Capitol City (DC) 11, Berlin (MD) 10
Capitol City roared out to a 10-3 lead after three innings then hung on late by cutting down the tying run at the plate in the sixth inning. Robert Reynolds and Isaac Frumkin were 7-for-8 with five RBI and four runs scored to lead Cap City. Wes Powell and Ryan Duncan each had two hits to lead Berlin in the loss. The victory for DC opens the region up a bit. If New Jersey loses a third game, then NY-DC will be a play-in game. There's a good possibility that a million teams could be 2-2 though. Craziest tournament I've ever seen.
To read a full game story from the epic conclusion to this game: CLICK HERE
South Burlington (VT) 8, Lincoln (RI) 1
Vermont absolutely made a statement with this victory over Rhode Island. Sammy Premsagar allowed just one run on four hits and struck out seven in 4 2/3 innings pitched to lead South Burlington to victory. He was also 2-for-3 at the plate with a pair of RBI singles. Ethan Klesch added a two-run single in the fourth to help put the game away.
Lincoln couldn't figure out Premsagar whatsoever at the plate except for Dominic Cunha's solo blast in the second inning. It was his second of the tournament. In the third inning, Lincoln imploded a bit defensively with three straight errors to give South Burlington a commanding 5-1 lead. Vermont made a big case for being the second best team in the entire East Region, but Lincoln can still beat anyone with Marrapese on the mound. Depending on the outcome of the Maine-Vermont game on Tuesday, there's a good chance these two teams see each other in the semifinal. Premsagar will not be available until the final, but Ben Tate will most likely be available. Tate and Klesch will probably get the ball for 35 pitches each in the Maine game with maybe an assist from Max Guyette.
Rhode Island has to be careful of possibly falling to 2-2 and a three-way tie with Vermont and Maine. They don't want to get stuck with the four seed and Connecticut in the semifinals.
Newark National (DE) 10, Burnt Hills (NY) 7
Delaware put New York in a "win and in" situation for its final game with the victory on Monday evening. Delaware led 10-2 after four innings before New York stormed back. Newark had a big second inning started with a triple by Jared Owens. Nate Hardcastle and Joey Davis (2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI) each had big hits in the inning as well. Delaware tacked on a total of five more runs in the fourth and fifth innings behind RBIs from Ryan Miller and multiple defensive miscues by Burnt Hills. The New York state champions racked up six errors in the game.
Despite the defensive problems, New York battled to the end once again. Evan Bowers finished 2-for-3 with a triple and three RBI to lead Burnt Hills. Glenn Ramos was 2-for-2 with a pair of runs and an RBI. Robert Forlano added two hits and Nathan Katz had a triple off the bench. Burnt Hills' third pitcher of the day, Cameron Rhodes, impressed me with some good stuff in his lone inning of work in the sixth.
Delaware at 2-1 will stick Nate Hardcastle on the mound for at least 35 pitches. A win puts Newark squarely into the semifinals. New Jersey would be out with a loss. For New York, they're out with a loss to Washington D.C. on the final day of pool play.
Westport (CT) 12, Rye (NH) 2 (5 innings)
Ho-hum. It's just another rout from Connecticut. Harry Azadian struck out eight batters in three innings of work and allowed just four hits. Charlie Roof finished the game with a perfect two innings of work and four strikeouts. That's 26 Ks in the last 11 innings for CT's four pitchers for those who are counting.
Westport immediately jumped on Rye in the first inning with RBI doubles from Ricky Offenberg and Matt Stone to go up 6-0. New Hampshire's defense did itself no favors once again with multiple errors. Connecticut tacked on five more runs in the third inning with another double from Stone (who is on fire this week), an infield single from Drew Rogers, and four straight walks/hit batsmen. Tatin Llamas added an RBI groundout.
In the fifth inning, Chad Knight hit a rocket ground-rule double and then Azadian hit an RBI single back up the middle for the mercy rule victory. Westport is all but assured the top seed in the New England semifinals. Rye moves to 0-2.
East Region Rankings after Day 4
1. Connecticut (3-0)
2. Vermont (2-1)
3. Rhode Island (2-1)
4. Pennsylvania (2-0)
5. Maine (1-2)
6. Maryland (2-1)
7. Delaware (2-1)
8. New York (1-2)
9. Washington D.C. (1-2)
10. New Jersey (0-2)
11. Massachusetts (0-2)
12. New Hampshire (0-2)
Random Thoughts: What a wild tournament this is. I looked back to last year and my thoughts for this day where "This is the wildest tournament I've ever seen in Bristol." This is a close second. The Mid-Atlantic is all about matchups. Literally all six teams can beat each other depending on who's pitching. I really believe that. As for New England, it was a big win for Vermont today over Rhode Island, but burning one of its top pitchers for the semifinals could come back to bite them. You never know though. I liked the fire to go out and dominate a team that everyone assumes has an inside track to the final. Connecticut on the other hand looks unbeatable. Vermont and Rhode Island are both capable, but its going to take a monster upset to do it.
Home Run Meter: 13 (Last Year: 17)
Strikeout Meter: 206 (Last Year: 200)
Prediction Record: 1-3 (Overall: 12-4) *Wow, what an atrocious day. I stink.
Tuesday's Predictions: Pennsylvania over Maryland 8-4, Vermont over Maine 5-4, Massachusetts over New Hampshire 3-2, Delaware over New Jersey 6-5.
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