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Milton Majors fall to Pa., eliminated from regional

9-10 team falls in Mid-Atlantic Regional final
August 12, 2016

The Milton Majors All-Star team’s magical run this summer has come to an end. The squad of 11- and 12-year-olds fell to Pennsylvania 9-5 Aug. 11 in an elimination game of the Mid-Atlantic Regional in Bristol, Conn. 

Milton was on the verge of another improbable comeback. Trailing 9-4 entering the bottom of the sixth inning, Milton quickly plated a run and loaded the bases as Pennsylvania’s pitcher struggled to get the final out of the game. After Chase Boyle walked, Brian Sponaugle stepped up to the plate, representing the tying run. Pennsylvania pitcher Aidan Major found his command and struck Sponaugle out to secure the win for his team.

Milton gave up one run in the first, but evened the score in the bottom of the first inning. Pennsylvania added three more runs in the second and another in the third to build a 5-1 lead. But then lightning in the area delayed the game for more than two hours. Resuming just after 10 p.m., Milton caught a little lightning in a bottle at the plate. After working to get two players on base in the bottom of the third, Boyle stepped to the plate and blasted a three-run shot to cut the deficit to 5-4. 

Pennsylvania’s batters could not be denied, though, as they added another run in the fourth inning and three more in the sixth. 

Pennsylvania went on to beat Washington, D.C., Aug. 12, before falling 6-2 to New York in the Mid-Atlantic Regional championship game. 

Milton’s 9-10 team advanced out of round-robin play with a 3-1 record, setting up a matchup with Pennsylvania Aug. 13 in Cranston, R.I. Pennsylvania handed Milton its only loss of the tournament 13-3 Aug. 8. Pennsylvania entered the game with a 16-0 record since the beginning of the tournament season. Milton was unable to pull off the upset, as Pennsylvania continued its remarkable run, defeating the 684 boys 5-0. Milton managed just one hit in the contest. Milton’s Jayceon White pitched 5 2/3 innings and struck out six batters. With the win, Pennsylvania won the Mid-Atlantic Regional championship and advanced to play Rhode Island, winner of the New England regional, for the Eastern Regional championship, which they won with another shutout 9-0. 

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