East Region: Day 2 (Saturday Aug 3, 2013)

Reminder: You can see all eight regional scoreboards LIVE on one page right here: Live Little League Regional Scoreboards


Saco (ME) 12, Newton SouthEast 1

Well, I wish I stuck with my pre-tournament instincts. I originally expected this to be a Maine win and I was right, but to be fair, I switched my pick when I assumed Newton had a big time pitcher.

Saco showed its true colors today with a big win behind a combined one-hitter from its two star pitchers, Luke Chessie and Brogan Searle-Belanger. The dual number ones each threw three innings of 50-pitch thresholds and combined for 10 strikeouts. Saco took a 3-1 lead in the second inning on back-to-back doubles by Hunter Penley and Michael Bourgault (2-for-3, 2 RBI). They put the game away in the third when Searle-Belanger (3-for-3, 4 RBI, 2 runs) crushed a three-run home run. They padded the lead in the fifth and sixth innings with triples by Anthony Bracamonte and Chessie, and a two-run double from Penley (2-for-3, 3 RBI).

This is a great win for Maine. Saco has a tough game with Connecticut on Sunday, but the one victory is a great start. Massachusetts has a rough schedule with Rhode Island on Sunday, then back-to-back Tuesday/Wednesday games against New Hampshire and Connecticut. The NH game MAY be very important.

Lionville (PA) 7, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake (NY) 5

This was a strange game. Pennsylvania has the physical look of the best team in the region, and New York is very ordinary looking. So of course Burnt Hills came out swinging with two quick runs off the Lionville ace in the first inning. Lionville bounced back to score multiple runs in the second, third, and fourth innings and seemingly take control of the game. Jack Waldbuesser doubled and the Lionville seven-batter, Zach Burton, ripped a home run to dead centerfield to tie the game. Connor Kalten (2-for-3, 4 RBI) hit a two-run single in the third to take the lead. Then added another two-run single in the following inning. Joe Cestare picked up the win in 3 1/3 innings of shutout middle relief. Burnt Hills threatened in the sixth inning against Joe Janick by scoring three runs. Cameron Rhodes doubled, Brendan Bachus walked, and Robert Forlano hit an infield single . After a wild pitch scored a run, Glenn Ramos (2-for-4, 3 RBI) hit a two-run single to pull within two. A ground out advanced the tying runs into scoring position, but Janick got a backwards K to secure the victory.

Pennsylvania looks like a regional contender and Burnt Hills can really swing the bats against the fastball despite their small size and stature overall. Burnt Hills' Hunter Valley came in late in the game to slow the bleeding and did a great job with his curve ball. He's potentially BHBL's best pitcher. He allowed just one run on one hit.

South Burlington (VT) 12, Rye (NH) 2, (5 inn.)

Vermont is for real. While New Hampshire looked as sloppy as a team can look in its first game in Bristol, South Burlington looked like the veterans they are. Ben Tate was throwing cheese with some pitches touching the mid-70s range. He threw 2 2/3 innings of no-hit ball with six strikeouts to earn the win. His counterpart Max Malilia was pitching very well allowing four hits and no earned runs over 2 2/3 innings before being pulled at 35 pitches. It was a 1-0 game at the time and looked like the worst idea ever. I don't know why Rye wanted to save Malila in a game they could potentially win when its next opponent he's eligible for is Connecticut.

Anyway, South Burlington mashed throughout the rest of the game. Sammy Premsagar (3-for-3, 2 runs), Ethan Klesch (2-for-3, RBI), and Tate, who had an RBI-single. Max Plunkett scored three times along with Chance O'Connor, who had two hits. Matt Guyette added an RBI-single to finish off the game.



