HAMILTON---Boardman Community Baseball’s 11-year-old all stars won the Ohio state Little League tournament with a 4-3 win over longtime rival Tallmadge last weekend when Jarod Wilson hit a sacrifice fly to right field to plate Bryan Kordupel with the winning run.
      Michael Melewski picked-up the mound win, with relief help from Mike Cunningham in the sixth inning.
      Boardman took an early lead with one run in the second inning when Dom Stilliana scored on a Noah Falleti double.
      Tallmadge answered with a Ty Shannon two-run homer.
      In the fifth inning, Boardman’s Sean Buck reached on a walk, scored on a Cunningham single and then Cunningham scored on a Dominic Pecchia double.
      In the bottom of the sixth, Kordupel smashed a triple to deep right field to open the inning. Stilliana walked and Falleti singled to load the bases. Wilson took to the plate and nailed one to right field for a sac fly that scored Kordupel.
      The Boardman 11-year-old all-stars went 19-1 on the season and won the state tournament outright as the only undefeated team in the field.
      The team included players Melewski, Buck, Falleti, Stilliana, Pecchia, Bobby Toth, Cunningham, Kordupel, Evan Knaus, Luciano Cardillo, Dante Beato and Wilson; and was managed by Ted Melewski and coaches Tony Stilliana and Joe Cunningham.
      The 11-year-old all stars beat Tallmadge, 3-2, last Wednesday in the semifinal round of the tournament to set the stage for the title game.
      Bobby Toth, who ruled the mound for all six innings, picked-up the mound win. Key hits in the win came off the bats of Cunningham, Stilliana, Pecchia, Toth and Melewski.
      Tallmadge took an early lead scoring two runs in the first inning.
      While playing fierce defense, it took the locals until the fourth inning to answer the call, bringing in two runs of their own to tie the game.
      Still tied 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth, with two outs, Dante Beato hit a shot to right centerfield. With Sean Buck rounding third and the throw coming in, the Tallmadge catcher hit the dirt and Buck high-stepped over him to score the winning run.
      The new state champ team was welcomed back to Boardman last Saturday at the Fields of Dreams with a parade led by a Boardman police cruiser. Boardman Trustee Brad Calhoun welcomed the champs and gave brief remarks. The team will be honored later this month by the Board of Trustees.