SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — D.J. Pico hardly evokes fear on the baseball field. He stands 5-foot-3 and weighs 108 pounds. His batting helmet seems to swallow his entire head. His uniform hangs loosely over his bony frame.

Before Saturday night’s crucial elimination game at Lamade Stadium, the outfielder for the Parsippany-Troy East all-stars had largely been a role player. He recorded one hit and one RBI in six regional tournament games. All summer, he had never hit a home run.

But against Gresham, Ore., in the second round of the Little League World Series, the little guy from Par-Troy East came up big when the lights were shinning brightest. Pico drilled a two-run homer over the fence in left field in the second inning, rushing around the bases with hurried, excited steps, his arms extended in the air and a smile spread across his face.

It was an unexpected power display on a night when Par-Troy East seemed to showcase its power in every conceivable way. The group from Morris County erupted for 13 hits and three home runs to cruise to a 10-4 victory over Gresham, keeping their championship hopes alive and eliminating their Oregon counterparts from tournament play.

Par-Troy East advances to face the loser of Sunday’s game between California and Tennessee Monday at 4 p.m. at Lamade Stadium.

“When I saw it off the bat I knew it was gone,” Pico said. “It felt good because that was my first home run. It came in the World Series so it’s really big.”

And after his team’s performance, Par-Troy East has vaulted right back into the championship conversation. Emil Matti went 3-for-3 with two homers and four runs scored, David Ton went 2-for-3 with two RBI and eight of the team’s 11 players recorded hits. Pico, who finished 2-for-4 with two RBI, was one of four players with multiple hits. It was a dominant performance that sent Gresham scurrying through its roster in search of capable pitchers.

“The bats came alive,” Par-Troy East manager Mike Ruggiero said. “The defense was tighter. We didn’t make the mistakes in the field. We played more sound, fundamental baseball. It feels good to get our first World Series win.”

The game began with Matti leading off by blasting a homer to center field — and the offense never slowed down. Par-Troy East scored two runs in the first inning, three in the second and topped it off with four more in the fifth.

After each offensive eruption, the large Jersey contingent in the bleachers chanted: “P-T-E! P-T-E!”

The biggest threat to Par-Troy East’s lead came in the third inning when Gresham started the frame with three hits and two runs — and none out — cutting their deficit to 5-4. Just as Pico’s offense was an unexpected addition, unheralded reliever Kyle Phillips stepped in for Par-Troy East and got the team out of a jam, not giving up another run.

Over four innings, Phillips gave up one hit.

“We knew coming in here you’re going to have to win with more than two pitchers,” Ruggiero said. “They all have to get their turn on the mound. I have faith in all the guys.”

Par-Troy East opened the tournament Friday afternoon with a 5-2 loss to San Antonio, one of the best teams in the field. That placed Par-Troy East in a tough situation — forcing it to win the rest of its games in the double-elimination tournament in order to win the championship.

But Par-Troy East has experience with pressure situations. The team lost its first game in the New Jersey state tournament earlier this summer, forcing them into a do-or-die situation for the rest of competition. They responded by winning four games in five days — including back-to-back victories over Nottingham, which was unbeaten in the double-elimination format — to capture the state title.

“That’s five years we never lost two games in a row ever,” Ruggiero said. “Hopefully we have a long week ahead of us.”

Matthew Stanmyre: mstanmyre@starledger.com; twitter.com/MattStanmyre