PINE GROVE – The ball kept going … and going … and going.

And when it finally was deposited some 360 feet away, Northwestern’s big bopper — Tyler Wiik — had sent a charge up and down the Tigers baseball team and their fans with his solo home run to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning.

Wiik’s blast at Stump Stadium snapped a scoreless tie, and it was the impetus his team needed to rally for three more runs en route to a 4-1 victory over West Perry in a PIAA Class 4A quarterfinal round game Thursday afternoon.

“(Wiik) is our emotional leader,” said Northwestern head coach Duran Porrino. “I was sort of screaming to him (as he rounded third base) to keep his helmet on until he reached home plate … I didn’t want something goofy to happen where he throws his helmet up in the air.”

Nah, Wiik was too focused. He needed to be in order to solve the crafty pitching of reliever Nolan Olszewski.

“I knew he threw a bunch of off-speed pitches, and I was looking for one and just drove it to center field,” said the Tiger catcher.

As the flight of the ball took off, it just seemed to rise higher into the blue sky. It didn’t seem to have the distance at first, but it carried well beyond the 350-foot sign in dead center.

“I was trying not to pull the ball … I was thinking more right-center field,” said Wiik. “But when I got a hold of one, I went to center field. I laid off a fastball the (previous pitch). Then I got a pitch to drive and put if over the fence.”

After that belt, the bats came to life for the rest of the team as eight more Tigers (19-7) came to the plate. After Wiik’s homer, Derek Holmes lashed a single. That was followed by Rafe Perich’s RBI double. Perich scored one pitch later on a Nick Henry single, and winning pitcher Mason Vogwill helped his cause with another RBI single for a 4-0 lead.

“I had some butterflies in the last inning,” confessed Vogwill, who was lifted after throwing 95 pitches. He gave way to hard-throwing sophomore Vinny Castrine, who worked out of a bases-loaded jam.

“We thought Mason was our best option, he’s our shutdown pitcher,” said Porrino. “Mason can go out there and throw four, five, six innings. He can hold any team down in the state. He did it against (Allentown) Central Catholic, he did it against these guys, and he did it against Pottsville.”

Vogwill was indeed sharp.

He finished with five strikeouts, two walks and two hits allowed. The senior right-hander did not give up a hit until there were two outs in the fifth. Designated hitter Darren Sutch hit a ball deep in the hole at shortstop, but was nearly pegged out on a web gem play from Perich.

Sutch was only the second baserunner to get on against Vogwill; Jonathan Lentvorsky had walked in the second for the Mustangs.

Starting pitcher Jonathan Lentvorsky lasted only two innings, having control problems while allowing two hits. The Tigers stranded a runner in the first, three in the second and one in the fourth, before breaking through for the winning rally in the sixth.

Even though Northwestern had seized a 4-0 lead, there were still three more outs to be made before the Tigers could celebrate.

The Mustangs’ Ben Smith walked to open the seventh, and Nate Bream followed with a single. Vogwill recorded his final out, getting Trevor Gerst to ground out. That’s when Porrino called on Castrine. Lentvorsky greeted the Tiger right-hander with a single, loading the bases, but Castrine recorded a strikeout before issuing an RBI walk to Matt Chiccini for the lone Mustang run.

After that base on balls, Castrine got the next batter to pop out to third to end the game and send Northwestern into the PIAA state semifinal round Monday.

BY THE NUMBERS … Vogwill threw 59 strikes and 36 balls before departing. He mixed up a sneaky fastball with some offspeed pitches and curve balls. Losing pitcher Olszewski had a herky-jerky motion at times, dipping low on his release, which can cause a batter to think instead of seeing the ball and hitting it.

HITTING IT HARD … The Tigers had eight hits, three of which were for extra bases. Wiik was the big cannon with a double and his home run; Perich doubled and singled; Austin Stasko, Holmes, Henry and Vogwill had singles. West Perry’s hits were scattered — Sutch, Bream and Lentvorsky all finished with singles. The only time the Mustangs bunched their hits was in the run-producing seventh.

DEFENSIVE GEMS … Both sides threw leather at each other; Aidan Zerby’s in-between hop was well played by Tiger third baseman Holmes in the fourth. In that same inning, Northwestern shortstop Perich made a fantastic play on a ball hit by Bream. Zerby’s gem at short robbed Trevor Schreiner of a base hit in the fifth.

UP NEXT ... The Tigers will take on Valley View in the semifinals Monday at 4 p.m. at Central Columbia. Valley View, the District 2 champs, defeated Lewisburg (4-2) in the first round and Berks Catholic (7-2) in Thursday’s quarterfinal round.

West Perry 000 000 1 - 1 3 1

N’western 000 004 x - 4 8 0

Lentvorsky, Olszewski (3) and Bream; Vogwill, Castrine (7) and Wiik. W - Vogwill. L - Olszewski. HR: Northwestern - Wiik (6th, none on).