Darien, Conn., defeated Port Washington, the New York state champion, 8-4 on Wednesday night at Leon J. Breen Field in Bristol, Conn., ending the Long Island team's run in the Little League World Series Metro regional double-elimination tournament and ending any chance at the program's first berth in the Williamsport, Pa., World Series in its 63-year history.
Darien eliminates New York state champion Port Washington 8-4 from Little League World Series Metro regional
Darien, Conn., defeated Port Washington, the New York state champion, 8-4 on Wednesday night at Leon J. Breen Field in Bristol, Conn., ending the Long Island team's run in the Little League World Series Metro regional double-elimination tournament and ending any chance at the program's first berth in the Williamsport, Pa., World Series in its 63-year history.
Port Washington had been two wins away from a Williamsport berth. Darien advances to the regional championship game against Bayonne, N.J., scheduled for Friday at 7 p.m. on ESPN.
Darien catcher Hugh Butler homered off Port Washington starter Carlo Cafferata in the bottom of the first inning to put Darien ahead 1-0. Darien starter Charlie MacLane then pitched 2 1/3 shutout innings before being replaced by Chase Sutter with a runner on second base in the third.
Cafferata tied the game 1-1 with an RBI single off Sutter in the third inning. Port Washington loaded the bases against Sutter in the same inning but did not score again.
Darien retook the lead in the bottom of the third when right fielder Wells Johnson drove in a run on an infield error. Shortstop Luca Hidaka added an RBI single and Butler hit an RBI double to extend Darien's advantage to 4-1.
Drew Theoharis replaced Cafferata with runners on second and third and no outs. Sutter then hit a two-run double, pushing the score to 6-1 in the third inning. Drew Theoharis added an RBI single against reliever Rex Paquette in the fifth inning to make it 6-2.
Butler hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth to extend Darien's lead to 8-2. In the top of the sixth, Port Washington loaded the bases with one out and Drew Theoharis's younger brother, outfielder Luca Theoharis, hit a two-run single to cut the deficit to 8-4. Darien closer Roscoe Hurty then entered and ended the game on a double play.
Port Washington drew national attention during the tournament following a report by the New York Post that the team's coaches collect players' cell phones in a bucket five hours before first pitch on game days. Players described the practice both as something they enjoyed and as a good-luck charm during the New York state championship games.
Undefeated Bayonne Central, representing New Jersey, beat Connecticut's representative 8-2 in the Metro Region's opening round and Port Washington 12-2 in the winner's bracket. The Bayonne team, composed of 11- and 12-year-olds, is competing in that age group's first New Jersey state championship in the league's 75-year history.
- No quotes or statements from players, coaches, or officials of either team are included in the source.
- The source does not specify the full pitching line or pitch counts for any pitcher.
- The source does not detail Port Washington's offensive statistics beyond the specific at-bats described.
- No information is provided on how Port Washington qualified as New York state champion or the path Darien took to reach the regional.
Read the original at New York Post