2014 Mid-Atlantic Region Preview

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Check out my 2013 Mid-Atlantic Region Preview to see how I did last year. I can tell you too. I picked the two finalists correctly, and three of the four semifinalists. I missed DC, obviously. However, my individual picks, I had both semifinals correct and the championship correct (I changed my pick as the tournament went on to Delaware). Overall I was 25-5 for the entire East Regional. Okay, enough back patting. Here we go...

Roundup: Girl Power Helps Toms River Win NJ State Title (7/28/14)

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New Jersey

Kayla Roncin is the third girl to win a state championship this year (that we know of) and she was a main cog in Toms River's 7-6 victory over Ocean City/Upper Township during the "if game" of the state title series. Roncin broke a 2-2 tie with a two-run smash earlier in the game and then picked up the save on the mound facing a 2-0 count and the bases juiced. She needed just one pitch to induce a short fly ball to centerfield that starting pitcher Jon Giordano chased down and laid out for to set off the celebration. Giordano, Toms River's big star, pitched 5 1/3 innings and struck out 12. He was intentionally or unintentially walked seven straight times in two days at the plate.



Source


Delaware

Newark National won its fourth straight state championship, a new record in the state of Delaware, with a 10-5 victory over a very tough Woodbridge squad. AJ Blanchard blanked Woodbridge three days to reach the state title game, and then in today's "if game" he cranked two home runs to lead Newark to victory. Jack Hardcastle got the start and ripped a double. David Hawtof and Brett Callahan closed the game out. Callahan had a big double as well.


Random Thoughts: There's just one more spot left in the regional field. It's Massachusetts. That game is tonight at 7 p.m. Eastern Time. Once all the champions are named, I'll get to work on my Mid-Atlantic and New England Regional previews. Then the day-to-day in-depth posts. It's the best coverage of a Little League Regional tournament anywhere. Don't worry other regions, we'll still be checking in with you before Williamsport regularly. As usual, if you're going to see every game at another regional tournament and would like to write for us, just send me an email at section1guycom@aol.com.


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It's Title Sunday! Only 10 Spots Left! (7/27/14)

There's only 10 spots left in the regionals. We've filled 42 of them. All ten of the remaining slots could be filled on Sunday (barring weather or "if" games on Monday). Let's look back at Saturday's action and see what happened.


West Virginia

There's a great chance for at least three girls (that we know of so far) to reach the regionals around the country. The first secured her spot by doing it on the mound. Emily Riggs pitched Bridgeport to its third straight state title in the 11/12 year old division in the 12-2 victory over Morgan County. Riggs allowed two runs on four hits and struck out six. Ben Mossburg gave Bridgeport the lead in the first inning with a two-run blast and Bridgeport never looked back. Nick Stalnaker added a home run in the third inning and Riggs drilled a two-run double. Cody Tomasik added a three-run double.

Iowa

Sioux City Headid won the state title with a 9-6 victory over Grandview in the title game. Headid finished the Iowa state tournament with a 7-1 record after a perfect record in districts. Watch out for the bats of Peyton Popken, Kobe Clayborne and Justin Kirwan.

Montana

Mount Sentinel took Game 1 in the Best-of-3 series against Boulder Arrowhead, 1-0. Game 2 and if necessary, Game 3, will both be on Sunday. Mount Sentinel took the 'W' with great pitching from Jack Leary (4 innings) and Kaden Heidrick (2 innings). Kellan Feeley drove in Preston Jones for the game's only run.

Southern California

Long Beach and Encinitas split a doubleheader in the Best-of-3 Southern California State Championship Series. The third and final game will be played today with the winner advancing to San Bernardino. Long Beach took Game 1, 12-2, behind the pitching of it's dominant ace. Encinitas' bats woke up in Game 2 to pick up a 9-3 victory, forcing Sunday's action.

Ohio

After losing to Canfield in the winners bracket final, Hamilton West Side, the six-time state champions, expected to make a run at the title. They did just that with a 9-2 victory in the morning to force an "if" game, but the 'Little Engine That Could' from Canfield held onto a 3-2 victory, earning the state championship. Brandon Mikos threw a great game for Canfield in the "if game" victory and escaped a lot of jams.

