Waldoboro — The Waldoboro Little League baseball championship game between the top-seeded Wildcats and the No. 2 Panthers on Monday night, June 18 had the making of a blowout, with the Panthers jumping to what appeared a comfortable 8-0 lead and looked to be in solid shape to force the "if" game for June 20.

However, the Wildcats would not go away quietly. In fact, they did not go away at all.

The Wildcats trailed 9-8 heading into the bottom of the final frame, the sixth inning, and got three straight hits — including the game-winning, two-run triple by Duncan Morrell Jr. — as the higher-seed walked off with a 10-9 victory and the championship at Sukeforth Field.

The Wildcats finished unbeaten in the double-elimination playoffs, while the Panthers ended the postseason with two losses. If the Panthers had hung on Monday, a winner-take-all final would have been played June 20.

Leading the Wildcats at the plate in the championship were Quinn Ashmore (2 singles, 2 runs), Wyatt Post (triple, double, 2 singles, 3 runs), Morrell (triple, single, run), Nathan Emerson (triple, single, 2 runs) and Duncan Widdecombe (double, run).

For the Panthers, Wyatt Fillmore (2 singles, run), Brett Collamore (double, single, run), Josh Goldrup (double, run), Ben Dever (double, 2 singles, 3 runs), Noah Dean (2 singles), Alex Zelinski ( single), Nick Hill (single, run), Scott Robinson (triple, single, run), Kallon Mortensen (single), Caleb Barter (single) and Lucas Webber (single) were keys.

Several players pitched for the Panthers, including starter Dever, as the hurlers allowed 11 hits and four walks, with 10 strikeouts. The Wildcats also had several pitchers, including starter Emerson, as they scattered 17 hits and seven walks, with seven strikeouts.

The Panthers struck first with three runs in the second inning and added another in the third, with two runs were plated by Dever and another by both Robinson and Hill. The game looked to be getting out of hand in the fourth inning when the Panthers jumped to an 8-0 lead thanks, largely, to hits from Collamore, Goldrup, Dever and Hill, but the Wildcats matched that output in the bottom of the stanza with four of their own on hits from Post, Emerson and Widdecombe, to cut their deficit in half.

Another four-run frame by the Wildcats in the fifth stanza, thanks to hits and runs by Ashmore, Post, Morrell Jr. and Emerson, knotted the score before the Panthers retook the lead in the sixth after Dever doubled and later scored.

That put the Wildcats — with the top of their batting order due up — in prime position to win the game.

Emerson and Post rapped back-to-back singles to set the table for Morrell Jr., who knocked in both teammates with a triple, to win the game.

The No. 2 Panthers defeated the No. 3 Tigers 6-5, lost to the No. 1 Wildcats 8-4 and defeated the No. 3 Tigers 10-5 to advance to the championship game via the losers' bracket. The No. 1 Wildcats defeated the No. 2 Panthers 8-4 to advance via the winners' bracket.

Team members for the Panthers include Caleb Barter, Brett Collamore, Noah Dean, Benjamin Dever, Wyatt Fillmore, Josh Goldrup, Nicholas Hill, Maxwell Moody, Kallon Mortensen, Scott Robinson, Lucas Webber and Alexander Zelinski. The team is coached by Matthew Moody, Alan Dever and Mike Dean.

Team members for the Wildcats include Quinn Ashmore, Nathan Emerson, Simon Fischer, Jonah Miller, Duncan Morrell Jr., Wyatt Post, Connor Simmons, Braeden Simmons, Chad Sproul, Duncan Widdecombe, Wesley Winchenbach and Leighton Winslow. The team is coached by Jake Emerson, Bill Post, Jason Simmons and Duncan Morrell.

Courier Publications sports staff can be reached by phone at 207-594-4401 or by email at sports@courierpublicationsllc.com.