Capitol City (DC) Shakes Up Mid-Atlantic Region

Written by John Malone, editor
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Capitol City Little League of Washington D.C. has more than held its own at the Little League Baseball Eastern Region Tournament. Cap City had leads in each of its first two games and threw monkey wrenches into a couple teams' pitching plans. In the third game of the tournament, Capitol City finally earned more than respect, it earned a victory.

Behind a much-needed offensive outburst from Robert Reynolds and Isaac Frumkin, Cap City took a 10-3 lead after three innings and hung on for dear life in the sixth to record an 11-10 victory over previously unbeaten Berlin, Maryland.

"I was really excited because I didn't hit the ball well in the game against Pennsylvania," Reynolds said. "I was just looking for pitches in my zone and I got a lot of those today."

Reynolds was 4-for-4 with a home run, four runs batted in, and three runs scored to lead Capitol City. Frumkin was 3-for-4 with a triple at the top of the order. Usually a dynamic catcher, Frumkin came on in the fourth inning to record a long save with 2 1/3 innings pitched, two runs, and just two hits.

Capitol City led 11-8 heading into the sixth inning with Frumkin on the hill. Maryland's Tristan McDonough promptly ripped a double, and then Billy Wheatley was hit by a pitch. With two outs and runners on second and third, Jack Rosenberg ripped a double to left field plating both runs. The ball squirted through the outfielders legs and rolled all the way to the deep left field corner. Maryland tried to bring Wheatley all the way around to score but shortstop Collin Bosley-Smith threw a perfect strike to Sofia Ohanian at home plate to cut down the tying run for the game-winning play.

"I saw the coach waving the runner home, but I saw the guy stop, and then kept on going," Frumkin said. "There were perfect throws from Noah (Gold) and Collin though, and we got him by a mile."

Capitol City took a 7-3 lead in the second inning with Frumkin's RBI triple, a Rory Friel RBI single, and Reynolds' home run. In the third, Cap City padded its lead with three more runs with RBI singles from Aaron Rosenthal, and two more RBI from Reynolds.

Capitol City starter, Bosley-Smith, allowed three first-inning runs to Berlin with some control issues but buckled down to retire five of the next six batters he faced in a solid start that was marred with inconsistent calls at home plate and frequent game stoppages among other things. He came out with 65 pitches to stay eligible for the potential semifinal.

D.C. took a 3-0 lead after one inning with an RBI double from Zach Lordan, an RBI from Sofia Ohanian (who had a web gem at first base), and an RBI from Aiden Trinity. Berlin answered back with three runs on a variety of walks, infield hits, and a fielder's choice.

"I was really impressed with the way Collin pitched today. He came back from a rough first inning and threw really well," Reynolds, the staff ace, said. "He blocked everything out. All the pitchers did a great job working through stuff today."

Maryland never gave up in its quest to come back from the huge deficit. Matt Kinsey had a big two-run single in the fourth, and Wes Powell added a two-run triple to follow. Powell scored on a wild pitch to bring Maryland within two runs.

In an effort to keep the score within reason, Maryland went to its ace, McDonough, in the sixth. Reynolds ripped a single to lead off the inning and then scored on three passed balls to add the ever-important insurance run. It ended up being the winning run.

"I hope people realize we can compete here. We could've won the first two games and we got one now," Frumkin said. "We're very confident. We knew we could win a game, now we want to win another one."

The victory was the second win for a District of Columbia team in two years (Northwest Washington LL beat eventual Mid-Atlantic champion, Par-Troy East (NJ) last year) and the first for Capitol City since it beat Haverstraw (NY) back in 2008. Now, Cap City will try to reach the Mid-Atlantic semifinals for the first time since 2004.

Washington D.C. faces Burnt Hills (NY) in its final pool play game on Wednesday. Both teams need a victory to stay in the running for a semifinal spot.

"This team is so hungry for wins, so hungry to earn respect for DC baseball," Assistant coach Seth Rosenthal said. "They did it in the first two games, but today took us another step towards earning DC baseball some respect."

To listen to a pre-tournament interview with Capitol City assistant coach Brice Plebani, listen to Little League Insider Radio: Episode 2.

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East Region: Day 1 (Friday Aug 2, 2013)

Newark National (DE) 8, Capitol City (DC) 4, 7 inn.

Well that game didn't go as expected for Delaware. Newark saved some of its pitching early in this one and it looked like a great strategy off the bat. Joey Davis cracked his fifth home run in three games in the top of the first inning and Delaware quickly had a 2-0 lead. Capitol City's Robert Reynolds settled in and threw four strong innings allowed three runs (two earned) on just three hits. In the third inning, Capitol City ran itself into a bad inning with an unsuccessful "1st-and-3rd" situation. With no outs, Newark nabbed the runner stealing second without allowing the run to score. Two quick outs later, and it was still 2-0 Newark.

 After another run scored on some passed balls and an error, Capitol City finally got down to business. Rory Friel had an infield single to start it off. Delaware changed pitchers and got into a bigger jam. A hit-by-pitch set up an RBI single from Eli Doroshow and an error loaded the bases. Newark was forced to go to its hard-throwing ace, Nate Hardcastle. An immediate strikeout slowed the bleeding, but 4-foot-8 nine-hole hitter, Aaron Rosenthal, stepped into the box. The diminutive firecracker ripped a two-run single off Hardcastle to tie the game 3-3. Rosenthal added another hit off Hardcastle later in the game and also worked a 10-pitch walk in his first plate appearance.

Capitol City took the lead 4-3 with a two-out RBI single from Zach Lordan in the fourth inning and Newark was reeling. Not only was Hardcastle in the game past 20 pitches, but Newark was now losing. In the top of the sixth with one out, Hardcastle drove a fly ball to right field for a sacrifice and tied the game. With Capitol City past its first two pitchers, Newark tacked on four runs in the seventh behind RBI singles from Eric Ludman and Brandon Sengphachanh. DC's Reynolds threw 85 pitches and DE's Hardcastle threw 65.

Lincoln (RI) 11, Saco (ME) 2

As one of the two main favorites coming into the tournament, Lincoln took care of business against Saco by scoring in five of its six innings. Aaron DeSousa was 4-for-5 with two runs scored and a double to lead Lincoln. Kyle Marrapese was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI. He also showcased an impressive left-handed fastball in his two innings of work to start the game. Along with Zarek Larisa and Steve Andrews, Lincoln's pitchers struck out 11 batters while allowing just three hits. Derek Madore had a hit and scored a run for Saco. Matthew Duchaine and Hunter Penley had the other two hits for Maine.

It was tough to tell if Lincoln is a viable threat to Westport, CT because Saco used six different pitchers of varying abilities. The jury is out on everyone still.

Berlin (MD) 5, East Greenwich (NJ) 4

For the second game in a row in the Mid-Atlantic region, the scrappy underdog forced the team with a big ace to waste its pitcher longer than it intended. Alas, like the first result with DE/DC, East Greenwich had to settle for a moral victory.

Berlin jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning after an RBI single from Tristan McDonough and sac fly from Matt Kinsey. Berlin starter Hayden Snelsire tossed four solid innings allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits. Snelsire doubled to lead off the third inning and scored on a sac fly by Billy Wheatley. Ethan Gill homered to pull New Jersey within 3-1. McDonough tripled in the fifth inning and scored on a groundout by Wes Powell to give Berlin a three-run cushion once again, but two errors and a Shawn Dougherty single made it 4-2. Maryland went to its big guy, McDonough. The overpowering righty induced three straight groundouts, but one of them scored a run to cut the lead to just one run. Berlin added a huge insurance run in the sixth after a Kevin Beck single (2-for-2, run), a walk, and a defensive miscue which led to an RBI for McDonough. In the sixth inning, McDonough picked up his six-out save but not before East Greenwich tacked on another run from a Zach Miller single and Sean Szestowicki RBI. The extra at-bats forced Maryland to stick with McDonough passed 20 pitches making him ineligible for Game 2. It was a valiant performance from Jersey, but Berlin picked up the necessary victory.

Westport (CT) 9, South Burlington (VT) 2

With South Burlington returning six players from a regional semifinalist a season ago, this was not a gimme game for Westport. If anyone had questions about Vermont's abilities, they were answered in the first inning with RBI singles from Chance O'Connor and Sammy Premsagar. Premsagar, one of the veterans, was more than effective on the mound with a great fastball. He struck out five batters in two innings. He also walked five. Connecticut took a 3-2 lead in the third inning without the benefit of a hit or an error. Three consecutive walks plus passed balls and wild pitches allowed a run to score. A fielders choice tied the game 2-2 and then a well-executed run down on a first-and-third situation allowed the third run to come home before the third out was made. Connecticut's Chad Knight, one of the best pitchers in the region, didn't had his best stuff and was smartly pulled at 35 pitches in just 1 1/3 innings pitched.  All four outs were recorded by strikeout. Westport's equally dominant pitcher, Harry Azadian, came on and pitched 3 2/3 innings of no-hit ball. He struck out seven. Max Popken quickly picked out the final two outs of the game. Connecticut piled on five runs in the fourth inning to put the game out of reach with an RBI from Popken and back-to-back triples by Azadian (1-for-3, 4 RBI) and Charlie Roof.

East Region Rankings after Day 1

1. Rhode Island

2. Connecticut

3. Maryland

4. Delaware

5. Vermont

6. New Jersey

7. Washington D.C.

8. Maine

OFF: New York, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Massachusetts

Random Thoughts: The amount of pitchers that took the mound today was crazy. With pitch counts and four games in six days, I understand it, but wow do games drag now. In four games, there were TWENTY-NINE pitchers. I had to spell it out. It's just ridiculous. Here's hoping it gets better when teams really need to pick up wins. I was impressed with the amount of players with great velocity today. Out of the eight teams, I'd say there were nine pitchers who threw really hard.

