By By ADAM FISHER / Niles Daily Star
The fireworks continued for Brandywine's 12-year-old All-Stars Thursday night. And once again, Aaron Saltsman set them off.
With the game tied at 2-2 in the fifth inning of Thursday's Little League Division B game at the Eaton Park Invitational Tournament, Saltsman stepped to the plate with runners on second and third and two outs.
Rewind to Tuesday's game in which Saltsman smacked his first ever home runs, a solo shot and a grand slam, and compiled seven RBIs. Surely he couldn't do it again.
But in the fifth inning Thursday, he hit a line-drive that kept rising until in cleared the left-field fence. The three run blast gave Brandywine a 5-2 advantage over Hartford and all the runs it would need.
Brandywine wasn't finished, though. The very next batter, Dustin Bell, came up and hit a homer over the centerfield fence to give the All-Stars the final 6-2 edge.
The victory kept Brandywine alive in the tournament and sent them to the semifinals. The team plays New Prairie at 6 p.m. tonight. The winner of tonight's contest faces Bridgman in the championship game at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Since Bridgman has yet to lose at Eaton Park, the winner of tonight's game must win twice to win the championship.
Saltsman's performance gives him three home runs and 10 RBIs in the past two games. He has gone 4-for-6 in those games.
Thursday night he also picked up the win for Brandywine. He entered the game in relief for Brandywine starter Derek Nichols in the fourth during a scoreless tie.
Hartford took the first lead of the game by getting a run off one hit in the fourth. Brandywine responded in the bottom half of the inning with two runs. The first run came off Bell's sacrifice to centerfield, scoring Cameron Smallmon.
After Hartford tied the game in the fifth, Saltsman and Bell put Brandywine ahead for good with their back-to-back homers.
Bell finished the game 1-for-2 with two RBIs and a run scored. Saltsman also went 1-for-2 with a walk, two runs scored and three RBIs.
Nichols also scored a run for Brandywine.
In other games Thursday: