ST. MARYS — Clean, smart baseball carried Bradford Regional Little League (BRLL) Major Baseball All-Stars to a 3-2 victory over St. Marys in both teams’ District 10 tournament opener Friday evening.

The flip of a coin sent St. Marys to bat first. Eli Haynoski started on the mound for BRLL’s 11- and 12-year-olds.

A lead-off single by Richy Hurd gave St. Marys a baserunner straight away, but Eli Haynoski fired over to Magnus Miller at first to pick him off. Their other two hitters popped out and grounded out to end the first.

As Bradford took up its bats, Miller in the third slot singled on a fly ball to right field. Eli Haynoski, who reached on a walk, made it to third then raced home on an errant throw for a 1-0 Bradford lead. Miller advanced to second on the same throw. Brock Crappio grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored Miller for a 2-0 margin after one.

St. Marys responded with a run in the second when a grounder to second base plated Easton Straub. Eli Haynoski’s heads-up fielder’s choice from the pitcher’s mound to pick off Kohen Menteer at third and a strikeout ended the frame at a 2-1 game.

Both teams went scoreless in the third, highlighted by a tremendous catch at shortstop by Kohen Pantuso, who used every inch of his 5-foot, 5-inch frame to snag a line drive destined for extra bases.

St. Marys tied things up in the top of the fourth on a grounder by Jonathan “Doc” Chapman that plated Hurd. The coin-flip visitors held BRLL scoreless in the fourth and things were knotted at 2-2 heading into the top of the fifth.

With Kohen Pantuso now on the mound for Bradford, St. Marys’s Kohen Menteer reached base on a single, where he remained two outs later when Cameron Geitner ripped a double into left field. The relay from Mason Haynoski in left to Crappio at third to catcher Caleb Weart at the plate stopped Menteer in his tracks and he was ultimately tagged out between third and home, saving a run and ending the inning.

In Bradford’s half of the fifth, Mason Haynoski led things off with a single, Michael Ferchak walked and Jameis Furlong singled to load the bases. Bentlee Confer then drew a walk to plate Mason Haynoski for the 3-2 lead, which would prove the game winner.

As St. Marys came to bat, Pantuso struck one out and drew two groundouts to the sure-handed Furlong at second base to end the game and send Bradford on in the District 10 winner’s bracket.

Furlong saw six hits batted his way — five of them grounders — and fielded each one for the out.

Eli Haynoski pitched three and two-thirds innings, allowing two hits, striking out three and walking one. Pantuso threw two and one-third innings in relief, allowing two hits, striking out one and walking one, holding St. Marys scoreless.

Carson Dellaquilla, Chapman and Straub shared mound duties for St. Marys, giving up six hits, striking out nine and walking two.

For Bradford, Teddy Henretta also collected a single.

Menteer led St. Marys (0-1), finishing 2-for-2.

Bradford (1-0) will play an opponent to be determined, at 6 p.m. Tuesday, at a location also to be determined.