Home Run Meter: 2 (Last Year: 3)

Strikeout Meter: 66 (Last Year: 50)

Prediction Record: 4-0

Saturday's Predictions: Massachusetts over Maine 4-2, Pennsylvania over New York 6-3, Vermont over New Hampshire 3-2, Maryland over Delaware 6-5.

You can hear more of my thoughts on the entire East Region tournament by listening to Little League Insider Radio: Episode 2.

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2013 Mid-Atlantic Region Preview

Check out my 2012 Mid-Atlantic Preview and see how right and wrong I tend to be. There's usually 4-5 teams that I hit the nail on the head and one that I miss completely on. Last year, it was Delaware. I didn't expect their pitching depth to go past their ace.

Read about this year's New England Region Preview to see how the other teams in Bristol, CT look. 


Tournament History: In the 12 years of the Mid-Atlantic region, Pennsylvania, New York, and Maryland have each won three championships. New Jersey has gone to Williamsport twice since the split with New England, and Delaware has its lone trip to the LLWS in 2003 with Naamans Little League. Nobody from the District of Columbia has ever advanced to a regional final.

2013 Team Pedigree: Newark National (DE) is making its third straight trip to the Mid-Atlantic region tournament. For the second consecutive season, at least one player is back from the previous year. This time it’s big man Nate Hardcastle. Capitol City (DC) is a regular in Bristol, CT but has only reached the regional tournament once since 2008.

The remaining four teams in the Mid-Atlantic tournament have won their state championship for the first time in league history. Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (NY) is from the Albany region which hasn’t sent a representative to Bristol since Colonie in 2004. Lionville’s (PA) section hasn’t represented the state of Pennsylvania since the last time District 27 won a state championship back in 2003. That team was Lower Perkiomen. East Greenwich (NJ) is ALSO from an area of its state that doesn’t win often. Section 4 in New Jersey hasn’t sent a team to the regional since 1991 before this year. Berlin (MD) isn't traditionally strong and hasn't won a state title previously, but this group has been built for this run at the regional title.

Interestingly, only East Greenwich (NJ) has tasted defeat so far this tournament. Each of the other five champions are all unbeaten. In the pitch-count era, that's very surprising and unusual.

Team Previews (Tournament Records in Parentheses)

Capitol City, DC (7-0): After a short hiatus, Capitol City is back. District of Columbia’s traditional power ran through the DC Tournament fairly easily especially in pool play and its semifinal game. In the championship against rival Northwest Washington, Capitol City used a momentum-boosting home run from Sofia Ohanian to break open a tight game in the middle innings before winning comfortably. Capitol City relies on great team defense, strong pitching, and its timely hitting. Always an underdog in Bristol, Cap City will try and change some opinions about D.C. Little League as a whole.

Newark National, DE (6-0): Newark needed just six games to get through Delaware this year. That’s the beauty of double elimination when you stay in the winners’ bracket. This is the third trip in a row for Newark National and they’ve had a lot of success in Bristol. Newark is 7-1 in pool play during the last two years. In 2011, Newark made the semifinals. Last year, they lost a 1-0 decision to Par-Troy East (NJ) in the regional final. Could a third time be the charm? Nate Hardcastle is the name on everyone’s tongue because he played last year and has dominated the state of Delaware with his mid-70s fastball and monster home run power. Joey Davis might be the hottest player in the tournament though with four home runs in his last two games.

Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, NY (13-0): Burnt Hills enters the regional tournament out of nowhere, at least according to this downstate New York blogger. While BHBL has never won a state title before, this team has had plenty of success with sectional championships as 10s and 11s. They rolled through districts and sectionals and took home the state championship with very good pitching and timely hitting from players like Jack Wyatt, Evan Bowers, and Derek Haughey. Hunter Valley is a top pitcher.

East Greenwich, NJ (12-1): East Greenwich is one of the unlikeliest state champions from New Jersey in a while. It doesn’t mean the boys from South Jersey can’t play ball. East Greenwich’s defense was superb in its state championship victory over Toms River East especially at shortstop with Josh Crowding and in right field with Hunter Kelly. Shawn Dougherty and Sean Szestowicki supply the offense at the top of the order. On the mound, East Greenwich tends to give a different look often. They maximize their abilities by throwing a couple pitchers per game and sometimes as many as four or five... all on purpose. They like to give you a different look every now and then and keep their staff available and fresh. 

