PLYMOUTH – It’s been since 2011, but the NLC title in baseball is finally back in Plymouth.

Plymouth’s Pilgrims came from behind and then held on for a 3-2 win over Northridge at Bill Nixon Field on Wednesday night clinching at least a share of the title. Thursday night Elkhart Memorial will play at Warsaw and if the Chargers can beat the Tigers, Plymouth will own the title outright.

“I can’t say enough about our six seniors,” said Plymouth head coach Ryan Wolfe. “They’ve played a lot of baseball they’ve given me a lot. It’s about them. They go out and play the game, they executed and did a great job. I thought if we got three or four we’d be right there with a chance to win.”

“What a game. Our kids battled. I really didn’t expect to see (Raider pitcher Andrew) Kennedy, we know he’s their horse and we just hit him. We got over some mental lapses there. Which we’ve done all year. Our kids found a way.”

There were enough kudos to go around for the entire team as the resilient Pilgrims came from behind twice to take the win.

Northridge scored first in the second inning on a bases loaded walk to Cody Bible, but the Pilgrims answered right back in the bottom of the inning with Jeremy Drudge’s lead off homer that tied the score.

Northridge answered on Bryce Miller’s double that scored Raider starting pitcher Andrew Kennedy who reached on a two out error. The way the game was going it looked like that might stand. A Braydon Davidson double and a Drudge walk set up a perfect sacrifice bunt by Spencer Mae-Croft and a clutch two run single by George Stults that would be the game winner.

“I know they tried to bunt a few times and fouled some off, and we were able to get ours down,” said Wolfe. “That’s what it comes down to at this time of year that’s what you are going to have to do.”

Plymouth starter Cam Eveland fought his way through some uncharacteristic wildness to get through the fourth giving up just two hits and one earned run and was rewarded with the win.

“Cam struggled a little late he just didn’t have what he had the other night,” said Wolfe. “I asked him to give me one more out and he did. He did a great job of battling and I knew we were going to go to Braydon. Its about the 14 guys in the dugout all of them contributed something in all our 10 wins this year.”

Davidson came on to record the save striking out four in three innings and giving up just one hit. Northridge had Kennedy at second representing the tying run in the seventh but Davidson struck out Cam Nickell to end the game.

“It was one of those games with two good teams battling, the momentum swings back and forth,” said Wolfe. “It’s about staying the course. I thought we had good approaches at the plate against Kennedy. He worked fastballs early and then went to the curve ball and we wanted to make him throw the curve ball for a strike. It comes down to executing that bunt and getting a big hit.”

The Pilgrims stand at 17-7 on the year and 10-4 in the NLC. They travel to McCutcheon over the weekend to take on the Mavericks Friday night and return to take on Columbus North on Saturday afternoon and Crown Point on Saturday evening.

Linescore

Northridge 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2-4-0

Plymouth 0 1 0 2 0 0 x 3-4-3

WP – Cam Eveland (3-0). LP – Andrew Kennedy (1-1). S – Davidson. HR – Drudge (P). 2B – B. Miller (N), Davidson (P).