East Region Schedule Released

Being that I'm a resident of the East Region, attend the East Region Tournament every year, and the majority of you guys are from the East Region as well. We're going to break down the schedule before a single game is played anywhere in the United States. First, without further ado, is the 2014 East Region Tournament schedule featuring the Mid-Atlantic Tournament and the New England Tournament.

East Region: The Longest Day (August 1, 2013)

We're finally 12 hours away from the start of the Little League Eastern Region tournament. At 11 a.m. on Friday, Capitol City (DC)'s starting pitcher will throw the first pitch at Leon J. Breen Field. I cannot wait. The Thursday before the tournament begins is the worst day of all-time. Sure the players are excited when they arrive in Bristol, CT because of all the wonder, but for the adults... it just drags. We're here to play baseball, right?

My initial thoughts on the teams? I think it's going to be a very good week. Everyone looks very athletic. There's the usual 6-foot monsters like Lincoln (RI)'s Steve Andrews and Lionville (PA) has a triumvirate of stars who all look the part (How in the world could someone ever intentionally walk anyone in front of someone that looks like Connor Kalten!!).

The afternoon is filled with a barbecue for players, coaches, families, and staff. There was a very nice dedication for a new monument in front of the press box for all the hometown heroes out there and Little League CEO and President, Stephen Keener, was even on hand.  When the parents all go home and the players head back to the dorms, it becomes pin trading central. Players are hunting down the pins for each of the other teams and they move around in packs. I pulled a handful of pins out of my pocket and like seagulls, they swarmed.

I had a chance to meet a few coaches that I've corresponded with and some parents who read the blog and listen to the radio show. I chatted with the only female player in the tournament, Capitol City (DC)'s Sofia Ohanian and her coach Brice Plebani about what else? Taylor Swift, One Direction, and Austin Mahone. Apparently, baseball isn't important yet on The Longest Day.

Finally, at 11 p.m, I found my way to my hotel room sopping wet from the rain that won't stop. After The Longest Day, there better not be a field maintenance delay tomorrow. Knowing the staff at the East Region, they'll have it all under control.

Each day here on the blog during the tournament, I'll have a full and in-depth recap on the games. I'll tell you how they went down, how they could've went down, and my general thoughts about the outcomes. We'll have home run meters and strikeout meters, predictions and rankings, and we'll highlight the best plays of the day.

Predictions for Day 1

Newark (DE) 5, Capitol City (DC) 3

Lincoln (RI) 10, Saco (ME) 2

Berlin (MD) 6, East Greenwich (NJ) 4

Westport (CT) 5, South Burlington (VT) 1

For the past two weeks, we've also had Little League Insider Radio. We will continue that this week as I'll be LIVE from Bristol.


To listen to the debut episode of Little League Insider Radio: CLICK HERE
To listen to Episode 2 of Little League Insider Radio: CLICK HERE

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East Greenwich Proves Best, Wins NJ State Title

Read about East Greenwich's previous games: NJ State Tournament Preview, East Greenwich Steals Victory, and Shocking Results in New Jersey

East Greenwich was not supposed to win the New Jersey state title if you believed... well me. Coming from South Jersey, the Section 4 champion is instantly the underdog once you get to the state final four. Nobody from Section 4 has won the state championship at the Little League majors level since South Vineland in 1991. That's a streak of 21 years.

The streak is over.

Even as the unbeaten team in the state championship game against Toms River East American, it felt like East Greenwich was an underdog. From the first inning, they didn't play like it. Five first-inning hits including RBI doubles from Hunter Kelly and Jonathon Burlingame pushed East Greenwich to a 4-2 victory. Josh Crowding added an RBI single in the decisive first inning as well. Before anyone at Wallingford Little League could get a Philly Cheesesteak from the concession stand, it was 4-0 East Greenwich.

Toms River was immediately forced into survival mode and went to its most effective starting pitcher in the last couple weeks, Dougie Pombo. The right-hander allowed just four more hits to East Greenwich and struck out six batters in 5 1/3 innings of relief, but the offense couldn't make the difference.

East Greenwich's defense helped its pitching-by-committee efforts with stellar defensive plays from the word go. Burlingame orchestrated two fantastic double plays and Miller and Shawn Dougherty took away sure-fire hits while roaming the outfield.

Toms River loaded the bases in the fourth but couldn't push a run across after a single by Maximus Rivas with two men on base. Finally in the fifth, TRE made its move. Pombo led off with a line drive home run to left field which sent the players and fans from the shore into frenzied chants of "Battle Sword," the nickname for Pombo's bat.

In the sixth inning, Jonny Munson led off with a double. He eventually scored on a Rivas grounder, but a Burlingame double play on the ball took a lot of wind out of Toms River's sails. TRE still didn't go away though. Nick Silvia and Pombo both singled with two outs. Danny Clemente ripped a line drive to right field, but it was caught and East Greenwich celebrated.

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Here's the rebroadcast of Little League Insider Radio: Episode 2

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Shocking Results in New Jersey, East Greenwich Sitting Pretty

Written by Kyle Stackpole, contributing writer

East Greenwich 14, Toms River East American 4

In the first round of the NJ State Tournament, both East Greenwich and Toms River East American found themselves escaping from brutal situations late in their respective games. TREA had to score two runs in the sixth to force extra innings before winning 8-4 against Wayne National and if it weren’t for two errors by Nutley East, East Greenwich would have been playing for their lives today. Each team had their own reasons to be grateful of the opportunity presented to them. Only one team was able to take advantage of it.

When Shawn Dougherty stepped into the batter’s box in the top of the first, no one could have imagined the type of game he would have. He started it off with a solo bomb to put East Greenwich up 1-0.

East Greenwich extended their lead in the second. After an RBI single by Michael Mackley, Dougherty did some more damage with a two-run single up the middle. With four runs across in the first two innings, East Greenwich was sitting pretty.

Toms River East American responded in the bottom half though. With two outs and two men on, ninth-hitter Maximus Rivas ripped a double to cut the East Greenwich lead in half.

East Greenwich began to break it open soon after.  RBI singles by Ryan Mihlebach, Austin Crothers, Jonathon Burlingame, and Sean Szesto gave East Greenwich an 8-2 lead. Already two-for-two on the day, Shawn Dougherty came back up to the plate. As usual, he delivered with a triple and two runs batted in. East Greenwich was in double digits and TREA was in a heap of trouble.

Going 3-for-3 with five RBI and two runs scored would have been an outstanding day for any average ball player. For Shawn Dougherty, he felt that his performance needed to be enhanced even further. With the score 11-2 in the top of the fifth, Dougherty hit his second home run of the game, making the score an astonishing 14-2. He ended the day going 4-for-4 with eight RBI and three runs scored.


If Dougherty was the main reason for East Greenwich’s success, Sean Szesto could not have been far behind. Sean Szesto went four innings on the mound, allowing five hits and two runs to hold a devastating Toms River East offense at bay.

With the win, East Greenwich will play Sunday night in the state final. Toms River East American will play tomorrow against Nutley East. The winner will play in the final and the loser will go home.

Nutley East shocked Wayne National 14-1 in a mercy-rule shortened victory in the losers' bracket.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I expected two blowouts today. I did not expect either one to be in the direction it was. Wayne I can explain. They folded up shop and were finished. East Greenwich? Well maybe they just played to their potential on Friday, something they didn't do on Thursday. Toms River is the most talented team in the field still... we'll see if they can battle back with three straight wins.

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Little League Roundup (July 18, 2013)

Written by John Malone, editor

Note: This is the third of three blogs today, make sure you read them all
With a lot state tournaments starting around the country this weekend, sections are starting to wrap up in the East. Others are in the break between tournaments resting up. Here’s tonight’s edition of Little League Roundup.

New York

Five of the six sections are set now after Pearl River finished off one of the most amazing comebacks these eyes have ever seen. PRLL rallied for 10 runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and knocked off a really really good New Rochelle Central team, 14-13. You can read a full game article HERE.

Pearl River changed their lineup today for the first time and moved its three hitter, Sean Flaherty, into the two-hole. The move ended up working perfectly for Pearl River. As good Little League minds know, you want your best hitter leading off or batting second at worst in Little League. There are not enough at-bats and you DO NOT want to be stuck with your “guy” on deck. Great move by Pearl River.

New York City wrapped up its first-ever double elimination section tournament today when South Shore American of Staten Island (one of the most storied programs in the country) rallied to beat Franklin Square 10-7. Thomas DiOrio homered and picked up the win in relief after SSA trailed 4-0 early. Hulking Nick Scala, South Shore’s pitching ace would’ve been available for the “if” game. He also homered.

New Jersey

Wayne National won the Section 1 championship behind six home runs including two from winning pitcher Dominic Cancellieri. You can read a full game story right HERE.

In Section 3, Toms River East American (three-time LLWS participants and one-time champion) put on another hitting display that could rival the 1927 Yankees. TREA beat South Wall 19-5 and has now scored 59 runs in the four games of the Section 3 tournament. Toms River East has hit 16 home runs in the sections. However, TREA has the toughest test of all now, knocking off state title favorite Nottingham…twice.

Connecticut

CT’s District 2 has been locked down by Fairfield American for a few years now. FALL has won three straight CT state championships in the 12-year old division and went to Williamsport twice. Their cross-town rival, Fairfield National, won the state title as 11-year olds last year, but Westport decided to break up the party.

