Printer Friendly Version - North Haven’s U-11 All-Stars Are the District 4 Champs

The North Haven U-11 baseball team won the District 4 championship with a 4-2 win over Milford in the semifinals and a 12-0 victory versus Branford in the final. Pictured are (front row) Dominic DeSimone, Tyler Kornacki, and Steven Vincent; (middle row) Nick Criscuolo, Justin Gouin, Max Cargan, Jake Pomitcher, Chris Labanara, Brady Cullen, James Tobin, Brendan Ryan, and Tyler Harger; (back row) coaches Brian Cullen, Mark Kornacki, and Chris Cargan. Photo courtesy of Bob Labanara

The North Haven Little League U-11 All-Star baseball team recently claimed the District 4 title by posting a 12-0 victory versus Branford in the championship game. The Indians move on to regional play, where they will face other Little League district champions from throughout Connecticut.

District 4 Little League consists of teams from Milford, Orange, West Haven, Hamden, Branford, North Branford, and North Haven. North Haven’s tournament record was 4-2, earning the Indians the No. 4 seed in the tournament’s playoffs. As a result, the Indians faced undefeated, top-seeded, two-time defending champion Milford in the semifinals. North Haven’s ace Steven Vincent quickly set the tone for an upset victory with his performance on the mound, while the Indians’ bats were alive from the start thanks to Max Cargan’s two-run home run in the first inning and solid gap hits by Brady Cullen and Justin Gouin. With flawless defense from James Tobin, Brendan Ryan, and Nick Criscuolo, the Indians brought in Jake Pomitcher for relief, and he silenced Milford’s bats for four innings. Tyler Harger took the mound as the closer and recorded the final outs in an impressive 11-8 victory for North Haven.

North Haven’s momentum continued the next day when it faced Branford in the final. Chris Labanara pitched a complete game shutout behind the infield defense of Dom DeSimone and Tyler Kornacki, who also led North Haven’s offense with powerful hitting that put the mercy rule in effect for a 12-0 win that secured the championship.

The athletes who guided North Haven to the District IV title are Ryan Bauman, Max Cargan, Andrew Coppola, Brady Cullen, Dom DeSimone, Tyler Harger, Tyler Kornacki, Chris Labanara, Brendan Ryan, James Tobin, Dante Velez, and Steven Vincent. The Indians’ head coach is Mark Kornacki, and their assistant coaches are Chris Cargan and Brian Cullen.