LLWS Day 4: Pennsylvania and New York Perform Under Pressure

	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H	E
Pennsylvania	0	0	1	4	0	0	5	6	0
New Hampshire	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	3

WP: Neeld LP: Dupuis

Tyler Neeld, who was a star late in the Pennsylvania state title game, striking out the side with the bases loaded, was handed the baseball for tonight’s primetime elimination game at Lamade. He thrived under the bright lights and the enormous crowd. His performance, along with a big fourth inning, lifted Newtown to victory and keeping them alive early in the elimination bracket.

Neeld seemed to be throwing a little harder than usual, and his ability to locate was on point. After fanning two in the first inning, he got a huge play from Brayden Peiffer at short. Peiffer snagged a liner off the bat of Jackson Lamire.

Manager Brad Hamilton recognized this as an early turning point for his team, “That was the catch that changed our momentum.”

Council Rock Newtown took advantage of errors in the third inning to produce their first run of the tournament. Brody Gage opened the inning with a walk. Wes Esteves reache on an error at second base where Patrick Defrancesco rushed an underhand flip to shortstop Kevin McDonough. Will Siveter hit a hard grounder that ate up first baseman Jacob Guerrero-Lomba and trickled into shallow right, allowing Gage to score from second. It looked early like Pennsylvania would continue the inning, but two were stranded in scoring position.

In the bottom of the third, Sav Longo made a key play from his position in center field, ranging far to his left to catch fly ball hit by Zach Bolduc. Neeld struck out the next two, stranding a runner on first.

The boys from Bucks county then hung a crooked number, as the bats came alive in the fourth. Peiffer worked a leadoff walk. Tyler Neeld then helped his own cause with a little humpback single over the second baseman’s head into right. Sav Longo then went opposite field, landing one just inside the right field line, bringing home Peiffer. Gavin Caudill had the breakout hit on a 2RBI double to the wall in center. Ryan Uhl also hit one back into center to score Caudill, making it 5-0.

“It just pumped up the team and the crowd and it made me feel good. It felt good coming off the bat. It pumped up everybody,” said Caudill of his big hit.

Neeld stayed tough in the bottom of the frame, striking out two; New Hampshire was retired in order. He induced weak contact in the fifth on popups to short and first, working around a Jackson Lamire single and striking out Wes Boudreau to end the inning. Unfortunately in the sixth inning, Zach Bolduc took a hard hit by pitch around the head and was helped off the field. Council Rock Newtown would go on to win, allowing just a single and that hit by pitch over the last three innings.

Tyler Neeld finished 5.1 innings, striking out eight. Gavin Caudill led the team with his 2RBI and six different players got a hit each. Pennsylvania will have a quick turnaround, facing South Hill, Washington on Sunday at 1:00.

Tyler Neeld commented on getting the ball in the elimination spot: “When I heard that I was getting the ball, I was very excited. I knew I was going to throw strikes and I knew my defense had my back and whenever I hear i’m going in in general, I’m excited because I know I’m going to do well.”

Brad Hamilton acknowledged the quick turnaround: “Right in the dugout, I told them it’s a quick turnaround. Tournaments are tournaments. This isn’t one long tournament. We’ve played on a Saturday night and woken up and played on a Sunday mnorning. They understand what’s at state and they finally have their feet on the ground a little bit. The off-time is a lot. It’s nice to go back to baseball quick and the boys will respond as best as they can, and probably in a good manner.”

He added a message to his team about MLB players coming to watch them play, “When you’re out on that stage, you’re always performing…they’re going to have to learn to play in front of people. The more they’re in this environment, the more they realize that stars are people too. They’re just good people coming here to support Little League and it’s an opportunity for these boys to be around what they dream of. And that’s the great colision of Little League and Major League Baseball.”

On the community support, he added: “We have received nothing but love from Newtown, Bucks County, Delaware County, Philadelphia. To see them saying ‘go Newtown’ is overwhelmingly supportive and you feel it. And that’s just neat. There’s times you do this in the garage with your boys and no one’s there to tal kabout it. And then you’re thrust here and then the community comes out and says ‘we’ve got you. No matter what, we’ve got you.” and that’s awesome. It’s really brought this town and these boys together as one.”

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South Dakota	0	0	0	1	1	1	3	3	0
New York	0	0	0	4	2	X	6	11	0

WP: Romero LP: Sommer

Sometimes in baseball, it’s what doesn’t happen that is just as important as what does. That was the case early on between Staten Island, New York and Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

What Sioux Falls did was load the bases in the first inning. What they didn’t do was score, and that shifted momentum early.

Two walks and a hit by pitch set the table with nobody out. Jake Romero came through clutch, striking out two and getting a great defensive effort from catcher Peter Giaccio throwing off the mask and catching a foul popup behind him.

“I felt like that was the game right there,” said New York manager Bob Laterza, “I would’ve been happy giving up one or two runs, but to come out with zero, I was surprised.”

Sioux Falls manager Nick Kortan agreed on the magnitude of the opening inning. “I think we had a chance to get the momentum in our favor with the bases loaded, no outs and the meat of our order up. We tried to tell the boys it was a long game and a lof at bats left, but that was certainly a momentum killer for us and a chance for us to step on the gas pedal early on in the game and we just didn’t capitalize.”

Staten Island didn’t capitalize immediately, stranding a runner on third in the bottom of the inning. That was due in part to a nice run and catch by Sully Krueger in foul territory. Jake Romero struck out three over the next two innings as the game remained scoreless going to the fourth.

It would be Sioux Falls that would strike first. Leadoff walks are always dangerous, and Kinnick Noble’s was no exception. He moved over to third on a wild pitch and ground out, eventually scoring on a wild pitch to give his team the 1-0 lead.

The top of the order got going for New York on their second time through. After two quick outs, Vincent Ruggiero singled, driving one into center. He came around to score on a hit to deep center by Stephen Grippo. Manny Kortan threw home, but the ball was trapped. Nicholas McLean, Peter Giaccio, and Chace Curro continued to knock the ball around the outfield, capping a sequence of five straight hits and four straight RBI hits to put New York ahead 4-1.

The hit parade struck up again in the following inning after Sioux Falls managed to get a run back. Romero doubled to right to open the inning and was quickly doubled home by Dean Scarangello. Dylan DeGaeta singled up the middle to bring Scarangello home and put New York ahead 6-2. It could have been more, though. With the bases loaded, Grippo launched one to deep right, but Sam Wurth snagged it on the warning track to prevent further damage.

Jake Romero finished his night allowing two hits and striking out six over five innings of work. He was relieved by Ruggiero in the final frame and struck out three of the four batters he faced.

Laterza was fired up in his postgame press conference: “We’re not leaving here. We played excellent ball. This is more of our game. We weren’t so scared of the field. We know we’re going home if we lose, and that’s when we play our best.

Vincent on setting the table for a big fourth inning rally. “Usually, I’m a leadoff hitter and that’s just what I do. I always start us off…and that’s just how it is.”

Laterza concluded: “They don’t give up. They follow me into battle and they never give up.”

His team will be in action early on Sunday morning at 9:00 against Hinsdale, Illinois in another elimination contest.

Nick Kortan provided great perspective in his team’s defeat: “I think the kids will reflect on the time they had here and the well played baseball they had over the two games. We just told them they have nothing to hang their heads about. I told them baseball is a humbling game.

Asked aboutthe best part of the experience, he said, “Smiles on kids’ faces. Lifelong buddies, things they’ll never forget. We learned some life lessons along the way, we got a heck of a lot better as baseball players and these are memories we will take with us forever. Keep smiling and there’s no reason we can’t continue to have fun here.”