Berlin, MD (10-0): Berlin’s trip to Bristol has been years in the making. Berlin is the only team in the Mid-Atlantic region to win state titles as 10s, 11s, and now 12s. The team is led by Tristan McDonough who has an overpowering fastball and big bat. Hayden Snelsire doesn’t get the same publicity but tossed five shutout innings in the winners’ bracket final against Conococheague to send Berlin to the state final. Along with McDonough, Wes Powell and Matt Kinsey have big power. Others including Snelsire and Jack Rosenberg can hit it out of the park as well.

Lionville, PA (11-0): Lionville’s offense has been a juggernaut all tournament long and averaged 14 runs per game. When you have a dominant pitcher like Michael Rodriguez on the staff, you don’t even need that much. Joe Janick carries the team’s best stick, to the point that he was the winning run and still intentionally walked in the state semifinals. It’s probably an inadvisable move in the regional since Connor Kalten his behind him and hit a game-winning double. The next night, he blasted a home run of his own.

Projected Records

Pennsylvania                     3-1

Delaware                          3-1

Maryland                          2-2

New York                         2-2

Washington D.C.               1-3

New Jersey                      1-3         

Semifinals: Pennsylvania over New York 7-4, Delaware over Maryland 3-1.

Final: Pennsylvania over Delaware 9-3


You can hear more of my thoughts on the entire East Region tournament by listening to Little League Insider Radio: Episode 2.

For Mobile Users, try this link here: Little League Insider Radio: Episode 2

To listen to the debut episode of Little League Insider Radio: CLICK HERE

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Westport CT Shows its Mettle, Wins Section 1 Title in Extras

Written by John Malone, editor

Relying on its big arms for most of the District 2 and Section 1 tournament, Westport was getting desperate for some big hits late in its championship game against Bristol Edgewood. No matter what Westport mustered offensively, Edgewood always had an answer. Finally in the seventh inning, Westport got some breathing room off the bat of Charlie Roof.

Roof's single in the fourth allowed Westport to take a 3-2 lead, but it was his two-run two-out double in the seventh that won the game. A leadoff walk to Chris Drbal started the inning, but back-to-back strikeouts by Edgewood reliever, Shane Caron, put Westport in another tough spot. Harry Azadian and Matt Stone worked another pair of walks to load the bases for Roof.

"That's a really good team over there, they need to be proud of themselves. We battled too though," Westport manager Tim Roger said. "I told them before the game that I thought it would take four runs to win this game. It was a great battle."

In Westport's previous meeting with Edgewood Chad Knight tossed a no-hitter and completely shut down the big bats of ELL. Tonight, the ball went to Azadian who was great once again himself. Azadian allowed two runs on three hits in five innings. He only needed 58 pitches. With the state finals looming on Saturday and a 3-2 lead in the sixth, Roger lifted Azadian for Knight.

"With pitch count rules, you have to make plans and contingency plans and stick to them," Roger said. "If we could get Harry at 65 and only use chad for three outs, we would do that then."

Edgewood had other plans. After a walk, Stone made a great throw to second after a wild pitch and caught the runner stealing for the first out. Knight blew away the next batter for out number two. With a two-strike count, Edgewood's Cory Fradette blasted a home run 300 feet to right centerfield (I measured it!) to tie the game. A ground out got Westport out of the sixth without further damage, but the plans were thrown for a loop. Luckily for Westport, the offense came through in the seventh. Knight got the first out and was relieved by Max Popken who induced two more outs to pick up the save. (Editor's Note: I would make all the same pitching moves that Westport made.)

"Everything that could happen, did happen," Roger said. "It was back and forth. Every inning we scored a run, they came back with a run...except for the seventh."

Westport didn't commit an error in 16 chances in the field and shortstop Ricky Offenberg (who had an RBI single) was nothing short of magnificent with the glove.

Westport opened the game with a triple from Drbal  (3-for-3, three runs, 3B, 2B) and an RBI from Popken. In the fourth, Tatin Llamas homered to right to give Westport a 2-1 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth, the sky opened up and play was suspended for close to two hours. Both Azadian and Edgewood starter Noah Plantamuro weathered the storm, so to speak, and continued to be effective.

Edgewood will face the winner of South Windsor American and Coginchaug on Saturday in Game 1 of the state finals, a best two out of three affair. Westport will have its full pitching staff available.

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Little League Insider Radio LIVE at 1 P.M. Today!

We've been doing so well right out of the gate this summer that we're really going to blow it out of the box. Starting Sunday July 21, we'll be LIVE on the radio for a one-hour show.

We'll be broadcasting each Sunday through the Little League World Series championship game from 1pm-2pm Eastern Time. The show will be live at Emmett's Castle in Pearl River, NY and can be heard on WFAS 1230AM News/Talk radio out of Westchester, NY. Call into the show for questions, comments, or to tell us about the best team in your area at (914) 693-5700.

It will be a nationally focused show with a lean towards the East coast because that's what we know the best. Once the world series hits, we'll be all national, all the time.

