NH wins and what's next...

New Hartford topped Utica 7-5 in the losers bracket final to advance to the 4 p.m. championship round against Smith.

New Hartford went ahead 2-0 in the first, but Utica answered with two runs of its own in the top of the second to even the score at 2-2. After a scoreless third, Utica plated three in the top of the fourth to go on top 5-2.

New Hartford cut the lead to 5-3 in the bottom of the fifth and then scored four more in the sixth to eliminate the three-seed Utica.

New Hartford's Chandler Evans went 3.2 innings and was relieved by Alex Giovannone after a Devin Warmack single with the score 5-2 in the fourth. Giovannone picked Warmack off of first before even throwing a pitch, and then went on to put Utica's final nine batters down in order to clinch the win.

New Hartford's four-run sixth started with back-to-back singles by Erik Sheridan and Joe Betar. Then, with runners on second and third and no outs, Utica made a pitching change, pulling starter Mike King in favor of Joe Perrotta. Perrotta plunked the first batter he faced, Joe Carcone, to load the bases with no outs. A Joe Desens RBI walk brought home Sheridan and cut the lead to 5-4. A passed ball, which bounced off catch Nick Mishlanie's shin pad, plated Betar to tie the game at five. Mike Matt then poked a two-RBI single through the hole into left field to put New Hartford ahead 7-5. Utica escaped further damage with an Eric Verbickas line out, and a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

But it would not reach base in the final inning.

Giovannone got Mishlanie to ground out 6-3 and Hall to fly out to center for the first two outs. The veteran lefty ended the game with a swinging strike out of Warmack.

The win guarantees New Hartford a spot in next week's District V tournament (scheduled to start Wednesday) and sets up a rematch between Smith and New Hartford of the past two year's Oneida County championship round. New Hartford came out of the losers bracket to beat Smith twice and take the title in 2006. Smith took the crown in 2007 with a win over New Hartford.

New Hartford will have to beat Smith twice (once today, and then again tomorrow) to win the county playoffs. Smith needs just one win to take the crown.