Florida

Florida is a black hole of information. South Brandon will play for the state championship as the winner's of Pool A. It's unclear if they'll be playing Bayshore or North Springs. It's pending results. What's crazy is the fact that South Brandon lost its final pool play game to drop into a 3-way tie for first. They allowed 7 runs. Port St. Lucie beat them 3-1 today. That one run allowed was the difference because Port St. Lucie allowed 8 runs in their three games giving South Brandon the championship berth by a fraction. North Springs was the title favorite coming in but ran into a buzzsaw ace in Game 1 against Bayshore and lost 2-0. North Springs didn't allow another run or hit in the tournament with a 12-0 victory and a 20-0 victory. If Bayshore lost to Baker County and gave up more runs per inning (i.e. 3ish), North Springs could advance.

Connecticut

State powerhouse Fairfield American flexed its muscles in Game 1 of the the state championship Best-of-3 series with a 10-0 victory in five innings. Sam Davenport tossed a two-hit shutout to pickup the victory on the mound. Fairfield's lineup was relentless with hard-hit ball after hard-hit ball. None of them left the yard, which may be even more terrifying for South Windsor in Game 2.

New York

Colonie took a big step towards its first state championship since 2004 with a 15-1 clubbing of previously unbeaten Wappinger. It was Colonie's fourth win in four days and they'll need a fifth in five days to take the title. Wappinger dropped Colonie into the losers bracket with a 10-7 victory on opening day. Both offenses are lethal, so it will come down to who's pitching holds up at the end of the tournament.

Pennsylvania

Collier Township forced an "if" game against Taney of Philadelphia with a 7-2 victory. Jake Meneskie tossed a great game for Collier after allowed two runs in the first inning including a solo blast off the bat of Mo'Ne Davis. Austin Hendrick ripped a three-run home run and Sam Tortorella added a solo shot in the victory. Tortorella should get the ball for Collier in the championship game. The probable starter for Taney is Davis. She was effective in two innings of work against Collier a couple days ago.



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Little League Friday Recap (7/26)

Oregon

Bend North took home the Oregon state championship with a 14-4 victory over Gresham behind 5 strong innings on the mound by Drew Steelhammer. Bend North had a sixth-inning victory earlier in the tournament and Steelhammer has been responsible for a lot of big hits.

Massachusetts

Holden moved to 2-0 in the four-team round robin with a grand slam off the bat of Peter Field in a 4-2 victory over defending state champions, Newton SouthEast. It was his third homer in two games. He also pitched 5 1/3 innings to pick up the win. The 2-0 deficit was the first time Holden has trailed all summer. Newton SouthEast and Barnstable play on Sunday. The winner is in the state championship game with Holden.

Delaware

Newark National is just one win away from its fourth consecutive state championship and a shot at defending its Mid-Atlantic regional title after a 9-0 victory over Woodbridge in the winners bracket final of the state tournament. A.J. Blanchard tossed five innings of two-hit, scoreless ball and one of the four returning players from last year's LLWS team, Brett Callahan blasted a home run to give Newark National some breathing room and then a big fifth inning turned it into a rout.

Tennessee

Like Delaware, Tennessee is looking for a repeat champion from the region, and they took a step closer. South Nashville will defend its regional crown after knocking off Karns 4-1 in the state title game. Barrett Smith, Garrett Justice, and Robert Hassell (returning player). Blake Money (returning player) was excellent on the bump with 10 strikeouts and just three hits.

New Jersey

Toms River, the favorite coming into the Final Four, toughed out a big 4-2 victory in the winners bracket final against Ocean City/Upper Township. Phil Antoniotti tossed a complete game, giving up a two-run homer in the first, before dominating the OCUT lineup. OCUT had a dominant mound performance of their own though from Gannon Brady who struck out 12 in 5 1/3 innings of shutout baseball. He was perfect through four innings. After Brady reached the pitch count, Toms River went to work. Alex Civitello hit a single and Jon Giordano hit a 300-foot blast to tie the game. Nick DeRose hit a two-run homer two batters later for the winning runs.

