WOOD-RIDGE — Boy, did the Allentown Legion baseball team really need what Dave Yorke gave them in Tuesday’s American Division playoff game of the New Jersey American Legion State Final 8 at the Wood-Ridge Athletic Complex.

Following a spectacular 15-hit streak for the Mercer County American Legion League champions, Yorke moved into the inning after Anthony Lino hit a one-out double in the sixth with A’town trailing by one.

Yorke, a Donovan Catholic graduate who attended Sacred Heart University, caught a 1-1 fastball from Whitehouse Post 284 pitcher Christopher Kozak and sent it high enough over the center field fence to hit a two-run home run and lift Allentown to a 3-1 victory.

With the win, coach Sahil Thakur’s 22-2 squad earned the right to advance to a rematch with Bordentown Post 26 in late play on Tuesday after B’town beat A’town 4-0 in 10 innings on Monday.

“It was tough,” Yorke said of his team’s no-hitter season, the longest such streak of the season for a team averaging nine points per game this summer. “I wasn’t trying to do too much (hitting home runs). I just wanted to put a dent in it.”

While it was only the second home run this summer for the Toms River resident, he said he wasn’t focused on that after hitting five home runs for head coach Corey Hamman’s 15-11 Griffins in the spring.

“I was thinking the same thing I think every time I go there,” Yorke said. “Think barrels!”

In a tournament where pitchers are strong, such as the State Final 8, perhaps more MCALL players should follow Yorke’s approach when they take the field at this location, where the outfield barriers extend from 305 to 353.

Allentown got some more offensive help from Mike Avino in the top of the seventh; he hit a ground-rule double to knock in Julian Caruso for a key insurance run against the 27-4 Post 284; he added an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth after Kaleb McGann’s double. Like Yorke, Avino was 2 for 3 in the game.

That was just one of three innings pitched by A’town pitcher Nick Garbooshian in a 95-pitch game in which he allowed one walk, one hit-by-pitch and five strikeouts.

“He pushed,” Yorke said of Garbooshian. “What more can you ask of your bowler? We had to back him up.”

Offensively (six innings) and defensively, Allentown got it done and helped Garbooshian stay in the game, finishing the game with a double play 10 innings before he would have to leave the game.

Allentown (22-2) 000 002 1 — 3 6 1

White House (27-4) 000 010 0 — 1 3 0

2B: Lino, Avino (A), McGann (W); HR: Yorke (A); RBIs: Yorke 2, Avino (A).

WP—Garbooshian (5-0); LP — Kozak.

BROOKLAWN 3, LAWRENCE 0

Collin Elam led Post 414 to maintain position to win the National Section winners final at the New Jersey American Legion State Final 8 to be held at the WRAC on Tuesday morning.

Elam was nearly level with Brooklawn Post 72 Red pitcher Ben Andreoli, except for one error.

Noah Danza hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning to tie it 3-2 and give the defending state champions a 3-0 victory over Lawrence.

The loss forced coach Jason Zegarski’s 16-7 Post 414 team to return later in the day to play an elimination game against 18-2 Cherry Hill Post 372. They clinched the league with a 5-1 win over Montgomery Superior in Monday’s final game.

“I knew it was going to be a good fight. I was trying to pitch for contact,” said Elam, who will attend New Jersey City University, who allowed six hits to Lawrence’s five against Andreoli.

Both pitchers went the distance and walked only two. Andreoli struck out 92 pitches in seven innings, while Elam struck out 89 in six innings. The only real difference was that Andreoli had five strikeouts, while Elam had one.

“It was a full count and I threw him an inside fastball,” Elam said of a bad throw he made to Danza (2-3), which sent it flying over the left-field fence after a single by Tate DeRias (2-3). “As far as the pitching matchup, we were pretty similar. It was a good battle.”

The only real difference was that Post 414 couldn’t do much against Andreoli, as manager Dennis Barth’s 18-5 Brookers hit three double plays to support their pitchers in the game that was completed without a hit.

Justin Prekop (1-2) was the only Lawrence player to reach base twice, with a walk in the fourth inning and a single in the sixth inning. He and Jeffrey Blake (single) were stranded at third and second bases, respectively, in the fourth inning. Prekop doubled in the sixth inning.

Elam’s only other problem came in the fifth when Tyler Bunting led off with a single and Griffin Clarke followed with a double. C.J. Neal’s sacrifice fly scored Bunting with the game’s other run.

Lawrence (16-7) 000 000 0 — 0 5 0

Brooklawn (18-5) 020 010 x — 3 6 0

2B: Clarke (B); HR: Danza (B); RBIs: Danza 2, Neal (B).

WP — Andreoli (2-0); LP — Elam (1-3).