The Full Circle Pizza Cubs beat the Emmett’s Auto A’s 5-2 to take home the West Haven Little League Majors Division title Sunday evening at Morse Park. The two teams played eight times this year, with each team winning four games.
Jesse Buonocore was solid on the mound for the Cubs as was Will Panza for the A’s. The Cubs’ offense was sparked by Haygen Axelrod, Fabrizio Nunez, Braeden Izzo and Hunter Chancio, who all came up with key hits.
Evan Jones and Jeremiah Kavanah led the way defensively. Buonocore went five innings and Haygen Axelrod pitched out of a jam in the sixth to seal the win. Both teams played a tremendous game from top to bottom.
Panza pitched well in defeat, while Mike Madera scored both runs for the A’s. Chase Supan and Ray Gilbert hit well for the A’s.
The A’s beat the Cubs 5-4 Saturday evening to force
a winner take all championship game Sunday. Supan was superb on the mound, shutting down the Cubs for most of the game, with Thomas Porto getting the save by getting out of a sixth inning jam.
With the A’s leading 4-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Chancio connected for a three-run triple to tie the game, forcing extra innings. The A’s came back in the seventh inning to score one run on hits by Madera and Panza.
The A’s opened the playoffs with a win over the Brewers. Madera was the winning pitcher, and Nate Pipeling and JJ Hall led a balanced hitting attack.
The A’s lost the second playoff game 6-2 to the Cubs. Buonocore led the way on the mound for the Cubs and at the plate with two hits. Connor Hume made several key plays at second base, while Hudson Axelrod was solid behind the plate again.
Panza pitched well in the loss for the A’s, while Supan, Josh Osbourne and Hall had hits for the A’s.
The A’s bounced back in the win column with an 11-1 victory over the White Sox to advance to the championship round. Madera was the winning pitcher, while Gilbert and Josh Mongillo had key hits in the win.
The Executive Protection and Transport Brewers ended its season with a playoff loss to the Malangone Mechanical White Sox 4-1.
Zach Boutieller came to play for the White Sox, with two hits, including a nice double to score two runs. K.J. Harp pitched five innings for the White Sox with nine strikeouts, only giving up one run. Nico Ruocco came through with a solo homerun.
Cameron Cruz pitched a complete game with nine strikeouts for the Brewers, and Thomas Rolfe had two hits. Jason Alling made some nice plays at third base to keep the team in it. Owen Fletcher and Kevin Jason were solid at the plate.
Coach George Price would like to thank his graduating players for making it a fun season. Those players are Joshua Trager, Ethan Dasilva, David Quiroz, and Alling.