Waterford — In a game that saw 19 combined runs scored, the only thing that seemed to keep East Lyme and Mystic from scoring more was the pitching mound.

In the top of the fourth inning, play was halted for several minutes because a large divot formed in front of the pitching rubber. With the help of some well-placed water and a rake to smooth out the surface, the mound was as good as new, and play resumed.

Immediately after returning to play, East Lyme's Quinn Killoy hit a shot to deep right field. Mystic had a shot at keeping the ball in play, but it hopped off the right fielder's glove and over the wall for a home run, giving East Lyme a commanding 10-4 lead.

East Lyme added a run in the fifth inning before holding on for an 11-8 win and forcing a third game on Friday at 5:30 p.m. to determine the District 10 Little League (11-12) baseball champion.

"We had our confidence hitting," East Lyme manager Rob Tukey said. "When you're in this situation, sometimes you press. We kind of found our confidence again. I think that was really important."

Mystic got off to a hot start, scoring three runs in the first inning, its first run being driven in by starting pitcher Jackson LaLima, who hit a ball deep to right field that hopped over the fence for a ground rule double. Payton Neale followed that up with a double that split the infield gap, bringing LaLima home.

East Lyme took over in the third, scoring seven runs to take a 9-4 lead. After a series of walks, starting pitcher Connor Tukey hit a two-run double with the bases loaded, one of two doubles he hit on the day. He also notched two strike outs through 3.2 innings while picking up the victory.

Trailing 11-5 heading into the sixth inning, Neale got a comeback started for Mystic, launching a leadoff home run, much to the delight of the Mystic bench. Mystic was able to score two more runs after a series of walks and a singles, and had the bases loaded with the winning run at the plate with two outs. East Lyme turned to relief pitcher Alexander Salerno, who forced a groundout to earn the one-out save, and hand Mystic its first loss of the postseason.

"We hung in there. We showed a lot of grit and poise at the end," Mystic manager Lloyd Morales said. "We knew East Lyme was a good hitting team, but (we) didn't give up."

Third baseman Peter Sherwood had a big day at the plate for East Lyme, finishing with two hits, including a double, scoring two runs, and driving in a run. In addition to closing out the game, Salermo added a hit, a run scored, and an RBI.

Game 3 will be Friday at 5:30 p.m., also at Patterson Field, to determine which team advances to the Section 3 tournament next week. East Lyme will start Sebby DeCosta while Mystic will counter with Sidhaarth Bulusu.