Maine

Falmouth rallied in the "if" game to knock off the defending 11-year old AND 12-year old state champions, Saco/Maremont. Nate Rogers bashed two home runs, his first two ever, in the victory. Brady Douglas and Alex Smith each had a pair of hits, and Mike Simonds drove in two runs.


There will be another update tonight with more scores and recaps from Friday and Saturday action. So check back later!

Little League Insider Roundup (7/24/14)

Rhode Island

Cumberland American LL went to the Little League World Series back in 2012. They'll be taking another crack at it in 2014 after an 8-7 victory over Cranston Western in the state championship. Cumberland has shown a ton of home run power in their run to the regionals. Sean Meers had a two homer game, Nick Croteau had a two homer game, and Struble has had a two homer game. That's just in states. CJ Davock and Addison Kopack have hammered some big ones too.

Connecticut

The state finals are set. Connecticut's Best-of-3 series will start on Saturday with perennial powerhouse (and recently vandalized) Fairfield American taking on South Windsor National. Both teams needed extra innings and two days to put away their opponents in the single-elimination section championships. Fairfield American Vince Camera hit a two-out single in the bottom of the 8th to give FALL a 2-1 victory. Camera drove in both runs including a solo homer earlier in the game against Farmington's big ace pitcher. Camera has nine home runs in 11 games for Fairfield American. Jamie Flink is another big bat in the FALL lineup. For South Windsor, Caleb Kuhns crushed two home runs including a two-run shot to force extra innings.

Massachusetts

The Massachusetts state final four kicked off with powerful Section 1 champion, Holden, continuing to flex its muscles. After averaging 17 runs per game on the way through districts and sections, Holden continued its torrid offensive pace with a 13-3 victory over Barnstable. Peter Field smacked two home runs. Holden burned its ace for the rest of the tournament because of yet another terrible tournament format. Newton SouthEast, the defending state champions with three players back, blanked Hamilton-Wenham, 5-0. They went 20s with their pitching too. Interesting move. They face Holden next.

Maine

Last year, Saco won the Maine state title through the losers bracket. Now, they're one game away from doing it again. After losing in the second round, Saco has won four games in four days and is looking for the fifth against Falmouth to take the title. Will Mitchell hit a pair of 3-run homers and Pat Sawyer battled on the mound. Sawyer was on the losing end of the first matchup between these two teams. He struck out 10 in 4.1 innings today.

Ohio

Ethan Fletcher hit a game-winning single in the sixth to give Canfield a crazy 5-4 victory over regional and state power Hamilton West Side. Dominic Pilolli threw 5 2/3 for Canfield to get the victory. Canfield allowed a 4-2 lead to evaporate into a 5-4 HWS lead before a two-run rally in the bottom of the sixth.

Pennsylvania

Taney from Philly shocked slight favorite Collier 13-10 (they led 13-1 in the 3rd) behind two home runs from Joe Richardson. MoNe Davis pitched two strong innings and gave up just two hits to the power hitting team from Western PA. Taney has Richardson and Kai Cummings available in the final as well as Davis and Sprague-Lott for the "if" game. Red Land and Collier will so battle for the right to face Taney. Both teams have their pitching lined up as well.

California

All tournament long, I've struggled to find news on the California squads. In Southern California, the Best-of-3 championship series will feature Encinitas vs. Long Beach after both squads were forced into "if" games by Ocean View and Thousand Oaks, respectively. In Northern California, it was all Pacifica American from the beginning of the district tournament to the NorCal state championship game. Woodcreek gave Pacifica all it could handle in a 17-15 championship. Elijah Ricks could be one of those household names if Pacifica win the West Regional. Watch out for him but the whole team hits.



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It's Nitty Gritty Time... Regional Fields Getting Full (7/23/14)

Another slew of state championships has been handed out. There are not many spots left in the country. The countdown to the East Regional has begun on my internal clock. Let's get right into it.


Michigan

Midland Northeast completed the trifecta today. After winning the Michigan state title as 10s and 11s, Northeast battled through the single elimination Elite Eight and beat Byron 6-5 in walk-off fashion. Carter Knochel ripped a two-out bases loaded single to win the championship. Matt Schummer picked up the win on the mound.

