Bowling Green East pitcher Dawson Hall delivers from the mound Thursday during a 6-2 win over Owensboro Southern in the 11- and 12-year-old District 1 Tournament championship at Jim Roberts Community Park in Franklin.

FRANKLIN – All except one name in the lineup has changed, but the team name remains the same for a third consecutive year as Kentucky’s District 1 Little League champions: Bowling Green East.

Three home runs in the last two innings helped the Bowling Green East Little League 11- and 12-year-old All-Stars put away Owensboro Southern 6-2 to win its third straight district tournament Thursday at Jim Roberts Community Park.

Gray Price, Caden Whittle and Davis Fant all homered to right field to push the defending state champions back into contention to defend their title later this month in London.

Patrick Forbes is the only player from last year’s squad that made its second straight trip to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. A whole new group of All-Stars powered through with depth and effort by committee to win another district tournament.

“They’ve really worked hard and we talk about over and over how important it is carrying 14 kids again and that everybody is part of the team,” BG East manager Rick Kelley said. “In all five games, it’s been somebody different. … We don’t have a superstar on the team. We don’t have that person this year. That’s what’s really heartwarming about the whole thing and that every day it’s going to be somebody different.”

BG East won all five games in pool play and defeated Warren County North in a rain-shortened semifinal game before playing Owensboro Southern again this week. Previously, BG East defeated Owensboro Southern in pool play on a Dominic Davis home run in the seventh inning for a 3-2 win.

On Thursday, BG East spotted two more over the fence against Owensboro Southern starter Jamison Wall. Pinch-hitter Gray Price broke up a 2-2 tie in the top of the fifth inning with a go-ahead homer on a 0-1 count that floated just over the right-field fence.

Catcher Dominic Davis followed up with a triple that nearly went over the fence, then scored when first baseman Caden Whittle crushed the ball into the tree tops several feet behind the fence.

Third baseman Davis Fant hit the same spot for the last homer in the top of the sixth.

Dawson Hall earned the starting nod and had four strikeouts in three innings after a shaky start. He loaded the bases in the bottom of the first inning and walked in a run for an early 1-0 deficit. Pinch-hitter Tyler Moore put BG East on top with his bases-loaded, two-run single in the top of the second. Owensboro Southern’s Brock Burger tied the game at 2-2 with his double off the right-field fence.

While BG East commenced its short home run derby, Blake Ginter relieved Hall and kept Owensboro Southern hitless in the last three innings and also finished with four strikeouts.

As lofty and far-fetched the idea is, every Little Leaguer dreams of playing in the Little League World Series. BG East has been there two years in a row, but never has a team made the trip three times.

The 2016 team representing the Great Lakes Region had returning experience from its maiden 2015 venture. Patrick Forbes is the only player on this year’s squad who went to Williamsport last August. The 2017 version of BG East doesn’t have an automatic starting arm like Isaiah Head or the intimidating frame and gigantic power of Devin Obee.

But Kelley sees depth, and it showed its power Thursday night as the team took the first step in fulfilling that lofty dream.

“It’s really important that we have a lot of depth and not just two or three good players,” Ginter said. “Our whole team is solid and we just have a great all-around team.”

BG East totaled 11 hits against Owensboro Southern, with two apiece credited to Davis and Whittle. North Laurel Little League hosts the state tournament in London July 15-19. The winner will advance to the Great Lakes Regional in Indianapolis.

“The state is going to be extremely difficult,” Kelley said. “The district was very difficult. We’re playing on house money right now. We’re just going to go up there and have a lot of confidence in what we’ve done and we’ve learned a lot about the kids this week. We’ll take that and hopefully have a good showing.”

Bowling Green East 020 031 – 6

Owensboro Southern 101 000 – 2

WP: Ginter. LP: Wall.