STOCKTON — Battling out of the consolation bracket, the Northgate Brewers strung together a pair of one-run, come-from-behind victories to force Friday night’s winner-take-all tilt against the tournament host Weston Ranch Tigers in the District 67 Juniors Tournament of Champions at Paul E. Weston Park.

Shut out for the first four innings by Jacob Sherwood, Northgate broke through for five runs in the fifth before the Tigers executed a pick-off play for the game’s last out, which ended due to time in an 8-5 win for Weston Ranch.

“We have had sixth-inning and seventh-inning comebacks,” Brewers coach Amos Ellis said. “We did really well.

“The boys put a lot of effort in. In the end, there is no quit in them. I wish we could have done it again tonight.”

Going into the bottom of the fifth, Ryder Hinman-Shockey (2 for 2) had the lone Northgate hit and he led off the frame with another hit. The Brewers loaded the bases with a fielder’s choice by Manoah Ellis, forcing Hinman-Shockey, a single by Francisco Diaz-Sandoval and a walk to Darren Bruan.

Mac Kohler drew a bases-loaded walk to plate Manoah Ellis followed by a Robert Sharpmack’s two-RBI single, plating Diaz-Sandoval and Kohler. Sharpmack scored the last Northgate run on a groundout by Graham Allen.

Although they were shut out for four innings, the Brewers struck out only twice as they were hitting the ball hard, just right at defenders.

The Tigers did most of their damage in the top of the fifth inning, taking advantage of four walks, a hit batter and two errors to score six runs. Cris Arias was 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI for the Weston Ranch.