You can listen LIVE online HERE and HERE. If you have the iHeart Radio app, you can listen there as well. The show will also be recorded for download right here on the Little League Insider Blog.

If you have ideas for the show, don't hesitate to let us know. You can contact us nearly 1000 ways now. The show has the potential for a lot of interactivity. We will have live guests, phone interviews, and you will be able to call-in with questions, comments, and updates from your area of the country. I'll have that number for you soon.

It's a very exciting time. This is going to be a great six weeks of baseball.

CALL-IN Number: (914) 693-5700

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Little League Road Trip: Sunday July 14, 2013

Written by John Malone, editor

New Jersey

I made my way to neighboring New Jersey on Sunday four games in the Section 1 and Section 3 tournaments (read full recaps of the NJ Section 1 games HERE). Wayne National showcased one of the top pitchers/athletes I’ve seen in the early going this year in Dominic Cancellieri. I’m not going to say he’s Par-Troy East’s Emil Matti (LINK) yet, but he’s that type of player. Wayne’s opponent, Lackawanna, was very solid, and had good size throughout their lineup. They had the short end of the stick pitching-wise to start the tournament, but definitely can make a run.

Par-Troy East, the 2013 edition, isn’t the same team as last year’s Mid-Atlantic champions…obviously. They’re still a team worthy of the state tournament and could definitely win the Section 1 bracket. They have a tough matchup with Washington Township on Monday. Tyler Grieco is like the hulk at and behind the plate.

Next, I went to the shore to see Section 3 play and saw the potential New Jersey state champions, Nottingham. One of the more storied Little Leagues in the entire East region, Nottingham looks like it has all the pieces. They have three or four great to good arms, big bats throughout the lineup, and solid defense. They have “the look.” They pounded a scrappy Eatontown team 10-1 on Sunday night. Eatontown has an excellent ace pitcher who exited the game with 49 pitches in the third inning trailing just 1-0. After his departure, Nottingham smoked five straight hits to take a 7-0 lead.

Utah

Believe it or not, we have our first state champion already. Dixie Little League of Saint George, UT annihilated the competition to win its first state championship since 1997. Dixie made a great run in the regional that year. We’ll have a post all about Dixie this week.

Connecticut

Watch out New England region, there’s potential for MAJOR crowds at the regional tournament this year. Edgewood Little League of Bristol, Connecticut dominated the District 5 championship and advances to the Section 1 tournament this week in CT. If Edgewood can navigate its way to a state championship, we could see record crowds every night in August.

New York

Sectionals have kicked off throughout the state. On Long Island, Massapequa Coast continues to dominate pool play with a 3-0 record, outscoring opponents 28-1. They’re the lone unbeaten team on the island now. In New York City, Peter Stuyvesant from the east side of Manhattan faces perennial-power South Shore American of Staten Island in the winners’ bracket final. Pearl River is rolling through its section in the northern suburbs and Burnt Hills and Saratoga American are on a collision course in the capital region. In Central New York, Horseheads continues to rout opponents. After beating District 6 foes 100-2 over six games, Horseheads opened the Section 2 tournament with an 11-1 victory.

Pennsylvania

There’s been some dominance early on in the home of the Little League World Series. Keystone continues to roll with another barrage of home runs. West Point, perennially challenger, has two big victories, and DuBois hit seven home runs today in a 21-1 victory. Lionville has also beat up its opponents in its respective sectional tournament. The state finals will be a dandy in PA.

Southern California

The record for most home runs on Sunday most likely goes to Santa Maria Southside. In SoCal’s Section 1 tournament, SMS hit ten bombs including a walk-off to advance to the championship game in the winners’ bracket with an 18-16 victory in seven innings over Goletta Valley South. Let’s hope they have pitching available.

Sherman Oaks has competed well as 10-year olds and 11-year olds and even took home a state championship. Both times it faced Burbank in the Section 2 finals. Today they met in the second round of the tournament and it was a barn burner. Sherman Oaks came away with an 11-5 victory behind three home runs from Jake Robbins. It was a back-and-forth affair for five innings before SOLL took a 6-5 lead and opened the game up late.

Northern California

Belmont Redwood Shores made a statement over always tough San Ramon in its sectional opener and then continued that trend with a mercy-rule victory to advance to the title game. I still have my eyes on Santa Cruz American who face off with former district foes, Gilroy, on Monday.

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Little League East Region: Day 6 (Plus Semifinal Previews!)

Par-Troy East (NJ) 9, West Salisbury (MD) 1

New Jersey got back into the winning ways today behind some big hits from catcher, Anthony Scannelli. PTE's clean-up hitter did just that today with six RBI including a grand slam that broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the fifth inning. David Ton was great in relief today and Bener Uygen continues to look great on the mound.

The tournament is incredibly unpredictable so far. It seems like every team has pitchers that can shut down anyone in the bracket, but the drop off after that opens the flood gates. For instance, Maryland was in pitching duels for both of its two losses before getting blown out late due to pitching changes.

