Milton Majors advance to Mid-Atlantic Regional
The night air on Millsboro’s Croll Field had cooled down, but the Milton bats had not, as the 11-12 Major League All-Stars are headed back to the Mid-Atlantic Regional in Bristol, Conn., for a second straight year after they decisively defeated Brandywine 10-0 in the Delaware state championship game July 26 in Millsboro. They defeated Brandywine 16-4 in the final in 2016.
Malikye Wells got the party started in the bottom of the third inning with a three-run blast. He went 2-for-3 with three RBIs on the night. Paris Mitchell followed by going yard on the very next pitch to increase Milton’s lead to 4-0.
“He threw me a fastball,” said Mitchell, who went 3-for-4 with three RBIs. “I just got into it. It’s gonna be great going back to Bristol.”
The home run extravaganza continued in the fourth, when Owen Daminger connected with a pitch for a two-run shot and Timmy Hitchcock hit one out of the park as well.
“I just wanted to put the bat on the ball,” said Daminger. “It was a fastball over the plate, and I like that. The team played great, and I wanted to do something for the team.”
Luke Crouch added a solo homer of his own in the fifth that hit the top of the screen on Millsboro’s minor league field to pad the lead to 8-0.
“It feels great,” said Crouch about his first homer in the playoffs. “We’re going back to Bristol.”
Mitchell hit a two-run single in the sixth to bump the lead to 10-0.
Milton pitcher Timmy Hitchcock was near perfection, as he threw a four-hit shutout, striking out six Brandywine batters. He didn’t give up a walk in the six-inning game. Milton has racked up four shutouts in the playoffs on their way to Bristol.
“It’s been a very enjoyable ride with the boys,” said Milton manager Zac Crouch. “They’ve never quit in any inning, and it’s shown through this whole tournament - districts and states. To go 6-0 and cheer on your teammates and have class doing it, it makes us proud as coaches, fans and family. It’s an incredible feeling.”
The Milton manager had great praise for his starting pitcher.
“I hadn’t made up my mind who was pitching until 20 minutes before the game,” said Crouch. “I felt whomever I picked was going to get the job done. Timmy’s one of those players who is all in no matter what.”
Andrew Criswell had an outstanding game behind the plate for the winning team.
“We had to keep up the energy and keep up the enthusiasm,” said Criswell. “It’s so exciting that I just wanted to keep Timmy and the guys calmed down and remind them we’re so close for this championship.”
“Everybody was a little bit nervous in the first inning, ya know, it’s the final of the state tournament,” Zac Crouch said. “We’ve played really good baseball and for them to come out, calm their nerves and put on a show like they did, it’s pretty remarkable.”
The Mid-Atlantic Regional is set to begin Sunday, Aug. 6. Milton will represent Delaware and face off against teams from Washington, D.C., Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The winner of the regional will advance to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.
