Milton faces formidable foes in regional
The Milton 11-12 All-Stars return to the Mid-Atlantic Regional in Bristol, Conn., for the second straight season. The squad will open the double-elimination tournament with a first-round game against Pennsylvania at 4 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 6. The game can be viewed on ESPN 3, the sports network’s online platform.
Milton returns six players from last year’s team that lost its opening-round game 1-0 to the eventual World Series champions from Maine - Endwell Little League of New York. Five players were on the Milton 9-10 All-Stars who advanced to Eastern Regionals in Cranston, R.I.
Milton players will have their work cut out for them against Upper Providence Little League from Oaks, Pa., a Philly suburb. Upper Providence has navigated its way fairly convincingly through the long Pennsylvania bracket, winning its district title 11-5 before winning three straight games in the sectional tournament, including the championship game 18-5, to advance into the state tournament. To win the state title, Upper Providence went undefeated, scoring at least 12 runs in three of the four wins, including three wins by 11 runs or more. The lone close game came in the semifinals, when Upper Providence won 6-2.
If Milton gets past Pennsylvania, they face another formidable opponent in a squad from Thurmont Little League. Thurmont is about halfway between Gettysburg, Pa., and Hagerstown, Md. Another offense-driven team, Thurmont has scored at least 11 runs in three of four state playoff games, winning the state title July 20 by a score of 11-5. They won their district 23-6 about a week earlier. They were tested just once in the state tournament, winning the semifinal game 3-2.
Eight district champions played in the Maryland state tournament. Thurmont, the District 2 champion, defeated Easton 17-0, then survived with a close win over Berlin 3-2. Berlin came out of the loser’s bracket championship and lost again to Thurmont 11-5. Participating teams included Conococheague, Thurmont, Laurel, Elkton Community, Easton, Hughesville and Berlin. This is Thurmont’s first trip to the Mid-Atlantic regionals since 2005.
Other teams in the Mid-Atlantic Regional have some fire power as well. Representing New York is Plainview Little League from Long Island, N.Y. Plainview’s squad tallied 55 runs in four games in the state tournament, including a 12-10 win for the championship. Coming out of Section 4, Plainview had to battle out of the loser’s bracket to win and advance to the state tournament.
Holbrook Little League of Jackson, N.J, is no stranger to the big show. The players had already won the 10- and 11-year-old state championships and then added a third straight July 30, as the now 12-year-olds won the state title 10-2. Holbrook was upset in their district tournament, but came back from the loser’s bracket to take the championship. They then put it all together at the sectionals and the state tournament to advance to the Mid-Atlantic Regional.
Washington, D.C., will be represented by Northwest Washington Little League. The squad went undefeated 4-0 in a five-team round robin format to advance into the semifinal round. After defeating Banneker City 9-8, Northwest Washington captured the district title July 31 with a 7-6 win over Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling/Mamie Johnson/Satchel Paige-Senators. In its six games of the district tournament, Northwest Washington scored at least nine runs in five and averaged more than 12 runs per game.
To follow the tournament, go to http://www.llbws.org/llbbws/midatlantic.htm.
Players on 2016 11-12 regional team
Carter Breasure
Andrew Criswell
Luke Crouch
Timothy Hitchcock
Paris Mitchell
Malikye Wells
Players on 2016 9-10 regional team
Bryce Dominick
Jackson Isaacs
Tyler Jacona
Gage Joseph
Jayceon White
Newcomers
Owen Daminger
Justin Marsh