Georgia

Peachtree City National beat the two Georgia powerhouses on consecutive days to win the state championship. First, they came from behind to knock off Warner Robins American in the semifinal, and then crushed Columbus Northern 12-1 today on the back of home runs by Calin Smith, Shep Hancock, and Bo Hogeboom. Beating WRALL and Northern is no joke. Watch out for PTC.

Kentucky

Warren County Southern won its second state title in three years and third since 2007 by beating Paintsville 5-2. Charlie Key struck out 13 batters in the victory. Mac Ausbrooks hit a home run in the victory and Adam Burns had two RBI. Gage Holman added an RBI triple.

Indiana

Cooper Biven struck out 13 in a two-hit shutout in New Albany's 2-0 victory over Highland to send NA to the Great Lakes regional for the first time since 2007. Biven and his teammates won the state title as 10-year olds too.

New Jersey

Ocean City-Upper Township combined into one league this year and the results have been spectacular. OCUT took down Somerset Hills in the first round of the state final four, 9-4, to reach the winners bracket final. In the other game, Wood-Ridge/Moonachie surprised heavy tournament favorite, Toms River, with a first-inning grand slam but Jon Giordano entered the game and slammed the door as Toms River battled back to win 7-4.

Maine

The defending state champions, Saco/Maremont, have battled back through the losers bracket to reach the state title game. They knocked off Bronco LL 11-5 in the losers bracket final with back-to-back-to-back home runs from Kobe Gaudette, Ben Ham, and Grant Dow. Luke Ham launched a home run later in the game as well for Saco. Saco will need to beat Falmouth twice to reclaim the state title.

Southern California

The toughest state in the country is almost coming to a head as the sub-division finals kicked off tonight. Ocean View took down Encinitas 6-4 to force an "if" game in the south sub-division final. In the north, Thousand Oaks did the same by beating Long Beach.

Pennsylvania

There's just three teams left in Pennsylvania and they're definitely the three best teams in the state. Taney and Collier Township's winners bracket final will be replayed tomorrow after only two batters coming to the plate (back-to-back hits for Collier). The reason for the postponement may have to do with Red Land who ripped eight home run balls into the atmosphere, bringing the rains, in a 15-4 victory over Back Mountain American. Red Land put together its THIRD inning of 10 runs in the state tournament.

Ohio

Hamilton West Side is looking for its 10th state title since the year 2000. Apparently nobody else plays baseball in Ohio? Anyway, West Side hasn't allowed a hit in three game in the state tournament but takes on Canfield in the winners bracket final this week. Canfield beat HWS for the state title as 10s. HWS returned the favor as 11s.


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DC Little League Rivalry Forged through Competition, Now Has Respect

Photo courtesy of LISPN.com

When it comes to Washington D.C. Little League baseball, only one name came to mind for well over a decade before 2009, and that was Capitol City Little League.

Cap City won the D.C. Tournament every single year from 1988 to 2008, and usually in laughable fashion. If there were any competitive match-ups, they only came from Northwest Washington Little League and very rarely. Finally, something in Northwest Washington clicked. In 2009, NWLL shocked Capitol City and won the city tournament, earning a spot in the Mid-Atlantic Tournament in Bristol, CT.

Since then, the rivalry has flourished. Northwest Washington has now won three of the last five titles and they're slight favorites for a fourth in today's D.C. Tournament championship despite Capitol City returning a handful of contributors to last season's regional semifinal appearance.

"In the heat of it all, the rivalry was not friendly," First-year Capitol City manager Brian Friel said. "It wasn't in the spirit of Little League."

In the arms race to dominate to Washington D.C. youth baseball, the two leagues turned into bitter rivals in the last few years, but with that bitterness, respect has come into play over the last year or two, and it came to a head during pool play this week.

First Wave of State Champions Commences Plus More! (7/21/14)

Well I'm back from my road trip to Pennsylvania's Little League State Tournament and there's a lot to catch up on. Let's take a spin around the country and meet some of the state champions out there.