Collier Township (PA) 7, Stony Point (NY) 2

Another game that was tight throughout but pitching was the difference late. Collier led Stony Point 3-2 in the fifth inning when Pennsylvania was forced to make a pitching change. New York loaded the bases but couldn't capitalize. Collier meanwhile proved they belonged in the semifinals by feasting on New York's bullpen and capped the explosion with a grand slam from Nick Serafino.

Scarborough (ME) 3, Bedford (NH) 0

I predicted winless Maine to come out with a win here because they'd have their ace on the mound and couldn't make the semifinals. That's basically how it went, although I expected both teams to hit more. Bedford's been bitten by the injury bug the last two games and really need Alec Burns back in the lineup. New Hampshire has struggled mightily without him. 

Fairfield American (CT) 9, Wellesley South (MA) 2

Connecticut's string of mercy-rule victories was stopped at two, but the three-time state champions from Fairfield American still had an easy win against Massachusetts. Biagio Paoletta continued to tear the cover off the ball and whoever Connecticut sticks on the mound continues to shut down quality opponents. If Connecticut doesn't win the region, New England will be in big trouble.

East Rankings Through Wednesday

1. Connecticut (4-0)

2. Delaware (3-1)

3. New Jersey (3-1)

4. Pennsylvania (2-2)

5. Massachusetts (2-2)

6. New Hampshire (2-2)

7. Maryland (2-2)

8. Maine (1-3)

9. New York (1-3)

10. Vermont (2-2)

11. Rhode Island (1-3)

12. Washington D.C. (1-3)

Random Thoughts: Finally the semifinals are here. Take a look at those records above. Is this the most parity of all time? It might be. The top three teams in the East are definitely better than the rest, but anyone can beat anyone. It's really strange. I think anyone can win the Mid-Atlantic but Delaware would be the best representative with New Jersey a close second. Pennsylvania and Maryland both have ability to pitch themselves to the title, but wouldn't be a great fit for Williamsport.

On the New England side, it's Connecticut or bust. Fairfield was the best team in 2010 and won the region. They were one of the two best teams in 2011 but got upset. Now, they're the best team by far. They have the pitching and hitting to handle anyone they face. 

Homerun Meter: 27

Strikeout Meter: 280

Prediction Record: 3-1 (Overall 16-8)

Predictions & Previews

#3 Bedford, NH (2-2) vs. #2 Wellesley South, MA (2-2)

New Hampshire comes into this game with a two-game losing streak and sometimes that's tough to swallow even when you weren't "trying" to win those games. Both teams should be starting their top pitchers in this one, Grant Lavigne for New Hampshire and Billy Seidl for Massachusetts. The two pitchers also happen to be their team's best hitters. Seidl has been hitting the ball hard all week long even when he makes an out. Lavigne has found himself in pitcher's counts and has been defensive at the plate. He needs to breakout for New Hampshire to have a chance. The status of slugger Alec Burns is also unknown for New Hampshire. That's certainly been a hole in the lineup the past two games.

With the parity in the region this year, this is a tough game to call. Just a few days ago it looked like New Hampshire clearly the better team in this match up, but Wellesley has looked pretty solid as of late. With Seidl on the mound, I'm going with Massachusetts in a slight upset.

Wellesley South 5, Bedford 3.

#4 South Burlington, VT (2-2) vs. #1 Fairfield American, CT (4-0)

This is one of those potential trap games for Connecticut. Back in 2001, Yalesville CT steamrolled through the region and met up with a number four seed from Vermont... the team? South Burlington. Vermont had backed into the semis that year and lost handily to Connecticut. South Burlington pulled off one of the biggest upsets I've ever seen. This year, Fairfield beat South Burlington 17-1. Vermont's biggest problem for this game is pitching. Sam Premsagar is serviceable and the probably starter, but not having Tate or Sheridan available certainly hurts South Burlington.

Connecticut has the ability to start any of their top three starters in Ryan Meury, Will Lucas, or Matt Kubel. With Matty Clarkin ineligible for the remainder of the tournament, Connecticut will look to keep at least two of these pitchers eligible for the final. I honestly can't project who Fairfield will start because any of the three makes sense. Kubel, the number three pitcher, was very good against Vermont the last time he faced them and could get the start again. Lucas came in the game late and struck out the side in one inning. Meury hasn't seen work since the opening night. There's a chance all three could see action. No matter who starts though, I think the end result is inevitable. Another mercy-rule shortened victory.

