Inevitably, it came down to a battle between Columbus Northern Little League and Warner Robins American West Little League.

Leagues from Columbus had reached the state championship game seven times in nine years coming into the 2013 state tournament, including in every year since 2009. Meanwhile, Warner Robins leagues had reached the championship game in six of the previous seven years. The two cities had combined to win the past seven Georgia state tournaments, and had met in the championship game in 2011 and 2012. At least one of the two cities advanced to the championship game in every year since the 1999 international tournament, and in four of the past seven years, the championship game came down to Columbus versus Warner Robins.

So it was little surprise when the two teams blitzed through pool competition with undefeated records, or when Warner Robins American West outlasted Martinez-Evans National Little League, 11-3, and Columbus Northern edged Cartersville Little League, 4-3, in sweltering, near-100 degree heat in semifinal round contests.

In the end, it was Northern which withstood three late Warner Robins pushes, and held on for an 8-7 victory in the championship game at Richmond Hill Park on the Georgia coast. The victory gave Northern its fifth state championship in the major baseball division, including its fourth in the past ten years, and advanced the league to the Southeastern Region tournament.

"This is a scrappy team," said Northern manager Randy Morris. "They never give up."

Morris had managed Northern's Little League World Series qualifying teams in 2006 and 2010, but after his second Williamsport-bound team, he dropped down to a younger age group, and managed Northern's 9-10 year old all-star team in 2011. That team lost in the District 8 tournament, but, with Morris again at the helm in 2012, the team won the state championship and reached the semifinal round in the Southeastern Region Tournament of State Champions.

"We've gotten a lot better since we were ten," said Morris. "We have improved. The kids are bigger and stronger. This group played extremely well as eleven-year-olds."

The team again rose to the occasion in 2013, scoring in four of their five offensive innings in the championship game, and holding off a hard-charging Warner Robins team.

Warner Robins opened the scoring in the title game, turning a trio of infield hits and a two-run single by Ben Gibbs into an early lead before Northern first came to the plate. But the Columbus league responded with two in the bottom of the inning, when Colby Brabston scored on a passed ball and Zach Foster's single scored Austin Hicks. In the third, Northern took the lead when Noah Lee drove in a run, and Foster and Ben Sloan both delivered run-producing fielders' choices.

The rally gave Columbus a 5-3 lead, and Warner Robins closed the gap in each of the next three innings, only to see Northern respond and extend the lead. Jacob Pierce delivered a two-out, run-scoring single in the fourth, but Lee replied with a two-out solo home run. In the fifth, Warner Robins added a run on a bases-loaded walk, but Northern added two in the bottom of the inning on Josh Evans' single.

Finally, in the sixth, Warner Robins American West had the top of the order due, and opened the inning with consecutive home runs by Pierce -- his fourth of the tournament, and his third sixth inning home run -- and Cameron Jones. Corbet Luna doubled with one out, and Warner Robins had the potential go-ahead run on base after Lee issued a walk to Jeremy Horton, but the left-hander induced a pop out and a fly ball to right center field to stem the rally and give Northern the victory.

"We were just a few runs short," said Warner Robins manager Brad King after the game.

Columbus Northern reached the title game by edging Cartersville, 4-3, in the semifinal round. Cartersville led early following Ladarius Winburn's three-run homer in the top of the first inning, but Northern answered with four in the third. Cole Pettis and Evans drew walks, and after both runners moved up on a passed ball, Pettis scored on a fielder's choice. Grantham singled to right to score a second run, and Lee capped the inning with a two-run homer to center field that pulled Northern into the lead.

Brabston, who relieved Northern's starter in the second inning, threw five shutout innings and struck out eleven batters. He escaped a bases-loaded threat in the fifth with a strikeout, then struck out the side in the sixth to close out the win.

Northern surrendered only seven runs in its four pool competition games, and opened the tournament with a 1-0 victory over Newton County American Little League. Grantham and Brabston combined on the shutout, with Grantham throwing the first three innings and Brabston striking out five once he took to the mound. Northern scored the only run of the game in the first, when Grantham's double plated Hicks.

The next day, Grantham (grand slam), Ben Sloan, and Lee all homered as the District 8 champions topped Belvedere Little League, 12-2 in five innings, and Northern followed this win with a 4-1 decision over Toccoa Little League. Grantham allowed just one hit and struck out ten over 4-1/3 innings of work, and added four hits and three runs batted in.

Northern wrapped up pool competition with an 11-4 win over Martinez-Evans National. Hicks launched a pair of two-run homers, and threw 3-2/3 innings to pace the win.

Warner Robins was similarly in control of its pool, outscoring its four opponents by a 44-4 margin. The District 5 winners used a pitching-by-committee approach in most of their games, as King used five pitchers in a 17-0 victory over West Point Little League, five more in a 13-3 win over homestanding Coastal Little League, and three in an 8-1 win over Murphey Candler National Little League that wrapped up pool competition. Only against Cartersville, which Warner Robins topped 6-0, did a pitcher see extensive innings, as Luna (eight strikeouts in 4-1/3 innings) and Jones (1-1/3 hitless innings) combined for the shutout.

Two days after it wrapped up pool competition, Warner Robins dispatched Martinez-Evans to earn its title game berth, but Columbus Northern was able to hang on and secure the state title. The victory reverses Warner Robins American West's 10-4 victory when the same two teams met for the state championship in 2012.

Northern wasn't done with Warner Robins, though -- their victory catapulted the Columbus team into the Southeastern Region tournament, which is held in Warner Robins each year.

"We expect to see some great baseball teams," said Morris as his team prepared for the tournament.

Northern played three defensive battles at the region tournament, falling to Northwood Little League (Taylors, South Carolina) by a 3-2 score and then to Myers Park/Trinity Little League (Charlotte, North Carolina) by a 4-2 margin. Northern earned a 3-0 win over Martin County North Little League (Stuart/Palm City, Florida) in their final pool competition game.