The Midville Dodgers 18 & under team captured the regional crown and will represent the Long Island Baseball Association in the (National Amateur Baseball Federation) NABF regional tournament. The Midville squad swept the eastern regionals winning 4 straight games/.
In the first game, the Dodgers matched up against the Garden City Athletics. James Moussa got the start for Midville and turned in a solid performance. Moussa pitched into the 6th inning, giving up only two runs, before turning the ball over to Chris Mignoli. Mignoli picked up the final 6 outs for the save and to put Midville in the win column. Although the Dodgers struggled offensively, they had just enough to win 3-2.
In the second game of the tournament, Midville matched up against Team NY Cardinals. The offense again struggled early but a combination of some Dodger hits and Cardinal errors helped Midville score 7 runs in the 4th inning. That would be more than enough for starting pitcher Eric Cooper who threw 5 hitless innings with 6 strikeouts. The game was called after the 5th inning due to the mercy rule with the score of 11-0 Midville.
In the third game, the Midville Dodgers faced the Long Island Astros, who like the Dodgers, were 2-0 in the tournament. Midville got off to a fast start as Jose Perez led off with a single, stole 2nd base, stole 3rd base, and scored when the catcher over-threw 3rd base. Miguel Garcia, Midville's starting pitcher, was very good pitching 5+ innings allowing only two runs. Midville tacked on a few more runs over the course of the game and won the game 5-2. Frank DiMaria recorded a two-inning save to send Midville into the championship game.
In the Championship Game, the Dodgers once again faced the Long Island Astros, who won their loser's bracket game to get a shot at revenge. Midville sent ace pitcher Pat Brown to the mound to try and clinch their first World Series berth since 2007. Brown and the Astros starter traded zeros for the first 3 innings before the Dodgers broke through in the fourth. Chris Brudie led off the inning with an infield single. Nelson Arroyo followed with a walk and Justin Farnum was hit by a pitch. With the bases loaded and nobody out, Justin Corporan hit a fly ball that was deep enough for Brudie to score from third. With a 1-0 lead, Joe Lentino came to bat with runners on second and third. Lentino ripped a base-hit to left field that scored both runners giving Midville a comfortable 3-0 cushion. Pat Brown continued his dominance on the mound. Midville would score one more run in the 5th when Michael Weber drew a lead-off walk. Thomas Cloonen's sacrifice bunt sent Weber to second. On a ground out Weber advance to 3rd with two outs. On a 0-1 pitch to Chris Brudie, Weber took off on a straight steal attempt at home plate. The Astros were caught off guard and the Dodgers went up 4-0. The Astros would get one run in the 7th inning but Brown was just too much for their offense. With the win, Midville advances to the World Series in Jackson, Mississippi, August 5th to the 9th.
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