PORTLAND – The Yarmouth 11- and 12-year-old Little Leaguers had an unforgettable Saturday morning.
They needed eight innings — Little League games normally are six — but won the state championship, defeating York 6-3 at Payson Park.
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Yarmouth, which finished undefeated in the six-team, double-elimination tournament, earned a berth in the Eastern Regionals at Bristol, Conn., where it will take on Goffstown, N.H., at 2 p.m. Friday.
The regional winner will advance to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.
Noah Pellerin singled in the eighth inning for Yarmouth, then scored the go-ahead run on Jack Snyder’s double.
“Coming off the bench and hitting that was just brilliant,” said Yarmouth Coach Jay Tobias.
Yarmouth’s three-run eighth also included a double by Bobby Murray that scored Conor O’Donnell and Snyder.
“(Murray) really kept us in it,” Tobias said. “He was struggling at the plate and then hits a double to drive in two runs.”
After the game, Murray led his team in the traditional Gatorade bath on Tobias.
Yarmouth overcame a strong showing by York’s pitchers, who collected 18 strikeouts, including all the outs in the first four innings.
“I’m proud of all my guys that pitched for us,” said York Coach Glenn Todd. “I can name them six, seven, eight deep.”
Tobias also gave credit to York’s pitchers.
“York’s pitching was really good,” he said. “Their kids are so strong and we knew it was going to be a fight.”
Reliever Brayton Chayer added nine strikeouts after starter Sam Johnson collected seven before leaving with an apparent elbow injury with two outs in the third.
After Yarmouth built a 3-0 lead, York tied the game with a run in the fifth and two in the sixth.
Chayer led off the fifth with a walk and eventually scored on Jonah Mitchell’s groundout to second base.
Johnson hit a two-run double with two outs in the sixth, scoring Colby Todd and Peter Solimine to tie it.
“This was an outstanding Little League game,” Coach Todd said. “Yarmouth in the end deserved to win, but I thought we played really good baseball.
“We came back from a three- run deficit to tie the game. That’s what you’re looking for in kids.”
Now, with the state title won, Yarmouth is setting its goal on winning the regionals.
“(The coaches) are so proud of these kids and we aren’t just proud to represent Yarmouth, but to represent the state,” Tobias said. “This is a new frontier for us.
“Bristol opens it up to all the states in New England, but we aren’t just happy to be there. We are in it to win it.”
Staff Writer Austin Pollack can be contacted at: 791-6356 or at:
apollack@pressherald.com
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