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08/09/2019 12:00 AMThe remarkable run by the Madison Little League Majors All-Star baseball team came to a close when it took a 4-0 loss to Rhode Island in the semifinals of the New England Regional at Breen Field in Bristol on Aug. 9. Madison finished a run that saw the squad win the District 9 title, the Section 3 title, and its first state championship in program history on its way to advancing to the New England Regional. Madison also won two elimination games in the regional, before losing to Rhode Island in the semifinal round. Head Coach James Maynard’s club posted an overall record of 15-3 during its 2019 summer run.
On Aug. 4, Madison lost a 6-3 decision against Vermont in its first game of double-elimination New England Regional. Madison came back to earn a 4-1 victory versus Massachusetts in an elimination game on Aug. 6. The very next day, Madison took on Maine in another elimination game and prevailed by the final tally of 6-1 to advance to a semifinal matchup with Rhode Island two days later.
Rhode Island broke open a scoreless tie by scoring four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning and then hung on for the win to eliminate Madison from the tournament. Rhode Island went on to get a 6-4 win against New Hampshire in the championship game to advance to the Little League World Series.
There were six teams that competed in the New England Regional. Representing Connecticut, Madison was joined in the bracket by Lewiston, Maine; Walpole, Massachusetts, Goffstown, New Hampshire; Barrington, Rhode Island; and Bradford, Vermont. All of the games in the tournament were played at Breen Field in Bristol.
Madison had qualified for the regional by notching a 6-4 win over North Haven in the championship game of the State Tournament in Willimantic on July 31. Four days later, Madison started off the New England Regional by taking a 6-3 loss versus Vermont. Madison took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning, but Vermont scored four runs in the frame and went on to get the victory.
Vermont went up 2-0 by scoring a pair of runs in the second inning. In the top of the third, Nick Maynard hit a two-out, two-run double for Madison to make it a 2-2 game. Madison went up 3-2 in the fifth when Chase Geremia tripled and scored on a groundout by Maynard.
In the bottom of the fifth, Vermont tied the game on an RBI double and then took a 4-3 lead by scoring a run on an error. Vermont made it 5-3 by scoring a run on a wild pitch and then hit an RBI single to increase the lead to 6-3.
Johnny Reh went 3-for-4, while Geremia was 2-for-4 with a triple two runs scored for Madison. Maynard went 1-for-3 with a double and three RBI, Christian Kells drew a walk to go with a run scored, and Rocco Zagami had a walk with a stolen base.
On Aug. 6, Madison faced Massachusetts in an elimination game for both teams and kept its season going by earning a 4-1 victory. With the game tied 1-1, Madison plated three runs during the bottom of the fourth inning and then hung on for the 4-1 win.
Reh picked up the win in relief for Madison by pitching three scoreless innings in which he struck out eight of the nine batters he faced. Kells started on the mound and allowed just one run in three innings.
Madison was down 1-0 in the third inning, but tied the game when Kells hit a triple and scored on a groundout by Geremia. In the bottom of the fourth, Maynard and Alex Modica each reached on singles to get the rally started. Shailen Pathy followed by hitting a single, after which Madison went up 2-1 when Maynard scored on an error. Morris Selmani then hit a double that brought home Modica to make the score 3-1. A few batters later, Geremia came up with the bases loaded and drew a walk to force home Gavin Doyle and give Madison a 4-1 advantage.
Kells went 2-for-2 with a triple, a walk, and a run scored; Geremia drew a walk and had two RBI, and Modica had a walk to go with a single and a run. Maynard singled and scored a run, and Selmani had the RBI double in the victory.
The following afternoon, Madison squared off against Maine in an elimination game for each team. In a contest that featured a mid-game rain delay, Madison posted a 6-1 win to advance to the semifinals of the regional tournament. Madison grabbed an early 1-0 lead and then took control of the game by scoring four runs in the top of the fifth inning.
