Tristan Lettie delivered a walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh, propelling the Derry Ukes to the Latrobe-Derry Area Teener League Championship at Rosa-Oglietti Park on Tuesday.

Lettie’s rocket to right field scored both JoJo Monios and Matt Fernell, giving the No. 4 seed Ukes (19-7-1) the dramatic 6-5 victory against Frontier Club. As a result, the Derry Ukes swept the best-of-three series, claiming their first league title since 2019.

“I just knew it was over,” Lettie said of when the ball left his bat against Wagoneers pitcher Grady Ruffner.

One night after the Ukes’ defense was crucial in their 6-3 triumph against third-seeded Frontier Club (22-7), the Ukes committed eight errors. Those blunders loomed large in the seventh, including a pair of errors by Lettie, which allowed Grady Ruffner to score the go-ahead run. However, a couple of subsequent key plays limited the damage, as the Ukes recorded a double play, while JoJo Monios made a stellar catch in foul territory to strand a pair of runners in scoring position.

The Ukes wasted no time in engineering their rally, as JoJo Monios was plunked on the first pitch of the inning by Ruffner, and Fernell was also hit by pitch. That set the stage for Lettie, who pounced on the first offering he saw and drove it to the fence in right field. The speedy Monios easily scored the tying tally, while the throw into the infield couldn’t be corralled cleanly, allowing Fernell to score the decisive run.

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“I thought it was a home run. When it came down and we realized what it was, we had our guys running as fast as they could,” Ukes manager Mike Self revealed.

With Lettie starting on the mound for the Ukes for the second night in a row, the Wagoneers scored in the top of the first inning. Ruffner ripped a one-out double, and he came in on a single by Syphan.

The Ukes had an immediate response, though, as their first four batters each singled against hurler Matix Harrison. JoJo Monios, Fernell, Lettie, and Mikey Monios all produced hits, while Mason Zinkham later added a sacrifice fly to put the Ukes ahead 2-1.

After a scoreless second, Frontier Club took the lead back in the third, aided by three errors by the Ukes. Chappel reached on an error, and he later scored on another blunder. Ruffner drew a walk in the frame, and he came home on the third error, which also extended the frame. However, Lettie struck out Brady Metarko to strand the bases loaded, keeping his squad within striking distance.

In the bottom of the third, the Derry Ukes scored twice themselves, as JoJo Monios and Lettie were both hit by pitches. Mikey Monios had an RBI single, while Zinkham drove in another run with a fielder’s choice.

The Wagoneers pulled even in the fourth, as Ruffner’s single brought in Chappel to make it 4-4.

The pitching on both sides found a rhythm for the next few stanzas, as Ruffner was impressive in relief of Harrison, while Lettie grinded through five frames before giving the ball to JoJo Monios.

In his outing on the mound, Lettie allowed four runs, including two earned runs, on six hits, while walking four and striking out seven. Monios earned the victory, as he threw two innings, allowing an unearned run on one hit, with no walks nor strikeouts. He was also an offensive dynamo, reaching base three times and scoring thrice. Lettie and Mikey Monios each had a pair of hits.

For the Wagoneers, Ruffner took the loss, giving up three runs, two earned, on four hits, issuing three walks with nine strikeouts in his four innings. He also went 2-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored. Moreover, Syphan and William Showalter each contributed a pair of hits for Frontier Club.