Pennsylvania State Little League Tournament - Day 1 Recap

I got plenty of raised eyebrows on Sunday when local fans and the families of the teams in the Pennsylvania State Little League Tournament asked me where I'm from. Who would be crazy enough to drive three hours just to watch the best eight teams in Pennsylvania Little League? Obviously this guy, and the day did not disappoint.

For starters, all eight teams are really good. Everyone has at least one excellent pitcher, and everyone hits throughout the lineup. It's a very impressive group top to bottom. Here we go with the recaps!

New York State Tournament Preview 2014

The New York State Tournament begins on Monday with a 6-team double elimination bracket. Whitestown opens up with Throgs Neck. The winner takes on Grand Island. Colonie opens up with Wappinger. The winner will face East Meadow.

With the way 6-team tournaments are set up, if you play in the first round, you can't blow any of your pitching. It's not worth it. Winning a first round game, and then losing to the bye team sets you back at the beginning of the losers bracket. You have to win the first TWO games if you don't have the bye. The way to do that? Save your pitching for game two. Obviously, if you have the bye, you play to win every game. That's your Little League Insider strategy of the day.

Around the Horn: Little League Style (7/19/14)

Many state tournaments kicked off today, others kicked into high gear, and one finished up in crazy fashion. We'll get right into it as we go around the horn.

Delaware

(Written by Damien Hollyday)

Newark National, the defending Mid-Atlantic champions, completed the first step today with its fourth consecutive Delaware District 2 Majors title with an 8-1 victory over Naamans. Newark National outscored its opponents 72-14 through the tournament behind some big performances. They'll be the favorites in the 3-team state tournament. Against Naamans, A.J. Blanchard tossed 4.2 innings with seven strikeouts to pick up the victory. Jason Daughtery hit a monster two-run home run and made two incredible defensive plays during a bases loaded no-out situation in the second inning. Brett Callahan and Blanchard each had two RBI in the victory.

Iowa

The Iowa State Tournament kicked off with three games in pool play and nobody really separated themselves, which has been typical. Last year featured a four-way tie for the two state championship game slots. We'll keep an eye on it this year. Johnston American, Grandview, Boone National, and Davenport Southeast each picked up a victory. Davenport trailed 8-2 before rallying for a 9-8 victory over Lucas. Eleven home runs were hit in total on the Day 1.

New Jersey

Toms River bashed Nottingham 15-5 to win the Section 3 title. There are two different Toms River leagues. Todd Frazier's version (Toms River East LL) went to Williamsport in 1995, 1998, and 1999. Toms River LL (this version) lost in the regional title game in 2005 and went to Williamsport in 2010. They're big, strong, and hit tons of home runs. Definitely the New Jersey favorite.

Georgia

Warner Robins American defeated Murphey Chandler 15-7 in the opening game of the Georgia State Tournament. WRALL used seven pitchers in the victory. Dylan Frank, Javy Rodriguez, and Jacob Pierce each had a home run.

North/South Dakota

Canyon Lake LL of Rapid City, SD pounded Brandon Valley 10-0 in four innings to open up the state tournament. Bridger Nesbit and Blake Weaver both homered. Fargo, ND topped Timberline 13-3 in the other matchup. No team from North Dakota has ever advanced to the regionals, and nobody outside of Rapid City has won the state title since 1981.

Tennessee

Karns opened the state tournament in dominant fashion with a 21-0 drubbing of Johnson City. Karns cracked nine home runs in the victory including a pair by Cameron Fisher. He had 7 RBI. Morristown American crushed Clarksville Northwest, 17-0, and Tullahoma pulled away from Smith County 18-8. South Nashville, the defending regional champions, open up on Sunday. In the tournament's Home Run Derby contest, two South Nashville players finished in the top two.

Maryland

West Salisbury came from the losers bracket to knock off Sharpsburg twice in one day including a mercy rule victory in the "if" game. This is West Salisbury's fourth state championship since 2003. It's also the third straight state title for MD District 8 including Berlin last year and West Salisbury in 2012. WS advanced to Williamsport in 2007. West Salisbury jacked eight home runs in the two games on Saturday by six different players. Ryan Mitchell had three. Dylan Smith was dominant on the mound.

