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PLAINS TWP. — Plains survived to play another day.

It wasn’t easy for the District 16 champion, which had to quell a home run barrage by Lakeland and sneak out of a sticky situation in the sixth for a 8-5 victory Wednesday in a Section 5 Little League Major Baseball elimination game.

Plains, which improved to 8-2 in all-star play, will play in the elimination bracket finals at 6 p.m. Thursday against the loser of the winners bracket finals between Back Mountain National and Old Forge. District 32 champ Lakeland ended its all-star run at 7-2.

The big hit, which looked like more insurance than anything else, came from Plains nine-hole hitter Blake Dunsmuir. His bases-loaded double in the fifth scored three runs and gave Plains an 8-4 lead.

“I was pretty confident because as soon as they brought in that new pitcher I knew I was going to hit,” said Dunsmuir, whose double rolled to the right-center fence. “I was ready. I was very excited to get up to bat.”

Lakeland, though, didn’t go quietly in the bottom of the sixth. Plains reliever Jack Kapelan was cruising, retiring seven in a row before giving up a single to John Paul Malak to start the inning. He walked the next two batters, but Tyler Daugherty came on in relief to get the final three outs. The first out was a sac fly that plated Lakeland’s final run.

Plains started out well, taking a 5-0 lead after two innings. All five runs came in the second as Jaden Maurer, Dunsmuir and Omar Contreras hit consecutive RBI singles.

Lakeland answered with four runs in the third — all coming on home runs launched well over the high protective screen in left field. Chase Magnot started the long-ball showcase with a two-run homer with two outs. Malak and Aiden Babarsky followed with similar solo blasts to cut the deficit to 5-4.

“A 5-0 lead and we were feeling good at the time,” Plains manager Rock Stahovic said. “The pitcher just missed a couple of his marks and a good team like that, the District 32 champions, they’re going to make you pay when you don’t hit your marks. And that’s what they did.”

That’s when Kapelan took over at the mound and got a strikeout to stop the threat and then retired the Lakeland in order in the fourth and fifth inning.

Section 5 Major Baseball

Plains 8, Lakeland 5

Plains`AB`R`H`BI

Contreras lf`3`0`1`1

McKeown p`1`0`0`0

Stahovic c`3`0`0`0

Thomas ss`4`0`0`0

Daugherty 1b`2`1`2`0

Franchella cf`3`2`0`0

Cinti 2b`1`1`0`0

Kapelan p`1`0`0`0

Yuhas 3b`2`0`0`0

Hossage 3b`0`1`0`0

Maurer p`1`2`1`1

Dunsmuir rf`2`1`2`4

Faatz ph`1`0`0`0

Totals`24`8`6`6

Lakeland`AB`H`R`BI

Pochas cf`3`1`1`0

Finegan ss`3`0`0`0

Magnot 2b`3`1`1`1

Malak p`3`2`3`1

A.Babarsky 3b`2`1`1`1

Stephens rf`1`0`0`0

Lozinski c`1`0`0`1

Passiment ph`1`0`0`0

Loomis 1b`2`0`0`0

Boyarsky rf`1`0`0`0

Spataro lf`1`0`0`0

McPartland ph`2`0`0`0

Totals`23`5`6`4

Plains`050`030 – 8

Lakeland`004`001— 5

2B – Dunsmuir. HR – Magnot, Malak, A.Babarsky.

Plains`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Maurer W`1.2`1`0`0`1`4

McKeown`1.0`4`4`4`0`1

Kapelan`2.1`1`1`1`2`3

Daugherty S`1.0`0`0`0`0`1

Lakeland`IP`H`R`ER`BB`SO

Malak L`4.2`5`7`6`4`4

Boyarsky`1.1`1`1`1`2`0