Cape/Georgetown Juniors win District 3 title

Thunder and lightning not only described the weather conditions at Lower Sussex Little League July 17, but were also fitting for the bats of the Cape/Georgetown Junior All-Star team as they put up 11 runs to win a weather-shortened game and the District 3 tournament.

After a scoreless top of the first, Cape got it going in their first at bat. After the first two guys walked, immediately followed by a single, Bryce Dominick cracked a ball high into the sky. It seemed it would be just another pop-fly catch drill for Nanticoke/Laurel, but confusion caused the fielder to botch the catch, and Cape was able to score a run.

Then with Cape leading 5-0 in the bottom of the third inning with runners on first and second base, Brenn Scott made clean contact with the ball and sent it flying. Again, the fielder called for the catch, but again, it was botched and the ball rolled farther away from the bases. Runners headed for second and third base as Scott headed for first. The outfielder threw toward second, but mistimed the throw. The runners kept sprinting, but when the man on third had stopped and Scott had reached second, there was still a runner stuck in between. The runner on third ran for home plate. The ball was thrown to third base to get a runner, but again Nanticoke shanked the catch; the runner scored and Scott stayed safely at second base. That play summed up Nanticoke’s performance Wednesday night.

In the same inning, Dominick bombed a ball along the left-field line and it stayed in, allowing Timmy Hitchcock and Brian Fleming to score and stretch the lead to 8-0.

Nanticoke’s turns at bat would be the same all game long. They would never go through more than four or five hitters an inning. With Cape leading 11-0 in the top of the fifth inning, the game was suspended for lightning in the area. After 30 minutes of waiting, more lightning appeared and with it came a torrential downpour. People waited in their cars, but it was no use. By 10 p.m., the Lower Sussex Little League field lights had all been shut off.