HIBBING—Range Steel was one game away from elimination, so the Hibbing Little League team needed to play the best game of the season to stay alive,

Range Steel did exactly that, jumping out to an early lead, then never letting Park State Bank into the game en route to an 18-7 victory in the Hibbing Little League championship game Monday at Hanson-Lee Field.

The win set up one final game, which was played Tuesday night.

According to Range Steel coach Nick Ongaro, his team couldn’t have picked a better time to play an outstanding game.

“It was easily our best game of the year,” Ongaro said. “This Park State team has been dominant all year. They’ve had a lot of confidence. For us to come in with no fear against a pitcher like Anton (Vidmar), who is phenomenal, throws strikes and throws hard, we couldn’t have asked for anymore out the boys.

“They made the plays in the field they had to make and at the plate. That’s probably the best hitting we’ve had all year.”

It didn’t start out that way.

After a scoreless first two innings, Range Steel opened up the floodgates when Geno Ongaro came up and hit an inside-the-park home run to start the third.

Range Steel added five more runs on a two-run triple by Sam Farnsworth.

Farnsworth scored when Aidan Lampton reached on an error, then Lampton scored when AJ Lubben reached on a fielder’s choice ground ball.

Lubben eventually scored on a wild pitch.

“That was huge to come out with four runs in the third inning,” Ongaro said. “To get up 6-0 really took the pressure off our pitcher. Owen (Crandall) couldn’t have pitched any better. He got a little tired toward the end, but he was mixing his speeds, throwing strikes, throwing hard when he needed to.

“He kept a good-hitting team off balance.”

Park State Bank coach Chad Nickila knew it was going to be tough to get back in the game with Crandall on the mound,.

“Owen is a great pitcher for them,” Nickila said. “We’ve struggled with them all year. The last time we played them, we ran them out of their game finally, and when he got toward the end of his pitch count,

“He just had too many innings with a low pitch count. He hung in there for a long time and did a great job.”

Range Steel made it 7-0 after 3 ½ innings when Ongaro singled and eventually scored when Farnsworth reached on an error.

Park State Bank finally got on the board in the bottom of fourth inning, scoring three times,

Camden Nickila singled, and Vidmar was hit by a pitch.

Bryden Moritz hit a two-run triple, then he scored when Owen Trenberth grounded out.

Park State Bank made it 7-4 with a run in the fifth as Vidmar drove home a run when he reached on an error.

Range Steel needed to respond, and they did it in a big way with a 10-run sixth inning.

Easton Lundquist doubled, then scored on a single by Owen Crandall.

Lampton had an RBI base hit, then two runs scored on wild pitches.

Ongaro hit a two-run single, then Lundquist hit a two-run double. Crandal delivered an RBI double, and he scored on a wild pitch.

“That was huge,” Ongaro said. “To come in with a pitcher like Bryden, who’s throwing at a completely different speed and different ball, for those boys to make the adjustment, then add on, I was not comfortable at all with the lead that we had.

“We came on that fifth and sixth innings with a bunch. It was huge for them to do that because I wasn’t comfortable with a 12, 13 or 14-run lead.”

That’s because Ongaro knows how explosive Park State Bank can be, and they did by setting up a rally in the sixth, but it was too little, too late.

Tommy Simon doubled and stole third. Trenberth walked, then Gage Temple hit a two-run triple. He scored when Mikey Brust reached on an error.

“Our boys have grit,” Nickila said. “I’ll give them that. Even in the last inning, to make a little bit of noise like they did when nobody expected them to. I never really counted them out, but we had quite a hurdle tonight in the last inning.

“That would have been almost batting through the order twice. Just the fact that they made some noise, to me, maybe sets the tone for Tuesday night.

Vidmar started for Park State Bank and was relieved by Bryden Moritz.

Crandall started for Range Steel. He was relieved by Lundquist. Keaton Cedar also pitched for Range Steel.

Game time for Tuesday’s championship game was 6 p.m.