NEWARK, Ohio — A little hometown magic sent Mid-County’s 17-18 Babe Ruth All-Stars to the losers’ bracket Sunday night.

Ryan Nutter’s base hit to right field scored R.L. Eisenbach with the winning run as the host team Licking County Athletics scored in the bottom of the eighth inning for a 5-4 win over Mid-County at the Babe Ruth World Series.

It sent the hometown crowd of 3,212 happily streaming out of Don Edwards Park.

Mid-County, assured of a top six finish in the 12-team double elimination tourney, plays an elimination game at 7 p.m. Tuesday against the winner of Monday’s game between San Gabriel, Calif., and Mobile, Ala.

Matison Smith pitched the entire game for Mid-County and struck out 11 batters, while Eisenbach pitched the final three innings to pick up the win.

Mid-County actually outhit Licking County 7-6, but the host A’s had the two most important hits at the end.

Eisenbach reached on a fielder’s choice and Michael Hendren singled to move Eisenbach to third base before Nutter’s big RBI.

Mid-County scored four unearned runs in the top of the fifth to take a 4-3 lead, with two runs scoring on a Branden Powell hit to left field that was booted. Taylor McInnis added an RBI single and Smith pushed across the go-ahead run with a grounder to third and an error.

Licking County tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on a throwing error.

Shawn Flores went 2 for 4 to lead Mid-County’s hitters.