8-3, to Hagerstown (Maryland) Federal Little Legue in the region championship game.