New Albany Little League outscored its first nine opponents in the international tournament by a 154-20 margin, and in the process advanced to the doorstep of a second consecutive state championship in the major baseball division.

Needing just two wins to earn that crown and return to the Great Lakes Region tournament in Indianapolis, New Albany was pushed to the limit twice, needing extra innings in a semifinal round victory over Highland Little League, and then rallying in the sixth inning to snap a tie and topple Bedford Little League in the state championship game.

The second of these wins, a 3-1 victory at the Jasper Youth Sports Complex, earned New Albany a return trip to the Great Lakes Region tournament in Indianapolis.

"It was an outstanding game," said New Albany manager Josh Biven. "The last two games have been just battles. We did our job battling through the game and coming through."

Bedford struck first in the championship game, capitalizing on three walks and Braydon Brown's run-scoring single to grab a 1-0 lead. But New Albany pitcher Ray Reisinger escaped further damage by registering a full count strikeout to end the inning and leave the bases loaded. Despite needing 34 pitches to complete the frame, Reisinger and New Albany trailed by just the single run. They got that tally back three innings later, when Josh Castleman drilled a one-out solo home run to center field. It was Castleman's sixth home run in as many games at the state tournament.

New Albany pulled ahead in the sixth. Castleman singled, and moved to second on a wild pitch. David Newbanks was walked intentionally, then Reisinger delivered an opposite field double down the left field line that scored Castleman with the go-ahead run. Tucker Biven followed with a bunt single that plated Newbanks and gave New Albany a 3-1 lead.

Reisinger allowed just one baserunner after the first inning, and pitched into the fifth before reaching his pitch count limit. Reliever Nick Sexton relieved him and registered the final four outs to earn the save.

"We were the big underdogs, but I think we proved we could play with them," said Bedford manager Jeff Callahan. "Somebody has to win and somebody has to lose, and New Albany made a couple of plays to win it, but we can hold our heads high."

"They played really good baseball all through the tournament," he added. "And they played really good baseball today against a very good team."

New Albany needed a late rally the prior day just to reach the championship game. Highland held New Albany to a scoreless tie through five innings, and the two teams were tied 1-1 through six. New Albany's bats woke from their slumber in the seventh, as the District 5 champions scored seven runs, including six after the second out was recorded, to earn an 8-1 victory.

Luke Vick led off the decisive rally with a single, then Landon Kruer drew a walk and Sexton delivered a run-scoring double to center field. Highland recorded two outs, but Newbanks, Reisinger, and Tucker Biven followed with consecutive home runs to give New Albany a 7-1 lead. Garrett Jones and Vick added doubles that produced the final margin of victory.

"We erupted so violently there at the end," said Josh Biven. "It was a barrage. To go back-to-back-to-back, it was a great, great performance."

Castleman and Highland pitcher Jason Reis both posted shutouts through five innings, when Reis departed the mound after reaching his pitch count limit. Castleman eventually threw a seven inning complete game, striking out thirteen and allowing just four hits.

"He hit the zone all day," said Josh Biven of his pitcher. "It was an outstanding performance."

New Albany scraped for its first run in the sixth, when Austin Oppel was hit by a pitch, moved to third on Castleman's double, and eventually scored on an infield dribbler by Newbanks.

In the bottom of the frame, Highland answered when Reis clubbed a solo home run to force extra innings.

Highland had previously been the runner up to New Albany in the 2013 Indiana championship game in the 9-10 year old division, when many of the same players dotted the two teams' rosters.

New Albany steamrolled its way into the tournament's final stages with three wins in pool competition, and then a 16-0 victory over Southport Little League in the quarterfinal round. They opened the tournament with a five inning, 11-1 victory over New Castle Little League -- five of New Albany's runs scored on wild pitches or passed balls -- and then dispatched Wabash Little League, 9-2. Castleman, who hit .737 in the state tournament, homered in his first three plate appearances, while Reisinger added a two-run shot in the third.

In their final pool game, New Albany reversed an early 5-0 deficit and topped Frankfort Little League, 17-7 in five innings. Sexton, the ninth place hitter in New Albany's batting order, launched a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning that gave his team a 7-5 lead that clawed back the early deficit, and New Albany expanded the margin from there.

The next day, New Albany again enjoyed a fast start, homering five times and scoring 14 runs in the top of the first inning of their win over Southport. Oppel and Castleman opened the game with consecutive home runs, and when Oppel homered again in his second plate appearance of the inning, New Albany had a 9-0 lead ten batters into the game. Newbanks and Tucker Biven added two-run shots later in the inning.

"It was a good start," said Josh Biven. "We wanted to jump on them so we could save pitchers."

Biven was able to pull Reisinger, his starter, after 20 pitches and maintain his eligibility for later tournament games. Jameson Miller-Embry threw two shutout innings to close out the win.

Bedford also won its three pool games, then used an eight-run third to eliminate Wabash, 13-3 in five innings, in the quarterfinal round. Whitt Callahan and Braydon Brown each hit two-run homers in the third, while Colton Brown and Braydon Brown both homered in a five-run fifth inning burst.

Bedford then broke through, and returned to the state championship game for the first time since 2011 with an 11-4 victory over Jasper in the semifinal round. Bedford snapped a 3-3 tie when Whitt Callahan drilled a two-run homer that keyed a five-run rally in the fifth. Cole Karr chipped in a three-run shot later in the inning, and Callahan added a second two-run homer in the sixth.

"This is a big stage for these kids, and we had come up one win short of getting to the state championship game the past two seasons, so this was a big step," said Jeff Callahan. Bedford had reached the semifinal round of the state tournament at younger age divisions in 2013 and 2014.

New Albany, meanwhile, was aiming to continue its deep tournament run a year after its summer was ended prematurely with a championship game loss to Jackie Robinson West Little League (Chicago, Illinois) in the Great Lakes Region tournament. Little League Baseball's tournament committee later vacated all of Jackie Robinson West's tournament wins after an investigation revealed a string of residency violations. New Albany had also reached the 2007 region championship game following the league's first state championship in the major baseball division.

"There's no doubt there's been a target on our backs since that '07 team made it to the Great Lakes championship," explained Josh Biven. "Then we started with this group a couple years ago, and we've won the state a couple years in a row now at the minor league level, then last year's Great Lakes team. It's definitely been a nice roll that New Albany Little League's been on. Everybody knows who New Albany Little League is by now."

The league's profile is likely to remain high, as does Bedford's. Shortly before winning the state tournament in the major baseball division, New Albany claimed its fifth consecutive Indiana championship in the 9-10 year old division. Bedford, meanwhile, edged New Castle Little League, 9-8, in the state championship game of the 10-11 year old division.

Following their state tournament victory over Bedford, New Albany returned to Indianapolis for the Great Lakes Region tournament. The District 5 winners split four games in the double-elimination tournament and finished in fourth place.