By Morgan Pilz, Staff Writer

(July 11, 2019) Berlin Little League All-Star teams have been successful this season as three district titles and two state championships have been won, thus far.

• Major Softball:

Photo courtesy Katie Griffin
The Major Softball Berlin Little League squad captures the state title in Sharpsburg, Maryland, on Tuesday.

The Major Softball League captured the state championship title on Tuesday, July 9, in Sharpsburg, in a thrilling game against Havre De Grace. Berlin came out on top, 8-7.

“We had a big inning and tied the game up,” Coach Katie Griffin said. “It was just so amazing the way these girls battled back in almost every game we played.”

The squad earned the district title on Wednesday, June 26, defeating Delmar 7-2, in Delmar. The team had previously defeated Delmar the day before, 3-0.

The team began its state competition on Saturday, July 6. The girls won their first game, 14-2, over St. Mary’s. The group then took out South County, 7-2.

The squad experienced its first loss of the season against Havre De Grace on Sunday, July 7, 10-8. The team returned from its loss the following night, edging out Caroline County, 2-1. The team then topped Havre De Grace, 5-4, also that evening.

“I have played and watched a lot of softball in my life and this was some of the best softball I have ever seen,” Griffin said. “This is the first Major League state championship and Berlin Little League softball’s second state championship overall after the junior girls did it last year.”

The Major Softball League team will now compete in the regional tournament in Bristol, Connecticut on Saturday, July 20. Some tournament games will be televised.

• 11-12 League:

The 11-12 team played a valiant game Wednesday against Fruitland in Fruitland in the district semifinals but lost 3-2.

“It’s a good, strong team. They’ve got good hitting and pitching and they’re hardworking,” Coach Tom Udzielak said.

The 11-12 team defeated West Salisbury, 3-1, in Berlin on Wednesday, July 3. On Saturday, July 6, the boys shut out Delmar in Berlin, 6-0.

Udzielak expects his team will do well, and could even go as far as last year’s squad, whose season ended one game away from the World Series.

“We hope to go as far, if not farther, than we did last year,” Udzielak said.

The team will resume playing on Friday in Berlin against Delmar at 6 p.m. If they win, they will compete for the district title against Fruitland.

The district finals will be held in Berlin on Sunday, July 14.

• Berlin Intermediate:

The Berlin Intermediate team, comprised of boys ages 11-13, is currently undefeated as the boys prepare for the regional tournament after claiming the state championship on Monday in Williamsport, winning 22-0 over St. Mary’s County.

“They are a good group of young men and I’m looking forward to going up to New York and making some noise up there,” Coach Mitch Loring said.

The team captured the district title on June 26, with a 10-3 victory over Fruitland in Berlin.

The boys had their first state game last Saturday against Four County, crushing its opponent, 21-0, in four innings. On Sunday, the squad defeated Conococheague, 4-3, pulling out the win in the bottom of the seventh inning.

“I’d like to thank all the parents for going through this with us,” Loring said. “I really appreciate the support from not just our parents on the team but from the whole town of Berlin. Berlin has been awesome to us. The local support is just great.”

The team will have its first regional game in Dix Hills, New York, on Friday, July 19.

• 9-10 League:

The 9-10 All-Star team captured the district championship in Delmar last Friday, topping Delmar, 13-1.

“We have a special group of players,” Coach Ron Calloway said. “The support we get from our community is great. We are proud to wear the name Berlin across our chests. We scored 64 runs in four games and only gave up 14.

“We have a great coaching staff with Barbara Cohut and Simon Bredenberg,” Calloway added. “And, we’ve got a really good group of kids. They’ve been playing baseball together for three or four years since T-ball and I think we’ve got a really good chance in the Maryland tournament.”

The team won its first district game on Saturday, July 6, 15-4, over Willards . The group them trounced East Wicomico, 22-2.

“I’ve never been part of something like that,” Calloway said. “We batted around in our order three times and it wasn’t like they were giving us air. It was just hit after hit.”

The next game will take place in Baltimore on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. against a team from District 3, located in Washington D.C.