By MICHAEL LETENDRE
STAFF WRITER
BANGOR, MAINE – The Edgewood Senior Little League team squared off against the best competition in the world at the Senior Little League World Series last week in Bangor, Maine.
While Edgewood did more than hold its own, going 1-3 in pool play, the squad took on programs that work and play together year round.
And while Bristol fell short of its goal, just getting to the World Series was a major and outstanding accomplishment.
Here is a quick summary of Edgewood’s results from Maine:
Game 1, Sunday, Aug. 10: West University 10, Edgewood 0
John Doxakis had three hits, two RBIs, and pitched 4.1 solid innings to help U.S. Southwest champion West University L.L., Houston, Texas, mercy rule win over Edgewood in six innings, 10-0.
An accomplished squad, West University won the World Series in 2009 and has been to the tournament four times in the last six years, including 2010 and 2012.
West University jumped out to a quick start and never looked back.
Eight players had at least one hit in a 13-hit attack and West University took advantage Bristol pitcher Jaeden Rasmus.
Julian Cranfield led off the bottom of the first with a lead-off walk and came in to score on an error by center fielder Joe Dorsio.
Later in the inning, Doxakis hit an RBI double to left to extend the lead to 2-0 after one inning.
The Southwest champs continued to swing the bats, scoring three more runs in the bottom of third giving them a five run lead after three innings.
They put the game away in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three runs to end the game early.
Brad Burney, Andrew Owsianko, Joe Dorsio, Ben Mazzone, and Harrison Patten all angled hits for the Bristol contingent.
Game 2, Monday, Aug. 11: Edgewood 1, Emilia (Italy) 0 (8)
In its second game of the World Series, Edgewood turned away a foreign power.Ben Mazzone hit a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the eighth stanza to help the Egdewood defeat Europe-Africa champion Elilia Little League of Emilia, Italy on Monday, Aug. 11 by a 1-0 final.
Dubbed as one of the best combined pitching performances ever in Senior League World Series history from Mansfield Stadium in Bangor, Maine, batters managed just 10 combined hits over the extra-inning affair.
Brad Burney was the man on the mound, going the distance, and giving up just four hits over a 95-pitch performance.
Joe Dorsio and Burney paced the Edgewood offense with two hits apiece.
Emilia had a real chance to scratch across a run in the fifth as the squad notched consecutive singles with two outs on the board but failed to score as the Bristol defense made all the big stops.
With the victory, Edgewood moved to 1-1 in World Series play and squared off against Pariba Little League of Willemstad, Curacao, Netherlands on Tuesday, Aug. 12.
Game 3, Tuesday, Aug. 12: Pariba 11, Edgewood 1 (6)
Pariba Little League of Willemstad, Curacao, Netherlands Antilles dropped Edgewood by an 11-1 final in Bristol’s third game in Maine.
The squad from the Netherlands tallied six runs in the first inning and never looked back.
Dylan Skrip gave it a go on the mound for Edgewood but lasted just 0.2 of an inning.
However, all but one of the six runs Skrip gave up were of the earned variety.
Errors didn’t do Bristol any favors as Pariba notched two additional runs in the second to go up by an 8-0 push.
Pariba added a run in the third and after Bristol got on the board, the winning squad added two more in the sixth to make it an 11-1 contest as the mercy rule was invoked.
In all, Edgewood wrangled up six hits in the game.
Jackson Hines, Andrew Owsianko, Jesse Caron, Brad Burney, Joe Dorsey, and Evan McGinley all had hits for the Bristol outfit.
Edgewood fell to 1-2 in pool play in the losing effort and took on Western Little League of Grand Rapids, Michigan in Bristol’s fourth game of the tournament.
Game 4, Wednesday, Aug. 13: Western 5, Edgewood 0
From the University of Maine in Orono, Edgewood ended its run in the Senior Little League Tournament as the squad from Bristol lost to Western Little League of Grand Rapids, Michigan by a 5-0 final.
Connor Crean led the offense with a double and Edgewood kept the contest a 0-0 ballgame until the fifth inning when Michigan posted five runs and nabbed the momentum for good.
Edgewood went 1-3 in tournament play to end a very busy month of action that saw the squad play games in New Jersey and Maine.
NOTES…Edgewood played some stiff competition throughout Senior Little League World Series play in Bangor, Maine.
Here’s the entire list of champions that qualified for tournament play:
East Champion – Edgewood Little League, Bristol, Conn.
Southwest – West University of Houston, Texas
West – Central East Maui of Wailuku, Hawaii
Southeast – Dumfries District of Dumfries, Va.
Central – Western of Grand Rapids, Mich.
Europe-Africa – Emilia, Italy
Asia-Pacific Region – Saipan from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Latin America – Pariba of Willemstad
Canada – Kiwanis National/North Regina/Broncos of Regina, Saskatchewan
Host – Bangor East/West of Bangor, Maine
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Edgewood took on world’s best in Maine
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