Florida

South Fort Myers and Sarasota National won a pair of games over the beginning of the weekend and will play each other for the FL Section 6 title. SFM's Yari Diaz cranked three home runs on the day in the 9-5 victory over Greater Naples and 26-1 victory over LaBelle. Regional favorite, North Springs, trounced Kendall 12-1 in its first sectional game. Timmy Manning launched a pair of two-run home runs and struck out 10 in 4.2 innings pitched. Coby Mayo, Colin Flynn, and Sean Shambo also had home runs.

Northern California

Mill Valley edged Sutter Buttes 4-3 in the opening round of the Northern California state tournament. Mill Valley led 4-0 and used four different pitchers to hold onto the victory.

Louisiana

Bossier escaped with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Eastbank to stay in the winners bracket of the Louisiana State Tournament. Gabriel Larry (Does that name ring a bell from last year?) hit a solo home run and three Bossier pitchers limited Eastbank to just two hits.

Massachusetts

Holden played a six-inning game for the first time all summer, but still picked up the victory in a 2-1 Section 1 title victory over Leominster National. Hard-throwing Francis Ferguson welcomed the challenged and passed the test with flying colors. He allowed a sixth-inning solo home run, but picked up the complete game victory with 10 strikeouts and only three hits allowed. In Section 4, Peabody West was in the driver's seat for the Section 4 title game, but let a 4-1 lead evaporate against North Andover American to lose its first game. Hamilton-Wenham took advantage by crushing winless Wilmington, knocking Peabody out of the title picture. Hamilton-Wenham will face North Andover American for the title.

Southern California

Long Beach edged Thousand Oaks 2-1 to win its second game in the SoCal North Sub-Divisional Tournament. Glendora pounded 11-year old state champs, Encino, to set up the winners bracket final. In the SoCal South Sub-Divisional, Ocean View beat up one of the early favorites, Canyon Lake. Sweetwater Valley is also a team to watch in this tournament though.

Rhode Island

The Ocean State's Final Four is always hotly contested. When four of the five top programs in the state are in the tournament, you're going to get great baseball games. Cranston Western beat Portsmouth 3-0 on the back of a one-hit shutout by Anthony Eacuello. Cam Bissett had two RBI including back-to-back home runs with Noah Cook. In the other game, Cumberland American's Addison Kopack tied the game with one swing, and then for the second time in two games, Jayden Strudle came up with the game-winning walkoff hit in extra innings.

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Spanning the Little League Globe (7/19/14)

Here's our next look around the country to check in with our teams to watch and others still alive in their respective sections and states. Saturday opens play in many state tournaments around the country. We'll have another look around the horn late night then as well.


New York

Today, I watched Wappinger win the NY Section 4 crown for the first time since 1989. That was the last time anyone from NY D17 has won a section title. The boys from Wappinger have lost tough battles with Sherman Park the last two years in this bracket but finally got over the hump. They did it with their bats. The Top 5 hitters in the lineup are ridiculous threats to hit the ball out of the park, but at least 7 players went deep this week alone. The lineup features Kyle Caccamise at the top, one of my favorite "little guys" to watch ever.

East Meadow won the Long Island (Section 6) title for the first time ever with a 3-1 victory over Port Washington. That victory seals the deal for New York. None of the six teams that have reached the state tournament played in states as 10s or 11s.

Look for a New York State Tournament Preview this weekend!

Michigan

The Michigan state tournament opened today and it looks like one of the coolest events in the country. Sixteen district champions playing in four pools. Three rounds of single elimination after pool play is kind of rough though. The media coverage is spot on and we love that here at Little League Insider. Midland Northeast has won as 10-year olds and 11-year olds. They opened with a 12-3 victory today, so their title as favorites continues.

Missouri

What a story Joplin South could be this year. As most people know Joplin, it's the town that was devastated by a tornado back in 2011. Many players on this year's Joplin South team lost their homes. They also happen to be pretty good at baseball. They won district titles as 8-year olds and 9-year olds. They won the state title as 10-year olds. NINE of them played up on the 12-year old team last year and lost in the district title game to Webb City who eventually won the state title. They pushed Webb City to an "if" game. Now, this year, they rolled through their district and opened up the state tournament with a 12-2 victory.

