After a pair of thrilling comeback victories, Auburn Suburban loses to Connecticut for the second time.
WEST DEPTFORD, N.J. – Auburn Suburban Little League’s wild journey through the Senior Eastern Regional concluded Tuesday night with a 7-4 loss to Sinoway-North Haven (Conn.) Little League.
North Haven scored five runs in the bottom of the first inning, and ASLL crept no closer than two runs thereafter.
Brandon Elie, Tyler Dorris and Robie Leighton strung together singles in the Auburn second inning, with Elie crossing the plate on a wild pitch.
Elie and Derek Doucette delivered RBI singles in the sixth to make it 5-3.
Todd DeFrancesco ripped a two-run home run in the bottom of the inning, however, and ASLL answered with only a single run in the seventh.
Dan Golden also cracked a three-run homer for North Haven.
Two losses to North Haven, including a 14-4 loss in the opening game last Friday, were sandwiched around two dramatic, elimination-round Auburn victories.
Six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, four of them unearned, staked ASLL to a 13-10 win over Barrington, R.I., Sunday.
Barrington scored a run in the seventh and brought the potential tying tally to the plate before Chris Merrill stuck out Nicholas Leonard looking to lock up the win. Merrill retired four batters in relief to notch his third win of the playoffs.
Kevin Pontbriand went 4-for-4, scored three runs and drove in two to lead Auburn’s 19-hit attack. Lutz, Elie and Matt Nadeau added three hits apiece. Lutz also scored three runs.
There were more late-inning heroics Monday when Auburn eked out a 9-8 win over Derry, N.H.
Lutz and Pontbriand each scored on wild pitches. Lutz tied the game 7-7 in the sixth, and Pontbriand’s hustle won it in the eighth.
Auburn trailed 8-7 with two out and the bases empty in the eighth before Lutz reached on a throwing error, winding up at second. Derry intentionally walked Pontbriand, who was 8-for-10 at that point in the series, before Justin Ciszewski connected with a two-strike pitch for a single. Lutz scored, and Pontbriand went to third.
Pontbriand raced home when the first pitch to Elie escaped to the backstop.
Ciszewski worked four innings for the mound triumph, striking out four.
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