Westport won the championship last week and is now primed as the state tournament favorite after beating Bristol Edgewood 8-0 in the Section 1 tournament. Edgewood scored 23 runs on Wednesday to open the tournament, but couldn’t muster a hit off of Westport pitcher Chad Knight who also struck out 13 batters. What’s the impressive thing about that feat? Harry Azadian had a no-hitter through 5+ innings in Westport’s last game.

Washington D.C.

While the District of Columbia has six teams in its tournament now, it’s truly a three-team race between perennial power Capitol City, recent champion Northwest Washington, and newcomer Capitol Hill. With just one game left in the round-robin pool play, Capitol City has restored order and is in the driver’s seat. Cap City didn’t allow a run to either Capitol Hill or Northwest Washington in its two victories against the other contenders. In fact, Cap City didn’t allow a runner to reach second base in either game. Against Northwest Washington, Robert Reynolds was perfect through 5 1/3 innings including 13 strikeouts. His relief didn’t allow a runner either to combine on the perfect game.

Arizona

The Arizona state tournament kicked off on Thursday and some of the tradional powers picked up big wins in the opening round. Chandler National South beat Casa Grande 18-8, Canyon del Oro beat West Flagstaff 16-6, and Arrowhead beat Mountain View 16-5.

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Early Teams To Watch Around The Country

Throughout most of the big states in the country, it’s sectional week. Everyone is a district champion from here on out. Without seeing the teams in person it’s nearly impossible to predict who is strong based on score-watching, but past history of leagues, districts, sections, etc is a decent predictor. Success as 10-year olds and 11-years olds helps too. Based on what we’ve seen so far, here’s some notes on the big surprises and disappointments around the country.

Biggest Surprise

Pennsylvania: Keystone Little League. The boys from Lock Haven were the darlings of the Little League World Series in 2011, and their younger compatriots are trying to equal the feat. Keystone didn’t win the district championship when they were 10 years old and they didn’t win the district championship when they were 11 years old. In fact, Loyalsock won the state title from Keystone’s district last year. So what has Keystone accomplished thus far?

Keystone has wins of 26-0, 21-1, 27-1, 14-1, and 14-3. That final game was over Loyalsock. They have yet to play a 6-inning game. In five games, they have 25 home runs. Definitely a team to watch.

Biggest Disappointment

Tennessee: Goodlettsville Little League. The league that made it all the way to the Promised Land last season was primed for another big run. Goodlettsville has come out of nowhere to become a Little League power with dominant champions at every level now, but not so fast. South Nashville Little League had something to say about it and beat Goodlettsville twice to win the district title.

Teams to Watch

New England: One of the smaller regions in terms of size and colder regions in terms of climate, New England actually packs a good punch in baseball and is tough to read this early. South Burlington Vermont almost pulled off one of the more dramatic upsets in regional history last year and they return 5-6 players from that team. They won’t be a favorite if they get to the regional, but expect them to get there.

Others: North Andover East MA, Lincoln RI, Westport CT, Saco ME, and Rye NH.

Mid-Atlantic: There are more leagues in the Mid-Atlantic region than any other region in the country. It’s extremely hard to get out of certain states, such as New Jersey. The best teams don’t win the region most years. Right now, Nottingham NJ looks like a good bet to make a run. One of the most storied programs in the East, Nottingham reached the LLWS back in 1992. They rolled easily through a tough district and have a good schedule for the sections. If they escape New Jersey, watch out.

Others: Massapequa Coast NY, West Point PA, Berlin MD, Capitol City DC, and Canal DE.

Southeast: The Southeast has become the land of Warner Robins GA. The league is monstrous. People move there to play baseball and they love their sports. WRALL challenges for regional titles year after year out of Georgia now. It's amazing to someone from the northeast to see a league threaten for a regional title every single year. We're used to more depth up here, I guess. Either way though, Georgia Little League is certainly on a high right now. Plant City FL might be a team to watch early on. They won the state title a year ago and Florida is always strong.

Southwest: Texas and Louisiana are the powers in this region and both states have its share of great programs. Watch for the Lafayettes and South Lake Charles’ from Louisiana and in Texas watch for Midland Northern in the West and Pearland or Sweeny in the East.

West: Southern California is always packed with talent. The winner is a LLWS favorite right off the bat. The team on the tip of everyone’s tongues for right now is Sherman Oaks. There’s a long way to go though. In Northern California, Santa Cruz’s name has popped up with some big time pitching, MLB pedigrees, and big bats.

The Northwest, Great Lakes, and Midwest don’t have a ton of states with sectionals, so their district tournaments are barely finished. It’s still way too early to even pretend to have teams to watch in these regions currently. We’ll get back to them later on.

We’ll have tons of updates early on from the East, especially New York and New Jersey in the next week. We’d love to get contributors from other regions as well.

Do you have blog ideas and want me to write about them? Do you want to contribute content to the blog yourself? If so, shoot me an email at section1guycom@aol.com.