Connecticut
Losers bracket action in the divisional round continued, setting up a rematch in Section 1 between Fairfield American and Norwalk. It's looking like the state champion is going to come from one of these two teams or Farmington who is killing everyone in their division.


New Jersey

Nottingham and Ocean Township played a classic losers bracket final on Friday with OT leading 11-5 heading to the bottom of the sixth inning, but the boys from Hamilton cracked a few home runs, and a two-run single ended it 12-11 in favor of Nottingham. The boys in the ugliest uniforms known to man (trust me on that one) will face off against Toms River Little League in the NJ Section 3 final. TRLL is the heavy favorite. In NJ Section 1, Somerset Hills won a slugfest over Ridgewood to reach the championship game. Ridgewood will face Sparta in the losers bracket. Monroe Township eliminated the 11-year old state champs from Erial. They'll face Haddonfield. Upper Township/Ocean City is in the winners bracket, and Elizabeth Elmora topped Nutley East to reach the Section 2 title game. They'll need to beat Wood-Ridge/Moonachie twice.

Massachusetts

Section 4 round-robin continued and Hamilton-Wenham got into the win column by blasting six home runs against North Andover American. Peabody West knocked off Wilmington to move to 2-0 and in the drivers seat for a berth in the section championship.

North Carolina

Southwest Forsyth made a statement in its dominant win over defending state champion, Myers Park Trinity, in the opening round, and continued that dominance in the second round with a 14-2 victory over Rocky Mountain National. They'll meet fellow unbeaten North State LL in the winners bracket final of the state tournament.

Southern California

Long Beach opened the sub-divisional tournament with a 15-1 shellacking of Manhattan Beach. Being stuck in the play-in game could make it a really tough road for the 1992 and 1993 Little League World Series champions.


Tomorrow we'll discuss the opening of the state tournaments from Rhode Island, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Nevada, NorCal, Vermont, Kentucky, Ohio, and more. Also continue with coverage from the state tournaments and sections which are already in progress.

If we're not talking about your team it's because we're not hearing about you in the news. Please let us know how things are going for you via Facebook or Twitter.


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Road to Williamsport: Early Teams to Watch - 2014

Well it’s mid-July and time to start introducing you to teams you could POTENTIALLY see in your respective Little League regionals or even South Williamsport. Last year, we had a pretty solid track record. Let’s see what happens with this year’s version of Little League Insider’s Early Teams to Watch.

Check it out after the jump:

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Newark National, Del. and Naamans, Del. on Little League Collision Course

Damien Hollyday of Delaware wrote a guest blog for us covering Delaware’s District 2 and the winners bracket semifinals. My blogs will start at the end of the weekend with the “Teams to Watch for Williamsport” article.

Today’s guest post covers Newark National vs Canal and Naamans vs. Midway. Delaware District 2 is the strongest of the three districts in the small state of Delaware. Newark National reached the promised land last year and has won three straight state championships at the 12-year old level. Naamans was the first and only Delaware team to reach Williamsport back in 2003 until Newark National’s run last year.


Without further ado… Here’s Damien’s report.

Tokyo Kitasuna is heading back to Williamsport (WITH PHOTOS!)

Editor's Note: This is a guest post from our Japanese correspondent Fumio Ishii who was kind enough to cover the ZAVAS Cup, which is Japan's national championship tournament. 

Written by Fumio Ishii

Tokyo Kitasuna was highly favored to win the Japanese Region after its run through the Tokyo district, but the tournament ended up being one of the most exciting in Japanese National Championships in recent memory until Kitasuna turned it up in the championship game with a 12-0 victory over Toyonaka.

Tokyo Kitasuna went to work early and scored 6-runs in the 1st inning. Taking advantage of Toyonaka’s fatigue, which recently played an 8-inning game against Musashi Fuchu. Takahashi hit 2 HRs, one of them was a monster blast. Tokyo Kitasuna will make their 4th trip to Williamsport and play for their 3rd Little League World Series championship.

Here’s a run down of the entire tournament --