After Burlington Little League romped through district tournament competition, and outscored opponents by a 47-0 margin over four games, manager Scott Safar was satisfied with the performance but still had some questions.

"After district, we knew we had talent," said Safar. "But (we) didn't know how we would stack up against other district champions in the state."

Derek Koenen provided the answer.

Koenen slammed a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning, snapping a 4-4 tie and capping a four-run rally, and Burlington went on to a 7-4 victory over Reedsburg Little League in the state championship game at Homan Field in Waupun.

The victory gave Burlington its tenth victory in as many games against Wisconsin competition, and earned the District 6 champions their third state championship in the major baseball division in four years. Burlington advanced to the Great Lakes Region tournament in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Burlington won all five of its round robin games at the state tournament, but was in danger of elimination after Reedsburg scored three times in the title game's middle innings to take a 4-2 lead. But Burlington rallied for four runs in the fourth to take the lead, and added an insurance run in the fifth before reliever Andrew Kawalec closed out the game.

Trent Turzenski's leadoff single keyed Burlington's fourth inning rally. Sean Safar followed with a single that moved Turzenski to third, and Trey Krause then drove in a run that narrowed Reedsburg's lead to one run. Kawalec's run-scoring single plated Sean Safar and tied the game, before Koenen's two-run shot pulled Burlington into the lead for good.

Pitcher Drew Pesick homered in the second inning for Burlington, and Sean Safar's run-scoring single scored Turzenski with an insurance run in the fifth. Pesick, Koenen, and Kawalec combined to strike out seven Reedsburg hitters in the game.

"We had a few come-from-behind, late-game rallies," said Scott Safar after the tournament. "When we were behind, the boys never really got down on themselves. When we needed a big play, they made it."

Burlington also had to rally from behind in its first state tournament game, a 7-3 win over Antigo Little League. Antigo led 2-1 midway through the game, but Kawalec's three-run homer was the key blow in a five-run fourth inning rally that pulled Burlington in front for good. The next day, Burlington and Reedsburg waited out a four-hour weather delay before the start of the game, and Burlington broke open a tight 2-1 game with nine runs in the top of the sixth inning to claim a 11-1 victory. Turzenski delivered a two-run double and Kawalec homered in the inning, which also featured nine other singles by Burlington hitters.

"They are starting to believe in what they can do," said Scott Safar. "They continue to work hard in preparing for these games."

But the Burlington manager knew his team still had work to do.

"We have the talent, but the new format this year will make it a challenge," noted the Burlington manager. Wisconsin advanced the top two round-robin finishers to a winner-take-all championship game in 2013, while in previous years, the format called for the top four teams to move into semifinal round games.

"Every team is good up here, and anything can happen," added Scott Safar.

The next day, Burlington again broke open a close game late, scoring ten times in the top of the sixth to turn a 5-3 lead into a 15-3 victory over Whitefish Bay Little League. Pesick drilled a grand slam and Tyler Rieck added a three-run shot in the decisive inning.

Burlington followed this win with an extra inning, 8-4 victory over Appleton Lions Little League. Appleton had forced extra innings by scoring three times in the bottom of the sixth inning, but Burlington responded with four runs of its own in the top of the seventh. Kawalec and Koenen opened the inning with singles, before Pesick plated the go-ahead run with a double. Bryce Morris drew a walk, and Mauro Martinez followed with a two-run double. Michael Rozell's run-scoring groundout completed the scoring.

"This was a big one," said Scott Safar, whose team clinched a title game berth with the win. "We wanted to be 4-0 so we could conserve pitching in the final game."

Burlington completed its run through pool competition with a 4-3 victory over Eau Claire National Little League the next day, but had to wait one more day to learn its championship game appointment. Reedsburg's game with the Appleton Lions had been postponed earlier in round robin play, and with Reedsburg sporting a 3-1 record and Appleton checking in at 2-2 coming into the makeup game, the two teams then faced off in what amounted to a play-in game, as the winner would earn the second championship game berth. Reedsburg won the game, 11-5, and claimed sole possession of second place. The District 4 champions, Wisconsin's oldest chartered Little League, advanced to the state championship game in the major baseball division for the first time in the league's history.

The next day, Burlington trailed early, but rallied late to earn a new championship flag to accompany those that the league won by capturing the 2010 and 2011 state championships in the major baseball division. Later that week, the league's 10-11 year old all-star team won a state title of its own.

Burlington opened the Great Lakes Region tournament with a 3-2 victory over eventual region champion Grosse Pointe Woods-Shores (Michigan) Little League, and split its four pool contests to earn a semifinal round berth. Burlington dropped its semifinal round matchup to top-seeded and eventual region runner-up Jackie Robinson West Little League (Chicago, Illinois).