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2012 Little League East Region: Day 3

Coventry American (RI) 1, Scarborough (ME) 0

It took Rhode Island until its 10th inning at the plate to score a run in the New England Regional Tournament, but it was a big one as Coventry moved to 1-1 in pool play. Jarrad Grossguth was the hero for RI as he drove in the lone run on an RBI-double in the fourth inning...and oh year he pitched the first 6-inning no-hitter in the region since 2002.

Grossguth was dominant in his performance as he threw 82 pitches, struck out nine, and walked three. His counter part, Connor Kelly, was nearly as good. He tossed a complete-game 1-hitter with seven strikeouts. Neither team committed an error.

Grossguth started rough with six balls in his first seven pitches, but a comebacker right at him turned into a 1-6-3 double play and he rolled from there.

"I knew after that first inning that I had good stuff," Grossguth said. "My curveball worked best, but my fastball was definitely on too. I just hit my spots."

Grossguth said he recognized the no-hit bid in the fourth inning, but it didn't affect his focus.

Rhode Island's pitching looks fantastic through its first two games. Both pitchers (Grossguth and Manny Bjorkland) throw some serious heat. The Rhode Island bats weren't dominant in their state tournament by any stretch, but you can tell they have them. Manager Mark Barter isn't too worried.

"We're having trouble with our bats, but with our pitching so far, who needs them," Barter said. "This is a whole other world up here (in Bristol). Everyone has a number 1 and 1a."

Maine has been a tough luck loser in its two games so far. They're 0-2 currently, but could easily be 1-1 or even 2-0. It's going to be tough to make the semifinal. A win over New Hampshire might be Maine's best bet at this point.

West Salisbury (MD) 6, Northwest Washington (DC) 4 F/4

Two separate rain delays and a shortened game tainted a great chance for DC to throw a wrench into the Mid-Atlantic region. Maryland led 6-0 after 2 1/2 innings and was in complete control before DC scored four runs in the third inning to make the game interesting. The rally included errors, bunt singles, and bloops, but it all looks the same in the scorebook and Maryland was certainly on its heels. A 1-2-3 inning defensively for DC in the top of the fourth completely swung the momentum.

The key moment of the game came in the bottom of the third with the score already 6-4 and bases loaded. Sydney Love-Baker came to the plate after two consecutive hit batsmen and it seemed like a single would break it open. The DC star hit a hard grounder up the middle but Maryland came up with the play and ended the threat.

A loss by Maryland would've been devastating to its chances to make the semifinals, but even with the win, there's still five teams battling for four spots. DC is still alive at 0-2, but is most likely out of it at this point.

The Mid-Atlantic region could be heading towards a tie-breaking situation as there's a lot of parity. The fact that Maryland only played four defensive innings today could come into play. Tune into that mess later.

East Region Rankings Through Day 3

1. Connecticut (2-0)

2. New Jersey (2-0)

3. New York (0-1)

4. Pennsylvania (0-1)

5. Rhode Island (1-1)

6. New Hampshire (1-0)

7. Maryland (2-0)

8. Delaware (1-1)

9. Massachusetts (1-0)

10. Maine (0-2)

11. Vermont (0-2)

12. Washington, D.C. (0-2)

Random Thoughts: The rain today did some solid damage to the field at the A. Barlett Giamatti Little League complex today. Deep left field was under some serious water (probably do to the stream/river that flows back there). As long as the rain holds up before morning, it should be good to go by 8:30am however, the start of the first game on Monday. There's six games altogether now with the postponement of Day 3's two night caps. Each game will run 30 minutes after the next one until the game's are on schedule. With the threat of storms late again, they may just start games 30 minutes after the prior one all day long.

Homerun Meter: 8

Strikeout Meter: 129

Prediction Record: 2-0 (8-2 overall)

Today's Predictions: Mass over Vermont 11-4, New York over Delaware 5-1, New Jersey over DC 13-2, New Hampshire over Rhode Island 6-3, Pennsylvania over Maryland 5-2, and Connecticut over Maine 7-2.

2012 Little League East Region: Day 2

West Salisbury (MD) 5, Newark National (DE) 4

Maryland opened its tournament behind one of the more heroic individual performances. Grayson Winterbottom drove a fastball the opposite way for a 3-run homerun in the bottom of the third inning to tie the game 3-3 with Delaware. Newark National did the best thing you could do in a situation like that though. They answered back with a run. Winterbottom wasn't finished though. With a runner on, Delaware brought their ace in to face the dominant slugger in the bottom of the fifth inning, but it was no use. Winterbottom crushed a line drive well into the trees in left field for the lead. Finally, with one out in the sixth, Winterbottom came in for the two-out save against Delaware's best hitters. He easily handled them and picked up a victory for Maryland in their first game. Delaware fell to 1-1 in pool play. It was Newark National's first loss in pool play in the last two regional tournaments.

