Not even Mother Nature could contain Massapequa on a soggy Monday night in Bristol, Conn., as they scored seven runs in the first inning en route to a 10-1 win over East Hanover (N.J.) in the semifinals of the Little League World Series Metro Regional Championship.
It was the second consecutive game that the Long Island squad defeated an opponent by such a large margin.
“It certainly makes a statement and, our ultimate goal is obviously to make it to the Little League World Series and compete and win there,” Massapequa coach Jonathan Henchy told The Post by phone. “This is just part of that process, so it’s obviously really good, but the boys are locked in.”
Massapequa had scored five runs in the opening inning before East Hanover had even recorded an out.
The first also saw Tommy Tabone steal home to score the seventh run.
They tacked on three more runs in the third, which included a two-run double by Andrew Cevallos and a run-scoring single by Carter Kemper.
Matteo Pipia gave up one run and struck out four batters in 3 ²/₃ innings on Monday.
Harrison Smith came into the game and pitched 2 ¹/₃ innings without giving up a run.
The victory advances Massapequa to the regional final at 7 p.m. Friday and will pit them against the winner of East Hanover and Smithfield (Rhode Island).
The New York State champs are a win away from their second consecutive trip to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.
However, with an entirely new roster and coaching staff, they aren’t looking at it like they could be headed back to the Little League World Series.
“We sort of don’t have that taste of being there,” Henchy said. “So our motto is one game at a time, one step at a time. … The fact that there are no returning players keeps it fresh for these kids and they’re just focused on the game on Friday. Let’s get the win and hopefully, we make a little bit of a run in the World Series.”
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