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08/03/2019 12:00 AMThere is no doubt about it: The Madison Little League Majors All-Star baseball team is Connecticut’s best. On July 31, Madison captured its first state title in program history by earning a 6-0 victory against Max Sinoway of North Haven in the State Tournament championship game at Lower Legion Field in Willimantic.
After winning its first two games in the double-elimination tournament for ages 10 to 12, Madison advanced to the final and had a chance to claim the crown by defeating Max Sinoway, which had already lost a game, in the opening contest of the state championship on July 30. However, Sinoway posted a 6-4 victory over Madison that night, setting up a winner-take-all game the following evening.
With the title on the line, left-hander Christian Kells turned in a dominating effort on the mound by pitching a complete-game five-hitter to lead Madison to a 6-0 win versus Sinoway. Kells also went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs, scored, and an RBI for Madison, which scored three runs in the third inning, two runs in the fifth, and another run in the sixth. Nick Maynard drove in two runs on an infield single during the third inning, and Chase Geremia provided the exclamation point with a two-run home run in the fifth to help Madison walk off the field with the state championship banner.
“We’re talented and we persevere through everything. Our defense, pitching, and hitting all work together,” said Kells. “And when we bring it all together, we’re very hard to beat.”
By virtue of winning the state title, Madison advanced to compete in the double-elimination New England Regional that’s taking place in Bristol this week. Madison took a 6-3 loss to Vermont in its first game and then came back to get a 4-1 win over Massachusetts in its second game. Madison needs to win two more elimination games to advance to the regional championship game will be played on Saturday, Aug. 10. The winner of the New England Regional moves on to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania beginning on Thursday, Aug. 15.
“It’s really good. We get to go out and represent the state, and we get to be on TV,” Maynard said. “It’s like a dream come true.”
Madison’s journey to the state championship began when it won the District 9 Tournament by beating Killingworth in the final, after which Head Coach James Maynard’s club competed in the Section 3 Tournament. Following a loss to Mystic, Madison won an elimination game against Wethersfield and then another versus Mystic to take the sectional title.
Madison advanced to the State Tournament, where the team posted wins over Brooklyn-Pomfret and Simsbury to reach the final. While Madison wasn’t able to beat Max Sinoway in the first game, Coach Maynard said that his squad was determined to make history by winning the rematch. With the victory, Madison became the first District 9 team to claim a state title and advance to the New England Regional in the 67-year history of Connecticut Little League baseball.
“I’m wicked proud of these boys. The loss last night only set them back for a second. I told them to shake off last night, come out today, and show everybody who you really are and the way you’re capable of playing. And that’s what they did,” said Coach Maynard. “It showed heart and perseverance, it showed a positive attitude and positive thinking, and just an overall great will to win. And that’s what these kids have.”
State Championship Showdowns
Madison jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning in its first state title matchup against Max Sinoway. Kells drew a leadoff walk and scored on a sacrifice fly by Paul Calandrelli for a 1-0 advantage. Trevor Cash followed by hitting a two-home homer to left field that increased the lead to 3-0. Sinoway came back to tie the game by plating three runs in the top of the third, using a two-run single to make it 3-2 and then scoring the tying run on an error.
Madison had the bases loaded in the fourth inning, but Sinoway’s pitcher got out of the jam. The game stayed tied at 3-3 until Sinoway pushed three runs across in the top of the sixth. Sinoway scored the go-ahead run on a single, added a run on a groundout, and then made it 6-3 on another RBI single.
Madison refused to go away quietly in the bottom of the sixth. Kells blasted a home run to center field to lead off and then Calandrelli reached on a one-out double. Sinoway’s head coach went to a relief pitcher to get the last two outs of the game and solidify the 6-4 win.
Despite taking a tough defeat, Nick Maynard said that Madison refused to get down about it and was revved up to face Sinoway the next day.
“It actually helped us,” he said. “It gave us motivation that if we lost, we would never play Little League again. So, it was like a do-or-die situation. We were all ready to play.”
