Berlin All Stars Off to Fast Starts

BERLIN- Berlin Little League competing in the District 8 playoffs got off to a fast start during the last week with each team advancing in their respective divisions.

The Berlin Little League 9-10 team got its post-season off to a great start with a 21-0 shellacking of Snow Hill in the first round highlighted by a no-hitter thrown by Eli Saulsbury. No-hitters are rate in baseball at any level and Saulsbury collected one last week against Snow Hill in the opening round of the District. Only two Snow Hill batters reached base during the game, both on errors by Berlin.

While Saulsbury was shutting down Snow Hill on the mound, his teammates were providing plenty of offense at the plate. Hayden Snelsire, who threw a no-hitter during the regular season while playing for the Berlin Little League major league Yankees, led the offense against Snow Hill last week with four hits and four runs batted in. Tristan McDonough collected two hits and drove in three runs.

Matt Kinsey had two hits and drove in two runs and Wes Powell had three hits and drove in a run. All in all, the Berlin All-Stars scored 21 runs on 21 hits against Snow Hill and every batter in the line-up collected at least one hit.

On Tuesday, the Berlin 9-10 All Stars took the show on the road and beat Willards, 13-0, behind another strong performance on the mound and a lot of firepower at the plate. Berlin had bases loaded and no outs in the first inning, but failed to score. However, Berlin got in going in the second, scoring six runs. Billy Wheatley started the rally by reaching on a single, stealing second and third and scoring on an errant throw for an early 1-0 lead. Berlin would score five more times in the second to extend the lead to 6-0.

In the third, Berlin loaded the bases again before McDonough broke the game open for good with a 250-foot bomb over the fence in straight away center for a grand slam and a 12-0 Berlin lead. Berlin went on to win the game, shortened to four innings, by a score of 13-0. McDonough led the offense with three hits including two singles and a grand slam. Snelsire went 3-4 with a double, two singles and scored twice, and Wheatley was 3-3 and scored twice. Pitcher Zach Pletcher got the complete-game win for Berlin.

Meanwhile, the Berlin 10-11 All Stars also got off to a fast start, beating Fruitland, 12-2, in their opening round game of the District 8 playoffs. Stephen Bontempo went the distance on the mound, while Tate Shockley and Blake Ludlum each collected two hits. Zach Pilarski, Brett Berquist, Robert Kaminski, Tyrese Young and Bontempo all scored runs for the 10-11 All Stars.