10 Photos
The East End Majors All-Stars will play North Patchogue-Medford for the District 36 Championship this Thursday, July 14, at North Shore Little League Complex in Rocky Point. DREW BUDD
Romeo Rivas started on the mound for the East End Majors All-Stars in their district semifinal game against Moriches Bay on Monday. DREW BUDD
East End's Connor Girard flings his bat out to make contact. He reached base on an error. DREW BUDD
Connor Girard gets a high-five from his coach as he rounds third base on Romeo Rivas's two-run home run. DREW BUDD
Romeo Rivas rounds third base on his two-run home run. DREW BUDD
Romeo Rivas's teammates wait to congratulate him at home plate after his two-run home run. DREW BUDD
Michael Garcia congratulates Romeo Rivas after his two-run home run. DREW BUDD
Romeo Rivas started on the mound for the East End Majors All-Stars in their district semifinal game against Moriches Bay on Monday. DREW BUDD
Jude Dawson slides safely into home plate. DRE WBUDD
Manager Bill Dawson talks to his team after its 7-0 victory over Moriches Bay on Monday put it into the district finals, which are this Thursday. DREW BUDD
The East End Majors All-Stars are heading to the District 36 Championships.
The 10-, 11- and 12-year-olds who hail from East Quogue to Remsenburg-Speonk defeated Moriches Bay, 7-0, at Stotzky Memorial Park in Riverhead on Monday to advance to the championship game, which will be played this Thursday, July 14, at North Shore Little League Complex in Rocky Point at 5:45 p.m. They will play North Patchogue-Medford, which defeated East Hampton, 8-5, in the other district semifinal also played in Riverhead on Monday.
East End Little League President Bill Dawson, who also manages the Majors All-Stars, said this is the furthest the league has had a team go in the tournament in his 10 years with the league, and it could be the furthest ever, as far as he knows.
“It feels amazing,” Dawson said of Monday’s win and advancing to the finals. “It’s an exciting ride. I’m so happy for this group of kids. I’m so happy for the coaches and the community. The community has been terrific, the parents, the whole East End Little League organization. We’ve been building it up over the last number of years and this is really a stellar group of kids. It’s almost like a nice synergy between all of them.”
On Monday, facing a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher in Rich Roberts of Moriches Bay, which had finished second in Pool B play, East End continued to do what it had done throughout its Pool A play, which it went 5-0 in and outscored its opponents, 67-14. East End scored three runs in the first inning, thanks to a two-run single by Cole Maag and a heads up play by Jude Dawson to score on a passed ball. Later in the game, Romeo Rivas belted a two-run home run over the fence in right field, then Cain Church drove in two more insurance runs on a double.
Rivas and Michael Garcia split pitching duties, hurling three innings each to combine for the shutout. Although Garcia didn’t hit a home run on Monday, he, along with Rivas, have helped power East End through its run and it only continued on Monday.
“They’ve been fantastic,” Dawson said of the duo. “Clearly essential elements, batting and pitching, and charging our team with energy and enthusiasm. It’s a good group of kids, a good group of friends, and it’ll be fun watching them play ball in their junior high and high school careers.”
This year’s East End Majors All-Stars include Charlie Blaine, Declan Byrne, Cain Church, Jude Dawson, Liam Fieldman, Michael Garcia, Connor Girard, Travis Hefter, Jordan Lukert, Cole Maag, Romeo Rivas and Gavin Vaccaro. David Fieldman and Jason Hefter assist Dawson with the coaching duties.