Just 24 hours later, Madison and Max Sinoway traveled back to Willimantic to face each other with the state title at stake on a rainy night. Madison rallied for three runs with two outs and nobody on in the top of the third. Kells doubled and scored on a double from Calandrelli for the first run. With runners on second and third, Maynard beat out an infield single to first base that scored Geremia and Calandrelli for a 3-0 advantage.
Kells singled to lead off the fifth inning. Geremia followed by crushing a two-run homer to right-center field to put Madison up 5-0.
“He threw one fastball right down the middle, I was late on it. And another fastball, I was late on that,” said Geremia. “And then he threw one right down the middle, and I hit it over the fence. It felt great.”
Madison tacked on one more run when Johnny Reh drew a walk and scored on a double by Kells in the top of the sixth. Kells went back out to the mound for the bottom of the sixth and ultimately struck out the final batter of the game to set off a state championship celebration for Madison. Kells threw 83 pitches and struck out seven in his complete-game performance, retiring nine batters in a row at one point between the third and sixth innings.
“My fastball was working for me,” Kells said. “I was getting a lot of swings and misses and I was blowing it by people. My fastball was on and I just kept throwing it.”
Coach Maynard was impressed with Kells’s ability to toss a gem by staying even-keeled in such a pressure-packed situation.
“Christian has been outstanding. I’ve known him since he was seven years old, and I’ve seen nothing but growth and maturity from him,” said Maynard. “What makes him special is that when he needs to bear down and get the job done, he knows how to do it. He’s exceptionally talented from a physical standpoint, and he’s matured so much from a mental standpoint and knows how to control himself within the game.”
The athletes on Madison’s roster are Paul Calandrelli, Trevor Cash, Aidan Doyle, Gavin Doyle, Chase Geremia, Christian Kells, Nick Maynard, Alex Modica, Shailen Pathy, Will Patla, Johnny Reh, Morris Selmani, and Rocco Zagami. Head Coach James Maynard is assisted by coaches Bryan Geremia and John Reh.
Regardless of the final outcome this summer, Coach Maynard said it’s “a wonderful honor” that Madison gets to represent Connecticut as state champs when it competes at the New England Regional with a berth in the Little League World Series up for grabs.
“I hope to do our town proud, I hope to do the state of Connecticut proud, and I know that all of our kids and families are super excited for this opportunity,” Maynard said. “I’m blessed to coach such a great group of kids with great attitudes and great talent.”
The Road to the Regional
Madison had to win the District 9 Tournament, the Section 3 Tournament, and the State Tournament in order to advance to the New England Regional. In the District 9 bracket, Madison earned wins versus Westbrook (12-0), Guilford (3-2), Clinton (13-1), East Haddam (11-0), and Coginchaug (10-0) in the round-robin portion of the tournament. Madison then defeated East Hampton (24-4) and Killingworth (7-4) to reach the final, where it notched a 5-3 victory over Killingworth to win the title on July 13.
For the Section 3 tourney, Madison dropped a 4-0 decision to Mystic in its opener, but bounced back to win elimination games versus Wethersfield (2-1) and Mystic (6-3), clinching the title with the victory versus Mystic on July 24.
Reh and Geremia each pitched three innings for Madison against Mystic in the final. Madison scored five runs in the third inning, highlighted by an RBI single from Geremia, an RBI groundout from Patia, a two-run single by Selmani, and an RBI double from Pathy. Madison held Mystic without a hit until Mystic scored three runs in the sixth inning for the 6-3 final.
Madison kicked off the State Tournament by notching a 5-3 win against Brooklyn-Pomfret on July 27. Trailing 3-0, Madison scored three runs in the fourth inning and two more in the fifth to come away with the victory. In the fourth, Zagami hit an RBI double and Selmani brought home a run on a sacrifice fly to help tie the game. Madison went up for good when Calandrelli hit a two-run double with two outs in the fifth for a 5-3 lead. Calandrelli also pitched the final 2.2 innings of the game to get the victory on the hill.
Madison went on to claim a 6-2 win over Simsbury on July 28. Geremia tossed 2.2 innings to earn the win and also hit a grand slam in the second inning. Kells pitched the final 3.1 innings to get the save and send Madison to a showdown against Max Sinoway the state final.