BUTLER TWP — Kyle Yost wasn't about to let a second opportunity slip from his grasp.

Butler Township's leadoff hitter had come to the plate with two outs and the bases loaded in the top of the fourth inning of Wednesday's District 25 Little League baseball tournament game at Adelman Field.

That at-bat ended when Yost got under a Brady Fowkes pitch and popped out, temporarily preserving Clarion's slim 2-1 lead.

“That was very frustrating,” said Yost. “I thought I should've gotten on.”

His shot at redemption came in the top of the sixth inning.

Fowkes had reached his 85-pitch limit and Noah DiTullio was now on the mound. With one out and runners at first and second base, Yost crushed DiTullio's pitch over the left-field fence, scoring Ryan Hepfl and Landon Strawn ahead of him.

“I thought it was gone as soon as it came off the bat,” said Yost.

The 3-run blast accounted for the final runs in a 4-2 win as Butler Township claimed its first 11-12 year old district championship since 2011.

Yost went 3-for-4 in the game. He singled in his first two at-bats.

“He seems to get better every game,” said Butler Township manager Chris Singleton. “He plays well at every position and is clutch at the plate.

“I didn't feel the need to say anything to him before that home run. These kids don't get nervous. Me and the other coaches, the less we say, the better.”

Fowkes recorded the first out of the sixth inning, but then switched positions with DiTullio, who had been playing shortstop.

Hepfl immediately greeted the reliever with a single to left field, followed by J.T. Ritzert's base hit to right. That brought Yost to the plate.

His latest home run gives him 16 for the year after hitting four all of last season.

“I've really come alive this season,” he said. “My coaches, my dad and grandpap have all been working with me and I've been to the batting cage a lot. That's really helped me.”

Tyler Rekich was nearing the pitch limit for a single contest, but worked a scoreless bottom of the sixth inning for a complete-game.

He hit Corbin Coulson with a pitch to start the inning, but Fowkes flied out. Coulson was then thrown out trying to take third base after a ground out by Christian Simko.

Rekich's previous outing was a perfect game with 13 strikeouts in a 3-0 win over Franklin July 1.

“I thought he pitched very well tonight,” said Singleton. “Clarion got the bat on the ball a little more than I was expecting. Tyler's strikeouts were a bit down — he had six — but our defense played well behind him.”

While Yost's shot sent Butler Township's dugout into a frenzy, it spoiled a very solid pitching performance from Fowkes.

Thanks to him, Wednesday's game took on a much different feel than Butler Township's 11-0 victory over Clarion Saturday in the double-elimination tournament.

The only run he allowed came when Ethan Trettel's base hit scored Yost in the top of the third. He squeezed out of the bases-loaded jam in the fourth and worked similarly to escape another threat in the fifth.

Rekich singled to lead off that frame and raced to third when Landon Mohney stroked a one-out double. But Fowkes induced C.J. Singleton to pop out and Braden Marcellus to ground out.

“Brady was just unbelievable today,” said Clarion manager Scott DiTullio. “He hit every spot we asked him to hit.”

Clarion's initial lead came in the bottom of the second as Simko hit a solo home run over the center-field fence.

With the game tied at 1 in the bottom of the third, Clarion moved in front again, this time on a run-scoring single from Noah DiTullio that plated Breckin Rex.

“This was a great battle,” said Scott DiTullio. “Our kids did a great job, considering there are only 66 players in our entire league and only 23 of them are 11- or 12-years old.”

Butler Township advances to the Section 1 Tournament, which begins July 18 in Union City, Erie County.

Butler Twp. 001 003 — 4 8 2

Clarion 011 000 — 2 4 3

W: Tyler Rekich 6 IP (6K, 0BB). L: Noah DiTullio .2 IP (0K, 0BB).

Butler Township: Kyle Yost 2-1B HR 2R 3RBI, Tyler Rekich 1B, Ethan Trettel 1B RBI, Landon Mohney 2B, Ryan Hepfl 1B R, Landon Strawn R, J.T. Ritzert 1B

Clarion: Noah DiTullio 1B RBI, Christian Simko 1B HR, Breckin Rex 1B R

July 18: Section 1 Tournament in Union City, TBD