Berlin (MD) 6, Newark National (DE) 2

Berlin most likely clinched a berth with its second victory in as many days as the Maryland boys move to 2-0 in pool play. With Tristan McDonough unavailable in relief due to pitch count, Matt Kinsey pitched a phenomenal game with 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball. He scattered seven hits in the victory. Berlin scored a single run in each of its first three offensive innings behind hit batters and wild pitches. Wes Powell hit an RBI-double in the third for a solid 3-0 lead. Newark came back in the fourth with two runs , but Maryland added insurance in the fifth an absolute rocket home run from McDonough. The ball was gone in a second flat, never higher than 12 feet off the ground straight to center field. He also made a leaping grab on a line drive and doubled a runner off second base in the second inning at shortstop. He's made his case for the best player in the region.

For Delaware, Eric Ludman led the way with two hits. Jack Hardcastle added a single and a run in the loss. Nate Hardcastle also had a single.


East Region Rankings after Day 2

1. Rhode Island (1-0)

2. Connecticut (1-0)

3. Maryland (2-0)

4. Pennsylvania (1-0)

5. Vermont (1-1)

6. New York (0-1)

7. Maine (1-1)

8. Delaware (1-1)

9. New Jersey (0-1)

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

11. Massachusetts (0-1)

12. New Hampshire (0-1)

Random Thoughts: Despite the six errors from New Hampshire, I like Max Malila and company still. I'm confident in saying that there's no bad teams in the region this year at all. There's been some bad ones but D.C., Maine, and Vermont are all stronger than normal. There might not be a team that has great success in Williamsport, but this year there's definitely parity between all 12 teams especially when the coaches stop messing around with their pitching staffs. Twenty-three pitchers still took the mound today, including six from Massachusetts. Something has to be done about the rules. Maybe go back to innings or something? It's really too crazy.

Home Run Meter: 5 (Last Year: 8)

Strikeout Meter: 114 (Last Year: 105)

Prediction Record: 3-1 (Overall 7-1)

Sunday's Predictions: Pennsylvania over Washington D.C. 9-5, Rhode Island over Massachusetts 10-2, New York over New Jersey 5-3, Connecticut over Maine 7-1.


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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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.

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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2013 New England Region Preview

Read last year's New England Region Tournament to see how well I did or didn't do right here.


Read about the 2013 Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament also in Bristol, CT right here.


Tournament History: Since New England split with the Mid-Atlantic region, Massachusetts has excelled winning four regional championships in the last 11 years. Connecticut and Rhode Island each have three championships including one each in the last two years. New Hampshire and Maine each have one trip the World Series since the New England regional tournament was formed, and Vermont is looking for its first trip to Williamsport ever.

2012 Team Pedigree: Lincoln (RI) just won its first state title since 2009 but it’s the eighth title overall for the regional powerhouse, all since 1999. Lincoln has already struck gold twice with two trips to Williamsport including 2001 and 2004. Lincoln has played an astounding 40 games at the regional level in its history. They’re 26-14 overall.

South Burlington (VT) is making its second straight trip to Bristol and fourth overall since 2001. Over that time, SBLL is only 5-10 in regional play but made the regional semifinals twice and even played for the New England title back in 2001 after a massive upset in the semifinals. Last year, South Burlington nearly pulled off another one when it pushed eventual regional champion, Fairfield American (CT), to eight innings in a 4-3 loss. Rye (NH) just won its second state title ever. The first was back in 2003. Maremont LL of Saco (ME) won a state championship back in 1988. This version of Saco LL won the state title as 10s and 11s previously.

Newton SouthEast (MA) and Westport (CT) are playing in regional competition for the first time in league histories. Another interesting note is that these two teams failed to win state titles as 10-year olds. The other four teams all reached the 10-year old regional tournament back in 2011 and have some familiarity with each other.

Team Previews (Tournament records in parentheses)

Rye, NH (12-1): Rye has had plans of visiting Bristol, CT for a couple years now after winning a state title back in 2011 and it’s a happy time for the league. Dylan Chase and Max Malila provide some home run pop at the top of the order, but the team has 25 total in 13 games. They’ve hit at least one in 12 of the 13 games throughout the tournament. Malila has been on fire with a .600 batting average and nine home runs so far. Chase and Malila happen to be the team’s top two pitchers and are both capable of blowing it by hitters.  

