PUNXSUTAWNEY — The DuBois Little League All-Star baseball team used strong pitching and a balanced offensive attack to knock off Punxsutawney, 11-1 in 5 innings, Tuesday night to punch its ticket to Saturday’s winner’s bracket finals of the District 10 Tournament.

The game was close early on, with DuBois holding a 2-0 lead after one inning and a 3-0 advantage after three. However, the DuBois offense came to life the second time through the order and erupted for five runs in the fourth and three more in the fifth to win going away via the 10-run mercy rule.

DuBois got hits from nine of its 12 players, with Jordan Lockett and Cam Gasbarre each finishing with two. Lockett also had three RBIs and two runs scored out of the clean-sup spot, while Gasbarre scored once at the bottom of the lineup.

Ryan Mitchell added a two-run single, while Landon Liddle had a double and sac fly.

All that offense proved to be more than enough for the duo of Liddle and Mason Blasco, who combined on a one-hitter. And, that one hit was nothing more than a swinging bunt by Punxsy’s Kaysen Cary that rolled a couple feet up the third-base line with one out in the second that.

Punxsy’s lone run came off Liddle in the fourth, when Easton Stang drew a leadoff walk and worked his way around the bases on three wild pitches to score his team’s lone run.

Liddle tossed 3 1/3 innings to get the win, allowing the one earned run on one hit while striking out six and walking four. Blasco tossed 1 2/3 innings of scoreless, no-hit relief to finish off the win. He struck out a pair.

Next up for DuBois is a showdown with Bradford in Saturday’s winner’s bracket final — a game that will be played at DuBois’ Way Memorial Field at 4 p.m. Bradford beat Warren, 11-2, on Tuesday.

DuBois wasted little time grabbing control and put a pair of runs on the board against Punxsy starter Chandler Neal in the top of the first.

Hank Benton jump-started that early rally with a single to right with one away. He took second on a wild pitch and third when Liddle reached on a dropped third strike. Lockett scored Benton on a groundout before Blasco plated Liddle with a single to left.

Liddle then used three straight strikeouts to work around a leadoff walk in the bottom half of the inning.

DuBois added a third run in the third.

Colten Michaux and Gasbarre hit back-to-back singles with one out before Rocco Morelli scored Michaux with a sac fly to left.

Punxsy threatened in the bottom of the third, as Clayton Warren walked and Nolan Martino was hit by a pitch with one out. DuBois shortstop Atley Palumbo promptly halted the rally there as he fielded a ball hit up the middle by Abel Emhoff and turned a nice 6-3 inning-ending double play.

DuBois carried that momentum into the fourth and broke open the game with its big five-run inning.

Liddle jump-started things with a double off the first baseman’s glove down the right-field line and quickly scored on a Lockett single to center. The ball got past the outfielder, allowing Lockett to hustle all the way around to third.

That spelled the end for Neal,as Punxsy turned to Blake Hughes in relief. He promptly hit Blasco before getting owen Bundy to line out to shortstop. Palumbo followed with a single to center that plated Lockett, wth Blasco following him home when the ball was bobbled in the outfield to make it 6-0.

Palumbo went to second on a late throw to the plate, then third on an Everett Reiter single. Ryan Mitchell then singled home both runners to put DuBois up 8-0.

Punxsy avoided the shutout when Stang walked in the bottom of the fourth and worked his way around the bases on wild pitches.

DuBois put the game away with three more runs in the fifth though.

Gasbarre got things rolling with his second single of the game to roll over the lineup. Morelli then reached on an error before Benton got down a sac bunt to move over the runners.

A Liddle sac fly scored Gasbarre, then Lockett singled home Morelli. The ball once again got past the outfielder as Lockett sprinted around to third for the second time in the game.

Lockett then scored DuBois 11th and final run on a wild pitch on a crazy sequence at the plate. Punxsy catcher Henry Conrad hustled back the plate and tagged Lockett on the chin as he slid in.

Lockett was initially called out on a close play, but the force of the tag, coupled with Lockett’s slide, saw the ball pop out of Conrad’s glove — an error that saw Lockett be ruled safe.

That run put them mercy rule into play, and Blasco enjoyed a 1-2-3 bottom of the fifth to finish off the wins.

DUBOIS 11,

PUNXSUTAWNEY 1, 5 innings

Score by Innings

DuBois 201 53 — 11

Punxsy 000 10 — 1

DuBois—11

Rocco Morelli cf 2101, Hank Benton eh-rf 2110, Landon Liddel p-ss 2211, Jordan Lockett 3b 3223, Mason Blasco eh-1b-eh-p 2111, Owen Bundy c 2000, Atley Palumbo ss-2b 1111, Everett Reiter lf-eh 2110, Ryan Mitchell 1b-eh-1b 2012, Alex Hughes eh-lf 2000, Colten Michaux rf-eh 2110, Cam Gasbarre 2b-eh 2120. Totals: 24-11-11-9.

Punxsy—1

Easton Stang lf 0100, Henry Janocha cf 2000, Jacob Gourley eh-3b 1000, Henry Conrad eh-c 2000, Blake Hughes ss-p 2000, Kaysen Cary 1b 2010, Grant Weaver 3b-eh 2000, Ethan Smith 2b-ss 2000, Chandler Neal p-eh 1000, Clayton Warren rf-2b 0000, Nolan Martino c-rf 0000, Abe Emhoff eh 1000. Totals: 15-1-1-0.

Errors: DuBois 0, Punxsy 4. LOB: DuBois 3, Punxsy 4. DP: DuBois 1. 2B: Liddle. SF: Morelli, Liddle. SAC: Benton. HBP: Blasco (by Hughes); Martino (by Liddle). CS: Palumbo (by Martino).

Pitching

DuBois: Landon Liddle-3 1/3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 6 SO, 1 HB. Mason Blasco-1 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO.

Punxsy: Chandler Neal-3+ IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BBm 2 SO; Blake Hughes-2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO, 1 HB.

Winning pitcher: Liddle. Losing pitcher: Neal.