Maryland and Delaware are interesting teams. Both have very good pitching depth, and both have some huge hitters. Besides Winterbottom on Maryland, nobody else between these two teams is hitting. Nobody on Delaware has more than two hits total in two games.

Wellesley South (MA) 5, Scarborough (ME) 4 (F/7)

Maine jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead by the top of the third inning, but committed one of the cardinal sins of  regional tournaments. It was a two-part failure. They got too cute with their pitching in a game they were winning and they forgot they were from Maine. When a state like Maine is beating one of the "big four" of the  New England region, they need to remember it doesn't happen often. By playing for future games, Maine may have cost themselves a trip to the semifinals. Maine misses Vermont. The chance for a win somewhere else is slimmer than they probably realize. I guess you live and you learn. Maybe they'll pull one out somewhere.

Anyway, Massachusetts (which seems to produce small teams a lot) never gave up and got three big runs back in the third inning. Darrald Webb had an RBI-single and Bo Picking knocked in two more with a double to get the Wellesley South boys back in it. Massachusetts, which curiously didn't start their number one, brought him (Billy Seidl) in to pitch the final 4 2/3 innings. He didn't allow a run and struck out seven. Wellesley tied the game in the fifth with an RBI-single from Michael Bomes and scratched the game-winning run across in the seventh with a walk and a single and a tough error to end it.

Par-Troy East (NJ) 4, Collier Township (PA) 3

In the third game of the day, the script continued to stay the same. The home team got down early and came back to win it late by a single run. Pennsylvania scored three runs in the top of the first inning on three hits including a double by Zach Rohaley and an RBI double by Greyden Piechnick. Collier seemed to be feasting on Bener Uygen's pitching from New Jersey. PTE, known for its explosive power, flexed its muscles with the first swing of the bat from Emil Matti. The athletic SS/P hit the brand-new Breen Field scoreboard with a line drive well over 250' away. He leads the region with two homeruns so far. A walk and a single by Uygen gave New Jersey even more life. Anthony Scanelli hit a single through the middle, but a great throw from Caysen O'Keefe in CF cut a run down at the plate easily. A base-running blunder at 1B turned a single with nobody out into a double play. The inning ended with just the homerun.

What seemed like a potential slugfest (and what I predicted would happen) turned into a pitcher's duel. Uygen got stronger and threw harder. He only allowed two singles after the tough first inning in 3 2/3 innings. Rohaley, the Penn. starter didn't allow another hit after Scanelli's single, but that ugly thing called over-thinking came back around. Pennsylvania decided to go to their #2 pitcher for pitch count reasons. He gave up the second run with a double by Kyle Phillips. He was lifted for pitch count reasons to go to the #3 pitcher and the top of the order in the bottom of the fifth. It felt like a bad idea right away. Matti ripped a single, Dan Ruggiero found a hole for a single and Uygen brought it full circle with an RBI-single to tie the game. David Ton sealed the deal with a hit scoring Uygen and New Jersey went on to win.

Fairfield American (CT) 17, South Burlington (VT) 1 (F/4)

Connecticut jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a first-inning homerun (off the scoreboard again) by Will Lucas and never really looked back. Vermont continued to get base runners with the softest hits and plays ever in the second and third innings and even broke through for a run to make it 3-1 heading into the fourth inning. Vermont's lack of depth, and Connecticut's abundance of it would not be denied however. Fairfield sent 19 batters to the plate and scored 14 runs in the fourth to win easily. Lucas finished 3-for-3 with five RBI and two doubles. Matt Kubel hit a 3-run homerun, Michael Ghiorzi added two hits including a double, and Biagio Paoletta was 2-for-3 with three RBI in the victory.

I tweeted during the game that Connecticut needed to prove itself more on offense. I still believe that. I've seen them more than anyone in the regional except for Stony Point (NY) and their offense is extremely streaky. Anyone on the team is capable of hitting one out or driving in runs with singles, but they go cold a lot. I think they'll win a weak regional, but to continue to be successful, the offense needs more consistency. The fourth inning was a good start though.

East Region Team Rankings through Day 2

1. Connecticut (2-0)

2. New Jersey (2-0)

3. New York (0-1)

4. Pennsylvania (0-1)

5. Rhode Island (0-1)

6. Maryland (1-0)

7. New Hampshire (1-0)

8. Delaware (1-1)

9.  Massachusetts (1-0)

10. Maine (0-1)

11. Vermont (0-2)

12. Washington D.C. (0-1)

Random Thoughts: I'm usually a proponent of "winning the tournament is more important than winning the game." In pool play though, with bunched up games and single-elimination semifinals lurking, you HAVE to win your first game if its winnable. Two wins almost always gets you in the crossover, and a victory early means those pitchers can come back sooner, usually in game four if necessary or hopefully just the semifinal. By trying to keep your pitchers eligible for games two and three of pool play AND losing, you're putting yourself in a big hole. Sure, you have the ability to win those middle games now, but they became even more important and you're one, two, or three days closer to the semifinal now. You're potentially going to burn your starters  in those middle games when you could have burned them in game one instead. To me, it's a no-brainer. Win game 1 with your guy if you can. It's a huge advantage.

