Colchester Little League saved the best for last, scoring nine runs in the top of the sixth inning to snap a 6-6 tie and defeat Essex Junction Little League, 15-6, in the Vermont state championship game at Schifilliti Field in North Burlington.

The outburst gave Colchester its third consecutive victory following a second-round loss at the state tournament. After scratching for just two hits in a 3-0 loss to Essex Junction, Colchester's bats warmed to the task, and the District 1 champions scored 33 runs over the course of their final three games to emerge from the bottom bracket and advance to the New England Region tournament in Bristol, Connecticut.

"We have good hitting up and down our lineup," said Colchester manager Dennis Place. "Every inning we hope that the kids hang in there because when our bats are going, it's pretty impressive."

Colchester's bats were at their most impressive in the title game's decisive rally. Nate Frieberg delivered the first big blow, doubling down the left field line to drive in two runs and put Colchester in front for good. Josh Place and Matt Ravey followed with three-run homers to seal the victory.

Ten different players combined to produce 13 hits for Colchester in the title game. Kenny Alderman's two-run homer in the fourth helped Colchester to build a 6-2 lead early in the title game, before Essex Junction tied the game with a four-run rally in the fifth.

"They can swing the bat one through nine -- heck, one through thirteen," said Essex Junction manager Tom Valley. "With that kind of lineup, they should do well down in Bristol."

Colchester pitcher Jared Cayla kept Essex Junction in check for much of the title game, allowing four hits and striking out three while pitching into the fifth inning. Cayla had broken the thumb on his glove hand while sliding into third base the previous night, when Colchester topped Essex Junction 8-1 to extend the tournament to a final game.

Colchester forced the rubber match despite a slow start in the first championship series meeting. Taylor Rock's RBI double in the first inning and pitcher Steve Jurkiewicz's no-hit pitching gave Essex Junction a 1-0 lead through three innings, but Matt Roy's RBI groundout tied the game in the fourth, and an error on Corey Benoit's ensuing hard smash gave Colchester the lead for good. Cayia's two-run ground rule double and Ryan Crowley's RBI single keyed a three-run rally in the fifth before Colchester tallied three more runs in the sixth.

Colchester pitcher Josh Place scattered three hits after Essex Junction's first inning rally, and pitched a complete game five-hitter. In the meantime, Colchester's offense came to life, and collected eleven hits in the game's final three innings.

Dennis Place welcomed his offense's return to form, knowing that a stronger performance was necessary in order to force the tournament to a deciding game.

"Both of these teams are very good and score a lot of runs," said the Colchester manager. "Coming into this game, we knew what we had to do."

The heart of Colchester's batting order led the charge, as Frieberg, Cayia, Josh Place, and Crowley -- the two through five hitters in the lineup -- each had two hits. Jurkiewicz and Rock added a pair of hits each for Essex Junction.

Essex Junction pitcher Ted Andrews had tamed Colchester's potent offense in the teams' first meeting, a 3-0 victory on the tournament's second day. Andrews struck out two in the win, and also delivered an RBI double in the third inning. Jurkiewicz's home run and Reece Tanguay's RBI single provided Essex Junction's other runs.

Colchester, which had opened the tournament with a 10-0 victory over Brattleboro Little League, relocated its offensive groove, and earned a rematch with Essex Junction by defeating Lyndon Area Baseball Little League, 10-2, in the elimination bracket final. Crowley paced the Colchester offense with a home run and pair of singles, while Cayia doubled twice and Frieberg singled twice. Colin Burns earned the victory, pitching into the sixth inning before Zach Tandy closed out the win.

Colchester split its four pool games at the New England Region tournament, but its season ended after a controversial finish in a semifinal round matchup with Portsmouth (New Hampshire) Little League. Colchester led 9-8 and stood three outs away from the championship game when its coaching staff realized that a Vermont player had not yet made the plate appearance required by Little League Baseball's mandatory minimum play rule. With a forfeit looming as a result of the oversight, Colchester hoped to allow a run, then meet the minimum play requirements in the bottom of the sixth. But soon neither team was playing to its full capacity, as Portsmouth realized the situation and held its baserunners on intentional overthrows before ending the game with an intentional strikeout. Little League officials upheld Portsmouth's protest of the mandatory play violation, and awarded a forfeit that reversed Colchester's victory.