The Mid-Atlantic title game, a rematch with Naamans, DE was what separated East Side Little League from a trip to the Little League World Series. That final test was passed with flying colors, as the team from West Chester won 3-1 on aggressive baserunning and another top-notch pitching performance from Cole Warner.
Ryan Donnelly stroked a leadoff single to right field to open the first turn at bat for Pennsylvania. Two batters later, Cole Warner took a full count pitch high to put two on with one out. With two outs, Ryan Hennessey faced an 0-2 hole before battling back to a 2-2 count. He went fishing on a ball down in the zone and golfed it back up the middle past a diving shortstop into shallow center. On the hit, Donnelly came in and as the ball bounced away to the backstop, Warner beat the throw back to the dish for the 2-0 lead. Jack Cassidy added to his list of timely big hits, this time a 1-2 shot into right that drove in Hennessey. The 3-0 lead is all West Chester would end up needing in the contest.
Taj Amobi delivered an RBI hit in the top of the second, helping Naamans quickly respond. However, that would be the extent of Delaware’s scoring on the day. From there, Warner struck out Brady Winklespecht on a ball at the bottom outside corner of the zone. He then got Paul DeDonato on a swinging strike three(twice, as the first strikeout throw was ruled an illegal pitch).
Delaware got runners on base in each of the first three innings, but stranded at least one each time. Defensively, Naamans turned a 1-6-3 double play in the third to quickly erase an East Side threat and keep the score at 3-1 heading to the fourth.
Naamans had its next big threat in the fifth when Kole Dzwilewski led off with a hit to right and Taj Amobi hit one through Jack Cassidy at third base to put two on with one out. Delaware had a prime chance with Winklespecht at the plate. He flew one to Darren Molineux in right field, ranging to his left. Molineux quickly fired in to Dillon DiGIulio at first who easily doubled off Amobi to end the inning.
Warner finished his afternoon with eight strikeouts over five innings, nearly matching his first performance against Naamans. He gave way to Ryan Donnelly to try and get the final three outs. And Donnelly had a big highlight moment of his own.
High drama returned to the game when Brian Miller and Will Santora worked back to back two-out walks. With the tying runs aboard, Joey DeCaro stepped in as the last hope for Delaware. He made weak contact on a slow roller down the third base line, but it was well placed. Donnelly flew off the mound and made a sliding barehanded stop , firing to first for the final out. The play was immediately challenged on a bang bang play. The call stood and East Side’s celebration broke out anew, marking the sixth straight year that a Pennsylvania team won the Mid-Atlantic regional.
East Side(16-1) now advances to a Friday night date in Williamsport against the winner of New Jersey and Massachusetts. That game will be at Lamade Stadium at 7:00.
LSV Sports 
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