Milton teams eye regional championships

Milton Little League 11-12 faced and defeated Maryland 5-2 Aug. 9 in Mid-Atlantic Regional play in Bristol, Conn.

Chase Boyle came on in relief in the bottom of the second and recorded 10 strikeouts. Trailing 2-1 in the sixth inning, Milton tied the game on a double by Brian Sponaugle and single by Timothy Hitchcock. Hunter Rauch opened the seventh inning with a single. Andrew Criswell was inserted as a pinch runner and moved to second on a Kye Wells walk. Then with one out, Tyler Husbands hit a three-run homer to give Milton the 5-2 lead. Maryland loaded the bases in the bottom of the inning, but Milton got out of the jam to preserve the win. 

Milton was set to play the winner of Pennsylvania vs. New Jersey at 7 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 11.

Both of Milton’s Little League teams have logged games in their respective regional tournaments in New England. The 9-10 team is 2-1 in round-robin play in the Mid-Atlantic Regional tournament in Cranston, R.I. After dropping the first game to a team from Ridley Park, Pa., 12-3 to open the tournament Aug. 6, Milton bounced back with a 7-5 win over the New York team Aug. 8, a 2-1 win over Maryland Aug. 9 and a 10-9 win over New Jersey Aug. 11. Milton allowed 10 hits and committed seven errors in the first game. In the win over New York, Jayceon White pitched four innings, recorded six strikeouts and had three hits at the plate. Bryce Dominick had four RBIs. With a 3-1 record after round robin play concluded, Milton advanced to the Friday, Aug. 12 semifinal against Pennsylvania. Game time is 5 p.m. If Milton wins, they will play for the Eastern Regional championship Saturday, Aug. 13. 

Milton Majors dropped its first game of the Mid-Atlantic Regional tournament in Bristol, Conn., Aug. 8, 1-0 to a team from New York. Each team registered just two hits in the game. One of New York’s two hits was the decisive one in the bottom of the sixth inning. With one out, New York’s Ryan Harlost stepped to the plate and blasted a walk-off homer to lift his team to victory. Milton’s Tyler Husbands pitched five innings, recording nine strikeouts. 

The loss dropped Milton into the lower bracket of the double-elimination tournament.