Berlin Juniors Advance to World Series

Berlin Juniors Advance to World Series
The Berlin Little League Junior All-Star team this week captured the eastern regional championship to advance to the World Series in Michigan. Submitted photo

BERLIN- The Berlin Little League Junior All-Stars completed a sweep of the Eastern Regional championships and now advance to the World Series in Michigan.

The Berlin Junior League All-Stars last month won the state championship and advanced to represent Maryland in the Eastern Regional championships last week in Freehold Township, N.J. Berlin went 5-0 in the tournament, beating fellow state champions in the process. Berlin started tournament play with a 7-2 win over Rhode Island last Thursday, followed by a 14-4 win over New York last Friday.

Last Saturday, the Berlin Junior All-Stars routed Connecticut, 14-3, and followed that up with a 15-5 win over Massachusetts last Sunday to reach the regional championship game. Berlin faced Massachusetts again on Tuesday in the championship game.

If Massachusetts had prevailed, it would have necessitated another matchup for the championship game. However, Berlin took care of business on Tuesday morning, beating Massachusetts, 4-3, in a tight game to claim the regional championship.

Berlin will now represent the eastern district in the Junior League World Series in Michigan starting this week. It’s the Berlin Junior All-Star team’s first trip to the World Series and only the fifth time Maryland has been represented in the series.

Berlin’s U.S. side of the bracket will feature other regional winners from all over the country. The international bracket will include teams representing several regions and countries including Asia-Pacific, Australia, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Europe and Canada. The 39th Junior League World Series takes places in Taylor, Michigan starting August 11 through August 18.

About The Author: Shawn Soper

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Shawn Soper has been with The Dispatch since 2000. He began as a staff writer covering various local government beats and general stories. His current positions include managing editor and sports editor. Growing up in Baltimore before moving to Ocean City full time three decades ago, Soper graduated from Loch Raven High School in 1981 and from Towson University in 1985 with degrees in mass communications with a journalism concentration and history.