MARYSVILLE — After falling to the Mill Creek A’s by one run in Strawberry Tournament pool play, the Marysville Little League team Dick’s Towing faced a much more familiar rival when the teams rematched for the tournament championship June 10.

And vice versa.

Both teams threw their ace pitchers at the other team’s batting order and momentum swung wildly until the A’s emerged victorious with a 7-4 win in the seventh inning.

After the Mill Creek team took a 1-0 win in the first encounter, the Marysville crowd was visibly stunned when A’s pitcher Aaron Avalos — the winner of the home run derby the night before — smacked a pitch over the center field fence in the first inning to take a 1-0 lead.

But Dick’s Towing pitcher Collin Holeman got his third strikeout against A’s cleanup batter Joshua Steventon, bringing the inning to a quick end.

The A’s put a couple of base runners on in the top of the third inning, but once again, Holeman’s pitching got the team out without giving up any runs.

Then, in the bottom of the third, outfielders Hunter Wood and Ben White got on base for Dick’s Towing with one out, on a combination of a hit and a fielding error. Avalos struck out a second Marysville player when second baseman Alex Gonzalez came up, hitting a hard drive down the first base line. The hit that bounced off of the bag but wasn’t slowed down in the slightest, continuing full speed into deep right field.

The Mill Creek outfield wasn’t throwing the ball in, said Dick’s Towing manager Carlos Gonzalez. “He took a quick peek at third (base) and I gave him the green light. He took it.”

The younger Gonzalez batted in his teammates and went for home, giving Marysville an unexpected 3-1 lead.

Holeman struck out 11 in five innings, but was relieved by Austin Maganas in the top of the sixth as the starter reached his pitch count.

Mill Creek tied the game, forcing a bottom of the sixth with a double and a pair of RBI singles.

Holeman led off the sixth inning with a double to center field and catcher Kanim Posey — a finalist in the home run derby as well — was intentionally walked. Infielder Noah Hoorn was walked by Avalos as well, who struck out one before reaching his own pitch count.

Mill Creek reliever Steventon struck out another and Wood grounded out at first base to leave all three runners on.

Maganas intentionally walked Avalos and Steventon made it to first, but lured Maganas off the mound as a decoy, sacrificing himself for an out at first as Avalos took third, then home for a 4-3 Mill Creek lead.

Payton Shepard doubled for the A’s and the Mill Creek team put hit after hit through center field, accumulating a 7-3 lead before the inning was over.

Marysville bounced back, as Ben White and Maganas walked. Gonzalez doubled again to bat in White, but Dick’s Towing put it all on the line in the next play. Holeman grounded out to third as Maganas went for home, called out at the plate in a narrow call. Pitcher Steventon was off of the mound, so Gonzalez tried to sneak home, but Mill Creek got the tag and pulled out the win.

“The kids played hard and didn’t give up,” Gonzalez said. “We just came up short. But I’m very proud of them.”

The championship game, like about three-quarters of the tournament games, were called by referees Gary Hamelton, Larry Myers and Mark Hartwell.

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