SALISBURY — In just seven days the Perdue Chicks were able to capture not one, but two championship titles. First, Perdue notched its 10th Eastern Shore Baseball League championship in the past seventeen years. The Chicks’ 3-0 win over the Eastern Shore Hurricanes secured a berth to the National Amateur Baseball Federation Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament that is held in Salisbury this week.
Last Sunday, Perdue added another trophy to its collection as they swept the Jimmy Carter Memorial Tournament. En route to their 11th tournament title the Chicks defeated Tri-County 6-0 in the championship game held at Henry S. Parker Complex.
On the hill, Perdue used five pitchers who combined for the three-hit shut out. At the dish, Paul Stortini and D.J. Long led the way with two hits each. Stortini, a 2009 graduate of Stephen Decatur High School, is batting .409 with 15 RBIs this season. He is currently leading the team in home runs with two. Also, another former Seahawk, Brian Hudson, swiped four bases in the championship game to increase his season total to 15. Hudson leads to league in stolen bases.
Troy Brohawn was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Brohawn pitched the Chicks’ semi-final game against Tri-County where he struck out 8 and earned the 3-1 victory. He also picked up a save in Perdue’s opening game against the Eastern Shore Lugnuts.
With the regular season behind them, Perdue (21-2) will now prepare to play in the NABF Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament, which begins today at Henry S. Parker Athletic Complex. This is the team’s 11th appearance at the regional tournament since 1995.
The eight team round robin tournament will consist of each team playing three pool play games followed by four teams competing in single elimination play. The top two teams from each pool will advance to semi-final round on Saturday. The championship game will then follow Sunday with the winner advancing to the NABF National World Series. The NABF National World Series is held Aug. 11-14 in Louisville, Ky. Perdue has played in the World Series three times—1996, 2002, and 2005.