Thursday's Trip Around the Bases (July 25, 2013)

I saw the first round of the New Jersey state final four today and it was a wild day. The two tournament favorites played a game that lived up to the hype and went extra innings. The second game felt like it went on forever. Some more state champions were crowned around the country and the rest will finish up over the weekend. Here we go.


Indiana

Hagerstown went unbeaten on the way to the Indiana state semifinals and pulled out two victories on Thursday to take home the first state championship in league history. In fact, Hagerstown hadn't won a district title since back in 1998. In the semifinal, Hagerstown dispatched Jeffersonville 12-5 before facing Fort Wayne's Don Ayers Little League in the championship. Don Ayers upended previously unbeaten Dyer in the other semifinal.

Hagerstown trailed heading into the sixth inning before forcing extra innings. Don Ayers took a 6-4 lead in the top of the eighth, but Hagerstown responded with three runs and walked off with a 7-6 victory and a trip to Indianapolis for the Great Lakes regional.

Maryland

Berlin completed a feat that's extremely hard to do in any state. They won state championships as 10s, 11s, and 12s in the last three years. Today, Berlin capped it all off with a 5-1 victory over a tough Brunswick team. Smartly starting its #3 pitcher against Brunswick's ace (to set up a mismatch in a potential "if" game), Berlin was able to get it done in one. Brunswick jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a home run by Sam Watkins, but Berlin answered quickly in the third with three runs capped by a two-run double by Matt Kinsey. We Powell homered later in the inning to quickly put Berlin up 5-1. With a four-run lead, Berlin went to its star, Tristan McDonough. The big right hander used his blazing fast ball to shut Brunswick out over the final 3+ innings and took home the title.

Arkansas

Malvern won its first state championship since 1997 with a 14-2 victory over perennial favorite, White Hall. Jake Wright and Demia Timerson each homered. Logan Taylor pitched all four innings and struck out eight while allowing two earned runs.

New Jersey

Toms River East American moved a step closer to winning its first state championship since 1999 when the "Beast from the East" reached the United States championship game. TREA won the world title in 1998 behind Todd Frazier. This year's edition jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead after a pair of walks and back-to-back RBI singles by Gabe Driscoll and Matt Hartshorn. Wayne National quickly answered with two runs of its own with a double from Dominic Cancellieri and a two-run single by Jack Feit. A TRE error and an RBI from John Boscarino gave Wayne a 4-2 lead after two innings. TRE relief pitcher Dougie Pombo and Wayne starter Cancellieri each settled in and tossed shutouts for the next three innings. Cancellieri finished with 12 Ks in 4 2/3 innings allowing just one hit after the first inning. Pombo threw three innings of one-hit ball. Johnny Munson made Wayne pay for two errors with a two-run single to tie the game in the sixth inning.  In the seventh, Nick Silvia started a rally with a ripped leadoff single. Then Pombo jacked one to deep right field to put Toms River East ahead. An RBI double by Hartshorn and an RBI walk by Maximus Rivas gave TRE the 8-4 victory.

Cancellieri threw the maximum 85 pitches in the game and is now out for the rest of the state tournament barring a rainout. It was a peculiar decision by the Wayne staff to say the least.

In the second game, East Greenwich came from three runs down to win the game 4-3 in the sixth against Nutley East. Walks and errors littered the game for both teams and two errors with two outs in the sixth inning allowed EG to tie the game and then win it. EG will face Toms River in the winners bracket. Wayne and Nutley East will play an elimination game. Read a detailed report from this game right HERE.

Maine

Saco won the state championship two years ago as 10s and again last year as 11s. Both times they came out of the losers bracket. Now as 12s, they're attempting to do it again after beating Portland Bayside 12-4 in the first championship game. The two teams will do it again on Friday in the "if" game.  Michael Bourgault hit a three-run homer to give Saco a 4-1 lead that it never relinquished. Tommy Smith and Dan McLeer each homered as well in the victory.

Delaware

M-O-T Little League trounced Millsboro 13-3 in the first round of the state tournament and will now face two-time defending state champion Newark National in the winners bracket final. Hayden Trimarco drove in four runs and bashed a home run to lead MOT. C.J. Loper pitched a complete game and also drove a ball out of the yard.

State Champions List

Utah- Dixie LL (St. George)
Alabama- Jackson LL

Oklahoma- Tulsa LL
Idaho- Coeur d’Alene LL
Washington- Eastlake LL (Sammamish)
Mississippi- Ocean Springs LL
Nebraska- Kearney LL
Washington, D.C.- Capitol City LL
Texas West- Universal LL (Corpus Christi)
Louisiana- Bossier National LL
Texas East- Pearland Maroon LL
South Dakota- Rapid City Timberline
Nevada- Mountain Ridge LL (North Las Vegas)
Michigan Grosse Pointe Woods-Shores LL
Virginia- Tuckahoe American LL
New Hampshire- Rye LL
Vermont- South Burlington LL
Hawaii- Central East Maui LL
Kansas- Girard LL
Indiana- Hagerstown LL
Arkansas- Malvern LL
Maryland- Berlin LL
Colorado- North Boulder LL

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