Fairfield American 12, South Burlington 1

2012 Little League East Region: Day 1

Newark National (DE) 7, Northwest Washington (DC) 1

Both these teams played in the regional last year and have a lot of starting experience and it was a well-played game for the most part. Delaware started one of their lower end pitchers (Andrew Emory), but he threw well and looked pretty good. Delaware is a big team. DC's starter (Owen Isaacs) was the best D.C. pitcher in a few years and was a very viable number one with a mid-60's fastball. The game was scoreless through two innings, but it seemed like a matter of time before Delaware broke through. They did with a big five-run inning in the third and that was the difference. Their top hitter was only 1-for-4 today, but they had a couple big hits in that inning. Delaware didn't hit as much as I expected them to but they used all four of their top pitchers and they have a deep staff. Two of them threw very hard, and the other two were above average. D.C. will go 0-4 and maybe will take some on the chin, but they're not horrific, and Sydney Love-Baker is fun to watch. She's a legitimate player.

Bedford (NH) 13, South Burlington (VT) 5

I was excited for this game because of the fanfare that New Hampshire's Grant Lavigne brought to the table. To be honest, the pressure of this "Barry Bonds of LL" moniker is way too much for a kid to live up to. I take some blame for that one. He finished 0-for-2 on the day with two walks, but you can see he's a hitter. His two outs matched the amount of outs he's had in the entire tournament so far. Lavigne threw hard on the mound but doesn't have much off-speed and Vermont hit him for four runs in the second inning. Three of the runs were earned, but none of the hits were hit hard. It was a combination of tough luck and the new field dimensions (which I'll get into afterwards). Bedford picked up three runs in the third behind some big hits from Alec Burns and Connor Zendzian (3-for-4, 2 RBI). They added the table with ten runs combined in the fifth and sixth innings to take control of the game. Joey Barrett finished 2-for-2 with three RBI and two walks. The bench came away with three hits on the day. Vermont's Nate Gaboriault is the trivia answer for "Who hit the first homerun at Breen Field with the 225-foot fences?"

Par-Troy East (NJ) 4, Stony Point (NY) 2
The first of the day's two heavyweight fights was a doozy. New Jersey's Emil Matti found his control (which escaped him in the NJ state finals) as he blazed through five easy innings on the mound before a tough sixth. New Jersey got the scoring going in the first inning when Stephen Greeley hung a two-strike curveball to Anthony Scanelli who deposited it 280' away into the trees for a 2-0 lead. Greeley allowed six hits in four innings and had a dominant fastball but left two off speed pitches up on the day. Matti hit the other one over the left centerfield wall. NJ tacked a fourth run on in the third inning when Scanelli hit an RBI-double. NY threatened heavily in the sixth with a bunt single (and a throwing error), a hard single, and a ripped double. Matti's night was done (not by the coaches' choice though, they made a blunder by taking four trips to the mound). David Ton came on against NY's 4-6 hitters with two on and no outs and only allowed an infield single and an RBI-groundout. This looked like the matchup of the two best teams with two mistake pitches being the difference. New York also had their #1 pitcher ineligible for the game. The rematch will be a good one.

Fairfield American (CT) 1, Coventry (RI) 0

I told anyone that would listen for weeks that Ryan Meury was the most fun Little League pitcher to watch. The reasons? His size (he's 5'0'' at best), and his nasty curveball. Meury can ratchet the fastball up near 65 mph when he brings it, but his pitch is the curveball. He throws a true lefty curveball that breaks out and down. He throws it in the dirt, he throws it for a strike, he throws it inside, and he'll backdoor you with it. He's been striking out more than two batters per inning the whole tournament and has only given up two runs to date. For someone who can make a mistake with an average fastball, it's impressive and baffling.

Against Rhode Island, he proved once again that he's for real. Meury threw a complete game two-hit shutout with 13 strikeouts. He also scored the game-winning run on a passed ball in the fifth inning after he hit a single and Biaggi Paoletta roped a double. Coventry starter Manny Bjorklund threw the hardest on the day (72-73?) and was dominant against a team who's hit ace pitching before. His pitch count was his worst enemy and he reached it in the game-turning fifth inning. He struck out eight batters in 4 1/3, gave up zero runs, and just one hit. He walked four. His relief, Jarrad Grossguth, also threw hard, but 68 mph doesn't look so bad after seeing 72 all day. This ALSO looked like a championship preview. We'll see how Maine and Massachusetts look tomorrow.

East Region Team Rankings on Day 1

1) Connecticut

2) New Jersey

3) New York

4) Rhode Island

5)New Hampshire

6) Delaware

7) Vermont

8) Washington, D.C.

OFF: Massachusetts, Maine, Pennsylvania, Maryland

Random Thoughts: The new fences are awesome. 225 is the perfect distance. All the cheap homeruns are taken away, and it opens up the outfield. While 3-4 balls today were homeruns somewhere else, the biggest effect is easily on the outfielders. They have so much more room to cover (obviously) and it showed. You can't hide someone out there. The gaps are huge, and balls drop in front of the outfielders a lot. It will be interesting all week long.