Homerun Meter: 8

Strikeout Meter: 105

Prediction Record: 3-1 (6-2 overall)

Sunday's Predictions: Rhode Island over Maine 5-2, Maryland over DC 7-2, Mass over Vermont 10-4, and New York over Delaware 5-1.

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. 

Never Count Out a Champion

Fairfield American Little League in Fairfield, Connecticut has put together one of the more historic runs in recent Little League history. In 2010, Fairfield American won the New England championship and advanced to Williamsport for the World Series. While the 12-year olds were doing that, the 11-year olds won the state championship as well. While the 11 and 12-year olds were winning state championships, the 10-year olds copied the feat and advanced to the first 10-year old East region tournament... they went undefeated and won it all including a victory over Mid-Atlantic champion, Commack South, New York. It was an incredible summer for Fairfield American to say the least.

They weren't finished in 2011 though. Both the 10s and 11s moved up a year in 2011 and continued winning. The 11-year olds won the state championship again (this time without a regional to shoot for), and the 12-year olds won another state championship and went to the New England regional semifinals.

Enter the present.

The original 10-year old East Region champions are now 12 and shooting for Williamsport themselves. They have two state titles already under their belt. Another state title would mean the first 3-peat in Connecticut history at the 12-year old level. The Fairfield Americans easily won their district championship and beat one of the best pitchers in the state to open CT Section 1 pool play in a 13-0 mercy rule victory over Yalesville.

On Friday night, they faced Wilton, the district 1 champion. Wilton dropped a tough 9-8 opener to Seymour in the Section 1 tournament and another loss would be backbreaking. Facing the behemoths known as Fairfield American is not a recipe for success. Wilton would not go quietly however. Billy Black, Wilton's starter, shut down the fearsome hitters from Fairfield for four innings and Wilton hit two solo homeruns early to hold a 2-0 lead. In the fifth inning, Wilton loaded the bases with nobody out, but back to back fielders choices held Wilton to two runs. An infield single finally gave Wilton a big insurance run before a mammoth grand slam seemingly put the game out of reach with a 7-0 lead. Fairfield was shocked, the crowd was shocked, I was shocked.

In the bottom of the fifth, Fairfield's tough bottom of the order continued to stay hot. Back-to-back homeruns by the seven and eight hitters to lead off the inning gave Fairfield American some life. A couple more hits and a passed ball put runners on second and third with still nobody out and Biaggio Paoletta at the plate. Paoletta roped a line drive up the middle...this should score two, right? No. The ball was snagged by Wilton's second basemen who easily doubled up the runner at second for a double play. Fairfield hit another single scoring their third run, but the rally was killed. Wilton led 7-3 heading into the 6th inning.

After a quick top of the 6th, Fairfield American came to the plate down four runs. Once again, the hits came from up and down the lineup, but Fairfield found themselves down to their final out facing a 7-4 deficit now. With one on, leadoff batter Ryan Muery worked an impressive at-bat and fouled off a handful of tough pitches. The diminutive spark plug finally worked a walk after a taking a tough ball four to bring Paoletta up as the tying run. Paoletta worked a full count of his own before he drove a fastball to deep left field for a game-tying three-run homerun. Fairfield American had erased a 7-run deficit in two innings.

Matt Kubel who threw a perfect pair of innings in relief for Fairfield American shut Wilton down again in the seventh setting up a potential walk-off homerun for Fairfield. I don't think there was a doubt from anyone at the Southington South complex. It was inevitable. Michael Ghiorzi led off the inning by crushing another no-doubter homerun to keep Fairfield American undefeated and still kings of Connecticut with an 8-7 extra-inning victory.

Fairfield American has hit seven homeruns in two days by seven different players. The train keeps rolling towards Bristol and maybe Williamsport.

First Casualty of Pool Play/Single Elimination Goes Down

With an 85-pitch limit on ace Elijah Dunham, Golfmoor, Indiana had to hope and pray they would hang onto a 3-1 lead in the sixth inning. They didn't. Golfmoor suffered its first loss in the entire summer. Undefeated through district, state, and regional play. They were dropped by one run to a team that would've been eliminated in a regular tournament setting. In my world, 2-2 should never advance, and a win over an undefeated team certainly shouldn't knock them out.

We'll see how the Great Lakes final plays out. It's never good for business when the best team doesn't advance.