South Burlington, VT (10-1): This is the second straight trip to Bristol for South Burlington who returns six key players from a run to the regional semifinals last year. Ben Tate and Ethan Klesch have been mashing the ball and Max Plunkett is a pure hitter. Sammy Premsagar seemingly hits the ball hard every time. Tate, Klesch, and Premsagar are a valuable 1-2-3 punch on the mound and 11-year old Matt Guyette is solid in relief.

Westport, CT (12-0): Without seeing the other five state champions in the New England region tournament, it is still safe to say that nobody will have a better combined duo on the mound than Chad Knight and Harry Azadian. Both throw in the low 70’s with incredible control and breaking stuff. They make Westport go. The defense behind them is excellent, and with Chris Drbal and Max Popken bringing the bats along with Azadian and Knight’s power… this is a very formidable team. You can pencil them into the championship game.

Lincoln, RI (9-0): Lincoln is a powerhouse league that has seen some competition pop up lately within its district. This year’s squad has gone back in time however. Lincoln completely dominated the state of Rhode Island, and that rarely happens even when RI comes up with a regional championship. As a team, Lincoln has posted four shutouts in nine games and has only allowed more than two runs twice… never more than four runs in a game. Steve Andrews is an intimidating force at the plate and hits the ball as hard and far as you’d expect him to. Braedon Carney and Dominic Cunha have a ton of pop and Dave Bordieri is a doubles machine. Kyle Marrapese is the team’s hard-throwing lefty on the mound

Saco, ME (9-1): Saco is slowly becoming a powerhouse in Maine despite not having a ton of past success. This squad has won state titles as 10s, 11s, and 12s. The age group right behind them owns state championships as 10s and 11s now too. This team has a never say die attitude as it needed to come out of the losers bracket every single year so far. Saco has scored 41 runs in its last three games including a sweep of Portland Bayside. Brogan Searle-Belanger has a good fastball and leads the pitching staff. Luke Chessie is a very good starting pitcher as well. Michael Bourgault, Timmy Smith, and Dan McLeer all have home run power. Chessie, Hunter Penley, and Daniel Sprague do damage with their bats too.

Newton SouthEast, MA (14-2): Not only has 12 of Newton’s 14 wins come by three runs or less, but Newton has come from behind nine times so far in the tournament. They’re officially the latest brand of The Cardiac Kids. Newton usually pieces its pitching together with three or four pitchers per games which creates matchup advantages. Matt Beckles, Dante Taylor, and Brandon Lee can swing the lumber, but everyone has handled the late-game pressure for Newton. They’re never dead.

Projected Records

Connecticut                        4-0

Rhode Island                      4-0

New Hampshire               2-2

Vermont                              1-3

Maine                                   1-3

Massachusetts                  0-4

Semifinals: Connecticut over Vermont 5-0, Rhode Island over New Hampshire 5-2

Final: Connecticut over Rhode Island 3-2


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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Little League Insider Radio: Episode 2

On episode 2 of Little League Insider Radio, John Malone discussed some of the great games in New Jersey and Connecticut that he saw in the past week. Capitol City Little League assistant coach Brice Plebani of Washington D.C. called in to talk about his family lineage at the Eastern Regional as well as this year's team. The guys also took calls from fans in Maryland and Maine and talked about some national news around the country as the state tournaments begin to wind down.

Next week's show is going to be right in the heart of the regional tournaments. We'll be live in Bristol, CT for the Eastern Region tournament as well as taking calls from around the country as we head towards the Little League World Series.

You can play the show right here on this page, or download it from the bottom right corner of the link.

Without further ado...

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

Join the Little League World Series discussion on Facebook with some of the best baseball minds around right here: Little League World Series Discussion

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Follow along on Twitter: @LittleLeaguePro and @LLWSAllthetime

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