A stellar pitching performance by Herm San Nicolas coupled with timely hitting led Northgate to a 7-1 win over tournament host Ripon to claim first place Saturday in the District 67 Major League Tournament championship at Thiemann Athletic Park.

Northgate dispatched Ripon to the consolation Thursday in the semifinal tilt in a thrilling one-run, extra-inning win and trailed 1-0 on Saturday, only to come back with seven unanswered runs.

“This team just keeps pushing,” Northgate coach Adam Showers said. “They continue to fight and push the envelope, and even when they are down, they just continue to fight.”

San Nicolas pitched five innings with eight strikeouts, allowing one run with two hits and no walks while scoring one run himself.

Diesel Spangler got the seven-hit parade going for Northgate with a leadoff home run in the second inning to tie the game at 1-1. Leadoff batter Ealin Showers (run) and Sam Celli Jr. both went 2 for 4 with two RBI, belting back-to-back two-RBI singles in the fifth inning, adding four insurance runs.

Mateo Bonilla led off the Northgate fifth with a single and Orlando Bugarin walked with both coming in on Showers’ single. Aiden Torres added a walk with both him and Showers scoring on Celli Jr.’s hit.

D.J. Ivers singled for Northgate in the third and scored on an error off the bat of Derek Trujillo. San Nicolas walked to lead off the fourth and came around on Jayden Chavez’s single to make the score 3-1.

Keegan Dillon walked to lead off the game for Ripon, worked his way to third and scored on Chase Rubenaker’s single for the only Ripon run.

Northgate advances to the Delta Section championships on Saturday, July 12, in Turlock.