In the Southeast region, it's Warner Robins playing for a regional title. Their nemesis, Mobile Westside, Alabama won't waiting to greet them. New Tampa, Florida reminded everyone which state owns the Southeast over time. Unfortunately for them, they had to burn their ace to get there. Warner Robins must've been jumping for joy. In a scary moment, Westside's pitcher threw a pitch and fell to the ground in sheer and absolute agony. He was holding his pitching arm. Here's hoping that's not a surgery that the pro-pitch count folks can put in their corner. No matter what, good luck to that young man.

In the Eastern region, my time as an uncle has come to an end. Barre, Vermont dropped its fourth game of the tournament, 12-4 to Cumberland, Rhode Island. The boys showed some heart by battling back and actually scoring some runs. They did it against the Rhode Island ace as well. The 55 runs that Vermont gave up were the most in the history of pool play in Bristol...for about five hours. Northwest Washington, DC lost 17-0 to Keystone, Pennsylvania and added to their own total of runs against. They ended up with an unheard of 63. The good news for DC is that they put the ball in play much more often than typical Washington, DC teams do, and they have eight 11-year olds on the team. They could contend for a semifinal spot next year. One of the team's two best players is Sydney Love-Baker, an 11-year old, and a girl. She is going to be a force in her final season of Little League next season.

In the Northwest, Billings, Montana is as high as the second seed for only the second time in ten years. Despite making the semifinals more often than not, no team from Montana has ever played in the Northwest Region final. A 9-5 winner over Lewiston, Idaho today.. Billings just needs to repeat that feat for the second consecutive day to make history.

In the Mid-Atlantic region, there is some interesting positions that teams are in after tonight's games. Great Kills, New York dropped an important game to Paramus, NJ putting them at 1-3. Undefeated Keystone, Pennsylvania plays 1-2 Conococheague, Maryland this morning in a resumed game from Tuesday. They are scoreless through two innings. If Pennsylvania wins, New York is in as the four seed and will play Pennsylvania in the semifinal. New York's ace will be on the mound. If Pennsylvania loses to Maryland, then NY is out and Maryland is in as the four seed without their number one pitcher (he's not an ace anyway). There's a possibility Pennsylvania could end up facing New Jersey with a loss, but they will also be without their ace. A loss sets Pennsylvania up MUCH better than a win. What do they do?

The next few days are shaping up wonderfully. I can't wait to break down the World Series participants next week. Also, with the east coast bias, I'll be posting all-region teams for the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions.

This blog is updated daily, so remember to always check back. Tell your buddies about it. There is no other Little League blog around. After the series, we'll be holding discussions about potential changes in Little League, youth baseball as a whole, theories, etc.

I'm also brainstorming a book idea that could be interesting. Stay tuned for more on that in a couple weeks.

Cream Rising to the Top? You Never Know.

With 14 teams currently undefeated within pool play across the country, it would be a good assumption that eight of them should make it to Williamsport. In the day and age of pitch counts however, everything is a strategy and you never know if a loss was earned or not. When do you throw your ace? How long do you throw him for? Do you keep him eligible for the semifinals or burn him for a regional final? These are all questions that every manager is still asking himself.

In the West region, Arizona saved its ace against Utah and took an important loss. In the next game, Arizona beat perennial power Hawaii by burning its ace for the remainder of pool play. Other teams around the country are using their ace sporadically to maximize the amount of games their ace can affect. With two-third of the teams advancing to the semifinals of their regions, it's really hard to get yourself eliminated. That reason may keep teams otherwise left for dead within perfect range of an upset and a spot in Williamsport.

New England

Goffstown, NH put a target on its back after beating Fairfield American, CT 9-7 in a great game. Connecticut is in a hole currently in a must-win game with Maine today. New Hampshire is sitting pretty with its ace available in the semifinals. Today, Massachusetts gets to take on Vermont, and New Hampshire gets another test with Rhode Island.

Mid-Atlantic

Paramus, NJ took care of business with a random selection of arms against Northwest Washington, DC setting themselves up for a semifinals berth because its ace Hiro Mizutani can pitch on Tuesday against currently undefeated Delaware. Keystone, PA survived against Great Kills American, NY to stay undefeated as well.

Southwest

Colorado took control of its pool in the Southwest with a victory over Mississippi, but I don't think anyone is expecting a finals appearance over Lafayette, LA or Pearland, TX.

West

Ocean View, CA and Central East Maui, HI had a dual no-hitter through 4 innings, but Ocean View scratched a run across in the first inning, and added two more late in the game to remain one of the favorites in the whole country.

Northwest

North Bothell, WA continues to give up a handful of runs, but pour on even more as the favorites in the Northwest. There's a crapshoot of 1-1 teams behind them. It's still a fairly wide open regional.

Great Lakes

Golfmoor, IN pounded out 23 hits and 22 runs against Michigan to remain the favorite in the Great Lakes. Elijah Dunham is batting 1.000 in three games with four homeruns. That is somebody who should get a free pass to first base every time up.

