NORTHAMPTON - Not too long ago, the Birches had trouble getting enough players to complete a season.

Now, they are NORCO Legion champions.

After falling to Northampton in the completion of Game 2’s suspended contest on Tuesday, the Birches used a stellar performance from Brandon Ratti on the mound and in the batter’s box to gain a 9-3 victory in the decisive Game 3 to win the best-of-three series and claim the league title.

“Oh my gosh, this feels great,” said Birches manager Butch Foust. “We struggled three, four years ago to even field a team. But then I got this group of kids that moved up as youngsters. This is a group of kids that are friends, they’re players, and they gelled together. They’re just a great group of kids.

“And Brandon Ratti, what can I say. He’s been doing it for how many years for us. Brandon started out the season with an ankle injury. He didn’t throw for almost three-quarters of the season ... Coming in here today, he was back to his old form. He was throwing hard, throwing strikes. He’s just such a competitor.”

Ratti went the distance on the mound, throwing 106 pitches. He struck out nine and walked just two. After a shaky first inning in which he allowed a couple hits - including an RBI double to Logan Wolfe - Ratti settled in and didn’t allow a run for the next four frames.

“I just figured I had to focus... and throw strikes,” said Ratti. “I tried to forget about (the pain) and I found the strike zone, and my defense did the work for me. I mainly stayed with my fastball and my curve ball, and they were both working.

“It was frustrating (not being able to finish it in Game 2). That was a long game, and we used a lot of arms. But everybody had heart, and we never gave up. They won the second game, but we showed when we put it all together things can go our way.”

Ratti broke a 1-1 tie in the third inning and the Birches led the rest of the way. Dom Payan reached with one out when he was hit by a pitch. Andrew Meitzler followed with a single before Ratti delivered a hit to left to plate Payan.

An inning later, Foust’s club came through with three straight two-out hits to up the margin to 5-1.

Ben Mostosky opened the fourth with a single. After two straight outs, Nathan Loch also singled to put two runners on base. A wild pitch moved both players into scoring position, and the two raced home when Payan smoked a 3-1 offering to the gap in left to make it 4-1. One pitch later, Meitzler drove in Payan with a single.

“Yeah, I was looking for a fastball there,” said Payan. “That was a big hit. It shut them right down. We scored two runs there and ... it gave Brandon some cushion pitching.”

The scoring didn’t stop there, though.

Four straight walks - including the final one to Loch to force in a run - made it 6-1 in the fifth, while Mostosky’s sacrifice fly in the sixth pushed the score to 7-1.

“I kept preaching to them (to score runs),” said Foust. “I believe (Northampton) was down six runs to Palmer and came back and won. I said this team’s not going to quit. They’re not going away.”

The hosts, as Foust expected, tried to mount a comeback in the sixth. Wolfe blasted a two-run homer to left to cut the gap to 7-3, while an error and a single by Eli Angstadt kept the rally alive. But Ratti bore down and recorded a strikeout to get out of the jam.

Ratti got those runs back in the seventh when he ripped a two-run double to left.

The right-hander finished things off with a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh to set off a celebration.

“It feels really great,” said Ratti. “Hopefully we can ride this momentum into Regionals.”

GAME 2 ENDING ... Northampton forced a Game 3 by pushing across a run in the top of 12th inning to win 3-2. Angstadt lined a single to center for the go-ahead and eventual winning run. Northampton’s Evan Cole Hughes then retired the Birches in order to tie the series at 1-1.

LOOK OUT ... The Birches were hit by five pitches in Game 3, including Payan being plunked three times. The winners also walked six times.

BIG HITTERS ... Ratti and Meitzler both had two hits for the Birches, while Wolfe had three for Northampton.

ON TO REGIONALS ... The Birches, the NORCO No. 1 seed, will face the Schuylkill-Berks champ on Friday at 1 p.m. The regional tournament will be held at Quakertown Memorial Stadium. “We’re going to Regionals, and our two best pitchers won’t be eligible for Friday,” said Foust. “We’re just going to go down and enjoy the moment ... We’re going to put somebody on the mound, I don’t know who yet, but they’re going to have a good time, I can tell you that.”

Birches 101 311 2 - 9 9 1

Northampton 100 002 0 - 3 7 3

B. Ratti and Meitzler; Hughes, Onuschak (5), Eberly (5), Fosko (6) and Angstadt. W - B. Ratti. L - Hughes. HR: Northampton - Wolfe (6th, one on).