ROCHELLE — The Rochelle Little League 10U Baseball All-Stars erased a six-run deficit against Rock Falls on Tuesday, rallying for an 11-6 victory to clinch a spot in the championship game of the Illinois Little League District 19 tournament. Rochelle will play Saturday afternoon.

Teddy Millard went 3-for-4 with two RBIs for Rochelle, while four players including Maddex Jackson, Bentley Svela, Quentin Ansteth and Kamden Kessen recorded one RBI. Vaughn Manning finished 2-for-2 with two singles, one walk and three runs scored on offense. 

Jackson threw three innings of relief, striking out five batters and allowing only one hit. Svela tossed the final three innings to close the game, adding five strikeouts and one hit allowed. 

Rock Falls went ahead 6-0 after drawing nine walks in the top of the first inning. Rochelle bounced back with a seven-run frame in the bottom of the first inning. Millard singled and scored on an RBI double from Jackson before coming home on Svela’s RBI groundout. Manning singled and stole home to make it a 6-3 game, which quickly turned into a 6-4 game after Kessen’s RBI single scored Axel Alsop, who reached on a single in the previous at-bat.

Millard’s second single of the first inning plated Kessen and Jaxon Quinonez to tie the game at 6-6. Quinonez then scored on a passed ball to give Rochelle its first lead. Rochelle added two runs in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI groundout from Ansteth and a passed ball, which allowed Manning to cross home plate and push Rochelle ahead in the game 9-6.

After both teams went scoreless in the third inning, Rochelle scored twice in the bottom of the fourth inning when Manning and Nolan Zick both scored on passed balls. Rochelle shut Rock Falls down in both the fifth and sixth innings to seal the win and advance to the championship.