Midwest

Grandview, IA and Harney, SD remain on a collision course in the midwest with matching 2-0 records. Iowa continues to do it with pitching and defense. South Dakota does it any way it can.

Everyone's Got At Least One in the Books

As day two of regional play comes to a close, Ocean View, So Cal is beating up on in-state foe, Red Bluff, to the tune of 6-0 in the third inning. It's safe to start making some assumptions throughout the country.

New England

In a very big game between Andover National, MA and Cumberland American, RI, the boys from Rhode Island rallied for a 5-3 victory. The two story lines of the game centered on star players. For Rhode Island, the return of Chris Wright to the mound, was important for Cumberland's world series chances. Wright, who broke his ankle in June, missed all of districts, and returned to the lineup during states. He showed no rust with his bat while belting a few homeruns at that level. Now, after a 3 1/3 inning shutout relief appearance, his return is complete. For Andover, Mass., the loss hurts, but superstar Andrew Selima hammered his 18th homerun in 17 games. There may not be a better hitter in any Little League regional. The homerun was measured at approximately 348 feet. Along with Goffstown, NH (5-2 over Maine) and Fairfield American, CT (17-0 over Vermont), these are the favorites in the region.

Mid-Atlantic

The Mid-Atlantic's talent is down once again, and the trend is disconcerting. Keystone, Pennsylvania showed off some bats today by ripping three homeruns off of Paramus, NJ's number two pitcher in an 8-4 victory, but the defense was a little suspect for the region favorites. Newark National, DE is currently in first place in the region with a 7-1 victory over Conococheague, MD. Delaware is now 2-0 after 16-2 victory on Friday over Northwest Washington, DC. The two wins from Delaware are potentially against the two teams who won't make the semifinals, however.

Southeast

The battle everyone in the Southeast was waiting for commenced for at least the first time this year. Warner Robins, GA upended rival Mobile West Side, AL 7-6 in a come-from-behind victory. The win for Georgia was key because it puts Alabama in a position to probably play New Tampa, Florida in a crossover. That's a team which nobody wants to see before the final. The wildcard is Tarheel, North Carolina. Tarheel faces Warner Robins in the final game of pool play and a victory by the talented boys from NC could throw a wrench in the plans.

Southwest

Two teams in the Southwest are already clinched into the semifinals. Pearland, TX and Lafayette, LA are both 2-0 and will face each other in the final pool play round for seeding purposes only. Midland, TX was eliminated in a blowout loss to Louisiana today. On the other side of the bracket, it's a complete crapshoot. Ocean Springs, Mississippi  dominated its opener.

West

Some of the most surprising results so far have come out in San Bernadino. One of them being Washington, Utah's 5-2 victory over Rio Rico, AZ on Friday. The region and possibly nation's favorite, Ocean View, CA is off to a good start beating up on in-state rival Red Bluff. Hawaii has been a powerhouse this decade, but dropped a close decision to Arizona. Silverado, NV is the wildcard in the West after a nearly dominant victory over Utah to open their tournament.

Northwest

Regional powers Washington and Oregon both got off to rocky starts, but only North Bothell, WA could turn it into a victory. Trailing 5-1 to Abbott-O-Rabbit, AK, Washington turned it on and beat the northern-most state 14-9. It was not an impressive start for the favorites. Bend South, OR didn't exactly open eyes with a loss to Lewiston, ID, but rebounded today with a victory over Big Sky, MT. Who knows what to think in the Northwest.

Great Lakes

Golfmoor, IN moved to 2-0 in the tournament after a late-inning victory over Burlington, WI. North Oldham, KY dropped its first game to Indiana in a one-run contest before exploding for 14 runs in a victory over previously unbeaten Hamilton West Side, OH. Burlington, WI looks to be the fourth team in this race. It seems there is no clear cut favorite yet.

Midwest

Harney, SD had the most impressive victory over the regional (a 15-1 win over Cherokee, KS), but it was against one of the weakest opponents. Grandview, IA won a pitcher's duel with Webb City, MO 1-0, and looks to be one of the regional favorites. Centennial Lakes West, MN is 1-0 after a shutout win over Nebraska and will test its mettle against Iowa today.

Welcome to the Little League World Series 2011

Hello Little League World Series followers!


This blog will kickoff this weekend during the Little League regionals on the Road to Williamsport. We'll be discussing all the games around the country, who looks good, who doesn't, and what to expect once we get to the big show in Williamsport.

I'll be discussing the East Region most of all during the regional week, but we'll touch on all eight tournaments. I attend every single game in Bristol, CT each year. This year, I'll have a behind the scenes look as I'll be a volunteer uncle for the Vermont team.


Please tell your friends and family about this blog. I promise it's going to be a fun ride. There isn't a more passionate fan of Little League Baseball than me. Remember to comment on any blog posts you feel necessary. Let's get a good dialogue going down there. I'll answer every and all questions.

Remember, Little League...it's for the kids. Right?