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Winning a title never comes easy, but three local Little League baseball All-Star teams seemed to go through more than their share of adversity in winning district championships last week.

Comebacks, revenge and Mother Nature made for contentious drama normally reserved for extra innings of a World Series game, not Little League baseball. Three teams persevered, though, showing focus and heart well beyond their preteen years and were rewarded with District 27 titles.

Perhaps no team faced more adversity this summer than the Greater Naples 10- and 11-year-old All-Stars. A slow start and a hard-hitting Golden Gate National team put Greater Naples in a 10-0 hole by the middle of the third inning in the July 9 championship game.

But after the same Greater Naples players lost in the semifinals the past two seasons, the All-Stars weren’t about to give up. Six outs away from losing by mercy rule, Greater Naples scored five times in the bottom of the third and put up 13 straight runs to win 13-10.

“To finally have the third year end up like this, to be down 10-0 and come back, there’s only one word for it ‘unbelievable,’” said manager Jimmy Nocera, who has guided the team all three years.

Greater Naples was led by the top of its batting order. The one through four hitters scored 11 of the runs in a three-inning span. Jesse Ferriera, Jonathan Scott and Bryson Smith scored three times each.

Smith’s three-run homer to centerfield in the bottom of the fifth put Greater Naples ahead for good. A perfect sixth inning from relief pitcher Sage Nocera delivered the district championship.

“We kind of thought it was over,” Greater Naples player Bryson Smith said. “Then we got one good inning and we got back in it.”

In the 11-12 district championship, the Greater Naples team faced off against a the North Naples team that beat them in the round-robin portion of the tournament. It looked like North Naples would repeat its victory after getting two hits and an easy run in the first inning.

Greater Naples responded, however, with two runs of its own in the top of the second. Lock-down pitching from Jordan Jackson kept North Naples off the scoreboard the rest of the way, and Greater Naples won the District 27 title.

“I had to settle down and do my job,” Jackson said. “Whatever I did, I had to come in and pitch better.”

Jackson allowed only three hits the rest of the way. He reached his pitch-count limit with one out left in the game and the tying run on second base. Reliever Max Kent struck out the final batter with five pitches to seal the win.

Gabe Ricci hit a RBI single for North Naples in the first, scoring E.J. Grimes. Following Ricci’s hit, Greater Naples’ Jackson retired 10 straight batters. North Naples didn’t get another hit until the fifth inning.

“He was absolutely as on as I have ever seen him,” Greater Naples manager Bryan Smith said of his starter. “He hit the inside spot, he hit the away spot, he hit the down spot. That was just an unbelievable performance.”

While Greater Naples 10-11 and 11-12 All-Stars were fighting formidable foes, the Golden Gate National juniors were battling the most unpredictable opponent of al – the weather. Thanks to rain and lightning, it took National four days to complete its two-game District 27 tournament.

The All-Stars finally wrapped up their title Friday thanks to a 7-3 victory over Golden Gate American. National finished 2-0 in the round-robin tournament to advance to sectionals.

Though National’s victory at Golden Gate Community Park looked easy, it was the stress of the rain delays that wore on the players. The team started its game against American on July 8, taking a 4-1 lead after the first inning. Then storms rolled through, postponing the game for four days and seemingly halting National’s momentum.

But the All-Stars picked up where they left off, scoring twice in their first at-bat of the continued game.

“It’s hard because (rain-outs) stop your momentum, and it’s tough to get back,” National player Andrew Hill said. “If we won this game, it was our championship. That was our motivation.”

The Section 6 age-group tournaments start Friday, with the winners heading to the state finals. Golden Gate National’s juniors play at Three Oaks Park in Estero. Greater Naples’ 10-11s play at Golden Gate Community Park, while the 11-12s play at Three Oaks.