DRUMS - Clutching a trophy and standing next to a set of balloons, coach Ben Moyer ran to take one more picture.

It’s a routine he could get used to - and one he might not be finished with.

Moyer and the Franklin Township faithful celebrated a District 18 8-10-year-old title Monday night after an 8-7 victory over Valley West in the decisive third game of their series.

“It means a lot to Franklin Township, it means a lot for Lehighton,” said Moyer. “It’s just great. I’m sure there’s going to be a party for a day or two.”

Moyer’s club took the series by winning the last two games.

Valley West opened with a win on Saturday, but Franklin posted a victory Sunday to set up the winner-take-all contest.

The team made big-time plays down the stretch to come out on top.

Franklin rallied for two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take the lead. Brock Atwood’s two-out RBI single scored Ethan Laible to tie the game at 7-7.

Brian Mriss followed with a hit to right field, with an error allowing Atwood to score the go-ahead run.

“I’ve been saying this since the beginning of practice with these guys, there is no give up in this team at all,” said Moyer. “They’ve shown that through this whole district playoff that, whenever they got down or a team put runs on them, they came right back and either tied it up or went ahead.”

Laible, the team’s leadoff hitter, finished 3-for-3 with three runs scored. Mriss also went 3-for-3 with three RBIs, while Atwood had a pair of hits and an RBI.

Valley West pushed across four runs in the top of the third inning to cut Franklin’s lead to 6-5

Jude Sidari and Evan Bissol delivered back-to-back one-out RBI singles in the top of the fourth to give Valley West a 7-6 lead.

But Atwood - who came in to pitch after a leadoff walk to open the fourth - worked out of trouble with a pair of strikeouts to end the inning, stranding runners at first and second.

Mriss started and was relieved by Owen Moyer in the top of the third. Atwood went the rest of the way after taking over for Moyer, allowing just a walk and a single over the final two innings, finishing with four strikeouts.

“Brock did a great job,” said Coach Moyer. “He came in there, and that was our plan, to get him to about the third or the fourth and let him finish the game out. He came in and did exactly what we needed to do.”

Franklin wiped out a one-run deficit with three runs in each of the first two innings.

Mriss and Alex Kish both delivered RBI hits in the bottom of the first, and Atwood raced home from third base before an inning-ending double play to put Franklin ahead 3-1.

Laible opened the inning with a leadoff single. After an error allowed Jake Albert to reach, Atwood’s infield single loaded the bases.

Franklin kept the pressure on in the second. Carter Spotts drove a leadoff single up the middle, and moved to second base on a wild pitch before scoring on a throwing error.

Garrett Utrata followed Spotts and collected a single, moved into scoring position on a wild pitch and eventually scored after a hit by Laible and a fielding error.

Atwood reached on an error with two outs, which allowed Laible to score and put Franklin up 6-1 in the second inning.

Valley West seemed poised to answer in the top of the second after loading the bases. Bissol started the rally with a one-out single before Bronx Mummey drew a two-out walk and leadoff hitter Julian Pavlick singled.

But Mriss got a pop out to second base to end the inning and keep Franklin ahead 3-1.

“They have some scrappy players over there, and I thought they played really well,” Valley West manager Gregg Pavlick said of Franklin. “They went deep in their pitching, and they had every kid. They’re a scrappy team and tough to beat. Get a little confidence, and scrappy teams go far.”

UP NEXT

... Franklin will take the next step in that journey Friday at Southern Lehigh in the Section 6 Tournament. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m.

NICE CATCH

... In the top of the sixth inning, Valley West batted out of order, sending Blaze Chipeleski - who should have been up second - to the plate instead of Tyler Zola. After Chipeleski completed his at-bat, Moyer notified officials of the error, resulting in the first out of the inning. Chipeleski then batted again, this time with one out, and singled.

Valley West 104 200 - 7 9 5

Franklin Twp. 330 20x - 8 12 1

Pavlick, Zola (5) and Roberts; Mriss, Moyer (3), Atwood (4) and Atwood, Mriss (4). W - Atwood. L - Pavlick.