St. James Smithtown Advances in Metro Tournament
With a strong performance from pitcher Jeremy Cutts and some big hits, St. James Smithtown is making strides in the tournament.
The New York State champions decisively defeated Burrillville Little League from Rhode Island, with an 18-0 score, putting them in the semi-finals of the Metro Tournament held in Bristol, Connecticut on Saturday night.
Now, the Long Island team finds themselves just two wins away from the Little League World Series after an early loss.
“It’s great to see everyone getting a hit,” said Katz, New York’s home run derby champion, who contributed three runs against Burrillville. “Having that confidence makes a huge difference for us compared to other teams.”
Initially, there were some nerves playing on ESPN, but everything clicked for the Bulls after left fielder Lucas Costas brought in a second RBI.
“Once I got that run, I felt assured. We had an ace on the mound and the guys were ready to go,” reflected Kevin Moran, who also had a strong night with three RBIs.
Rhode Island’s starting pitcher, Jace Detnancourt, managed to strike out six before leaving the game after three innings.
St. James Smithtown seized control, scoring 11 runs in one inning and sending 17 batters to the plate as the visiting team.
“You’ve got to keep the energy up, maintain a good swing, and just keep going for the next game,” Long Island’s manager, Scott Santelli, commented.
Katz pitched for 4¹/₃ innings, allowing nine hits along with a walk. Costas, who had four RBIs in the game, later took the mound to close out the sixth inning.
“A win like this really boosts our confidence on every pitch,” Santelli noted. “I mean, I didn’t expect such a large victory, but we got the start we wanted. Now we’re ready to push forward.”
St. James Smithtown, with 15 hits in the game, will face off against Connecticut’s Fairfield National in the semi-finals on Monday at 1 PM. The losing team will have a chance to compete again on Wednesday at 7 PM to reach the final on Friday.
“We’re all in this together and really looking forward to the next game,” Katz added.