Geremia had a huge day for Madison both on the hill and at the dish. Geremia pitched 3.2 scoreless innings in which he allowed no hits and fanned eight to get the win. Geremia also went 2-for-4 with a triple, a run scored, three RBI, and a stolen base to pace the Madison offense.
Madison took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Reh singled in Doyle, who was pinch running for Trevor Cash following a single. In the fourth, Selman, Kells, and Reh all drew walks to load the bases. Geremia stepped up to the plate and cleared the bases by hitting a three-run triple to right field that put Madison ahead 4-0. Geremia later scored on a groundout by Paul Calandrelli for a 5-0 lead.
Following the fourth inning, that game was halted by a rain delay for one hour and 40 minutes after thunderstorms rolled through the area. When play resumed, Madison tacked on another run when Cash walked and pinch runner Doyle scored on a double from Selmani to make it 6-0. Maine scored its lone run in the sixth inning, but Calandrelli retired the final batter of the game to secure the victory. Calandrelli finished off the win by pitching 2.1 innings of relief for Madison.
Reh went 1-for-3 with a walk, a run, and an RBI; Kells was 1-for-2 with two walks and a run, and Maynard drew two walks and hit a double. Calandrelli had a single with an RBI, Cash hit a single and had two walks, Doyle scored two runs, Selmani had a double with a walk, a run, and an RBI to help Madison stay alive and move on to the semis.
On Aug. 9, Madison took on Rhode Island with a berth in the New England Regional final on the line in a game that was televised nationally by ESPN. With the game scoreless in the bottom of the fifth inning, Rhode Island scored four runs to take the lead and then went on to get the 4-0 victory.
Both teams had some scoring opportunities during the first few innings of the game. Rhode Island pitcher Alex Anderson worked out of a jam with the bases loaded in the top of the first. In the bottom half of the frame, Kells did the exact same thing by escaping a bases-loaded situation. Rhode Island loaded the bases again in the second, but Kells got out of the jam with no damage.
In the third, Vermont once again got three men aboard. With the bases loaded, Reh came on in relief and struck out Rhode Island’s batter to leave them loaded for the third-straight inning. Madison had runners on base in the third, fourth, and fifth innings, but was unable to get anyone home.
Rhode Island used a two-run single to take a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fifth. Then with two outs in the inning, Rhode Island hit another two-run single to make it a 4-0 game.
In the sixth inning, Cash reached base and then Reh drew a walk to give Madison a chance. However, Anderson retired the last batter of the game to seal a 4-0 victory for Rhode Island.
Kells went 2-for-4 and had a stolen base for Madison. Reh drew a walk and hit a single, Calandrelli, Modica, and Pathy each had a hit; and Geremia and Maynard both drew a walk.
From the Sidelines
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.
Madison had to win the District 9 Tournament, the Section 3 Tournament, and the State Tournament to advance to the New England Regional. In the District 9 tourney, Madison defeated Westbrook (12-0), Guilford (3-2), Clinton (13-1), East Haddam (11-0), and Coginchaug (10-0) in the round-robin portion. Madison went on to post wins versus East Hampton (24-4) and Killingworth (7-4) to make the final, where it claimed a 5-3 win against Killingworth to take the title.
In the Section 3 Tournament, Madison took a 4-0 defeat to Mystic in its first game, but came back to win elimination games against Wethersfield (2-1) and Mystic (6-3), solidifying the championship with the victory over Mystic.
Madison started up the State Tournament by earning a 5-3 win versus Brooklyn-Pomfret. Madison went on to notch a 6-2 victory over Simsbury to advance to the final. In the championship, Madison faced Max Sinoway of North Haven needing to win one game to claim the crown, whereas Sinoway had to defeat Madison twice in order to do so. Madison lost a 6-0 decision to Sinoway in the first game, but earned a 6-4 victory in the next game to secure the first state title in the history of the town’s Little League baseball program.