Win and the New England Region champion would be into the final six-team bracket.

While there was talk of tie-breakers — head-to-head records, runs allowed, etc. — none of that mattered if Norwalk beat Puyallup, Washington in Game 18 on Thursday afternoon.

After four nervous innings at Diethrick Park, Norwalk scored nine runs in the fifth inning and three more in the sixth en route to a 13-8 National Division victory over the Pacific Northwest Region champion.

Norwalk (3-1) sent 15 batters to the plate in the fifth inning, benfitting from four walks, two hit batters, two errors and two passed balls.

OBSERVER Photo by Matt Spielman Tallahassee, Florida shortstop Nate Dietz throws across the infield to first base during Thursday’s Babe Ruth 13-year-old World Series game against Atlantic Shore, New Jersey at Diethrick Park in Jamestown.

Elvin Pascual hit an RBI single that fell in between the pitcher, first baseman and second baseman; Matthew Vahle hit a groundball that resulted in an error allowing three runs to score; Matthew Rinaldi hit an RBI infield single that turned into two runs on another error; and Dylan Izzi and Frederick Melton also hit RBI singles in the inning.

Down 10-2 in the fifth, Zachary Morris kept Puyallup (1-3) alive with a two-run double to make it 10-4.

Norwalk made it 13-4 in the sixth as Vahle and Izzi had RBI singles to go along with a run-scoring passed ball.

Down to its final six outs of the tournament, Puyallup rallied again in its half of the sixth. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases before Drew Nisco’s RBI single to left field. Bradley Dinelt added an RBI single before Jackson Williams’ RBI groundout. After a strikeout, Busby Low hit an RBI single to left field, but Melton struck out the final Puyallup batter.

Trailing by five in the seventh, Puyallup put two runners on with one out, but a strikeout and a groundout ended the game.

The Ron Tellefsen Players of the Game were Izzi, who went 2 for 3 with two RBIs and a run scored for Norwalk, and Quinncey Ratteray, who went 3 for 3 with a run scored for Puyallup.

Melton and Pascual each had two of Norwalk’s nine hits while Mason Little came off the bench to pick up two of Puyallup’s 11 hits.

Marcus Villafane, Pascual and Melton combined for eight strikeouts and eight walks for Norwalk. Dinelt, Morris, Kenyan Millett and Nisco had six strikeouts and 10 walks for Puyallup.

GAME 17

TALLAHASSEE LOCKS UP NO. 1 SEED

Three Tallahassee, Florida pitchers combined on a five-hitter as the Southeast Region champions locked up the No. 1 seed in the National Division with an 8-1 victory over Atlantic Shore, New Jersey.

Caleb Alkema, James Morris and Max Helbling combined to strike out five and walk four while also hitting a batter.

Atlantic Shore took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but that was all the scoring Tallahassee’s trio would allow.

Mark Metcalf led off the bottom of the first with an infield single. With a 3-2 count and Metcalf running on the pitch, Nate Dietz doubled to left field and Metcalf scored all the way from first to tie the game. Dietz advanced to third on a groundout and scored when the Atlantic Shore (2-2) dropped a third strike that would’ve been the final out of the inning.

Tallahassee (4-0) added three more runs in the second inning. Cole Lawson singled and Metcalf walked before Dietz reached on an error to load the bases. Colby Tadder then hit a groundball to third and Lawson beat the throw to the plate. A throwing error then allowed two more runs to score on the play.

Dietz walked with the bases loaded in the third inning to force in another run before Tallahassee scored its final two runs in the fifth inning on an RBI single by Lawson and an RBI groundout by Metcalf.

Lawson, the Ron Tellefsen Player of the Game for the winners, finished with three hits and Metcalf had two.

Ron Tellefsen Player of the Game John Franchini had three hits for Atlantic Shore, the Middle Atlantic Region champion. TJ McBall, Jake Blum and Dillon Singleton combined to strike out six and walk five on the mound.

GAME 19

DOUBLE PLAY ENDS NAIL-BITER

West Fargo, North Dakota turned an unconventional double play to end the game as the Midwest Plains champion ended its World Series run with a 6-5 victory for its second win of American Division play.

With four runs already across the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning, Tallassee, Alabama’s Slade Carleton lifted a fly ball to center field with one out. Ian Skari caught the ball and threw home where catcher Jack Josephsen relayed the ball to third baseman Cooper Fuchs, who slapped a tag on Tallassee’s Brody Smith before he could get back the bag ending the game.

Each team scored in the first inning and the game remained 1-1 until the top of the sixth inning when West Fargo (2-2) plated three runs. Jaxon Narum walked with one out and Aiden Bjone walked with two outs before Cason Borchardt hit an RBI single. Skari followed with a two-run double to give his team a 4-1 lead.

West Fargo made it 6-1 in the top of the seventh inning when two runs scored on an error.

Tallassee (0-4) battled back in the bottom of the seventh. Mason Henderson walked and Brandon Brantley reached on an error ahead of Jackson Butler’s RBI single. After an infield single loaded the bases, Hutson Lewis hit an RBI single and Butler scored on an error. Brody Wisener then walked to load the bases again before a walk to Ron Tellefsen Player of the Game Blake Clayton forced in a run.

Ohleen, who had two of West Fargo’s six hits at the plate, then induced the flyout to center field that turned into the game-ending double play.

Luke Chandler had a pair of hits for Tallassee, the Southwest Region champion.

Ron Tellefsen Player of the Game Noah Betker, Kaisen Nordick and Ohleen combined for two strikeouts and six walks for West Fargo while Wisener and Smith combined for six strikeouts and seven walks for Tallassee.