Homerun Meter: 3

Strikeout Meter: 50

Tomorrow's Predictions: Maryland over Delaware 4-1, Maine over Massachusetts 6-3, New Jersey over Pennsylvania 9-5, and Connecticut over Vermont 11-1.

If you'd like game updates as they happen (and you don't have the LL site to be checking on), follow me on Twitter: @LittleLeaguePro 

If you have questions, comments, thoughts, etc... please add a comment below or just ask on twitter. Also, if you have blog ideas for each day of the tournament, please let me know. I'll be getting into some other regions as the weekend goes on and we know more about the teams.

2012 Mid-Atlantic Region Preview

Tournament History: In the 11 years of the Mid-Atlantic region, Pennsylvania, New York, and Maryland have each won three championships. Delaware and New Jersey each have one title, with District of Columbia looking for its first trip to a regional final, let alone the title itself.

2012 Team Pedigree: Newark National (DE) and Northwest Washington (DC) are both returning for the second consecutive year to the regional. Newark has been to the regional six times prior to 2012, and its 11-6 overall in the tournament. Newark National made the regional semifinals four times. Northwest Washington is 0-8 all-time in the regional, but NWLL returns seven players from last year. That’s a significant experience advantage.

Stony Point (NY) won its first state title in 2010 and returns this year. Assistant coach John Greeley was an assistant two years ago as well when he coached his oldest son, SS/P John. Now, he coaches SS/P Stephen. West Salisbury (MD) has two previous state championships, both within the last ten years. In 2007, WS made it to Williamsport after finishing fourth in pool play.

Par-Troy East (NJ) and Collier Township (PA) both won their first state titles this year. PTE doesn’t have history in the 12-year old division but became the first New Jersey team to win state championships at different age groups (PTE won NJ’s 11-year old title last year). Collier will look to piggy back the success of Keystone Little League which won the regional title a year ago.

Team Previews (Tournament Records in Parentheses)

Northwest Washington, DC (4-0): District of Columbia is traditionally the weakest team at the region and that should be the case again this year. NWLL has become a force in DC recently and this could be their best team yet. They return seven players from last year’s team. They easily won the DC tournament. NWLL not only has the only girl in the regional tournament this year in Sydney Love-Baker, but Love-Baker has turned into one of the team’s top hitters and is fantastic behind the plate. Her twin brother Ty is also one to watch. Owen Isaacs is the team’s ace and will look to steal a victory somewhere to give the league its first win ever at regionals.

Newark National, DE (9-1): Newark went undefeated in pool play a year ago and faltered in a tough battle with Paramus, NJ. With multiple players returning from that team and a 10-year old state title under their belts, Newark is looking to go even further. The two unquestioned leaders of the team are Matt Theodorakis and Clayton Hansen. Theodorakis is a bonafide star in the leadoff spot and Hansen is an excellent top of the rotation starter.

Stony Point, NY (11-1): Stony Point comes into the regional after handling the state of New York fairly easily. The lone blemish on Stony Point’s record is a 12-inning loss in the state finals game one. Stony Point’s pitching is its strength. The team has two top of the line pitchers in Brian Wholey and Stephen Greeley. Both throw hard. Stony Point has a deep lineup with power throughout. Ray Pacella is the probably the team’s most consistent hitter.

Par-Troy East, NJ (14-1): Par-Troy lost its first game in the state final four and needed to win four straight games to make it back. With the explosive lineup they possess, it was almost easy. With power up and down the lineup, Par-Troy can slug with anyone. Bener Uygun hits homeruns and doubles nearly every time up and is an RBI machine. Emil Matti is powerful at the top of the order and has dynamite speed. Anthony Scannelli is fearsome in the cleanup spot and Vinny Prezioso has two homeruns in his last two games.

West Salisbury, MD (9-1): West Salisbury came out of nowhere to win the state of Maryland which had two other potential favorites, but that’s not for lack of talent. Matt Chrysostome is the team’s leader at the plate and gets the job done on the mound too. He and Grason Winterbottom form a solid pitching duo. Cade Hurley hits homeruns in bunches.

Collier Township, PA (11-0): Collier wasn’t the favorite in the Pennsylvania state tournament, but found a way to win and is one of lone undefeated teams left in the entire country (welcome to pitch count rules!). Collier can outslug almost anybody and it starts with Reed Bruggeman. Bruggeman clubbed two homeruns in the state tournament and racked up 11 RBI. He hit .583. Steve Alauzen also hit .583 and smacked a pair of homeruns. He had 8 RBI. In all, Collier drove 12 balls over the fence in the four state tournament games and nine different players hit one. Pitching may be Collier’s biggest issue, but with bats like theirs, it may be good enough.

Projected Records

New York 3-1

New Jersey 3-1

Pennsylvania 3-1

Maryland 2-2

Delaware 1-3

Washington, D.C. 0-4

Semifinals: New York over Maryland 4-1, New Jersey over Pennsylvania 8-5.

Final: New York 5, New Jersey 4