Sweet Victories: Downtown Fields Baseball and Softball Champions
If ever there were a championship season for the Downtown Little League, this one was it.
Both of the girls tournament softball teams (the 12- to 14-year-old Juniors and the 11-year-olds) garnered state championships on Monday and the league's tournament baseball teams are now district champs in their divisions.
On Friday, the Juniors go to West Haven, Conn., to vie for the regional title and a chance to compete in the Little League World Series.
In baseball post-season play, the boys faced teams from Harlem, the West Side, Greenwich Village, Stuyvesant Town, the Lower East Side and North Riverdale. The 9-10s, managed by Art Greco, went undefeated in their tournament competition while the 11- and 12-year-olds found themselves in a two-game playoff against the West Side. The team, led by Bill Martino, emerged victorious, coming from many runs behind in both games.
The 11-year-old girls snagged a district championship by defeating Staten Island (after losing to them in a first-round matchup), then went on to Albany where they eventually clinched the title by squeaking past Pearl River 3-2 in an extra inning.
"Jamie Morrison and Rylie Spiegel were a very tough duo as pitcher and catcher," Joe Marino, head of the softball program, noted in an email to the Trib. "The game was sealed for DLL on a strikeout, throw-out double play to end the game."
"This team played hard every day and never gave up," Marino added. "They are a scrappy bunch of kids with loads of talent for years to come."
As for the Juniors, before now they had yet to win a post-season game, much less a district or state championship. The team rolled over Chatham, NY, 4-1 in the semi-finals, then went on to defeat Havestraw, a Rockland County team, in a 7-6 nail biter.
"Havestraw was the overwhelming favorite to win the state championship," Marino said. "They had defeated DLL girls the day before, 4-0, and were very confident going into the game. They were the toughest team in the tournament."
Things were not always so bright for girls softball in the Downtown Little League. Just three years ago, in a tournament game against a Staten island team, the Downtown girls were down so many runs that they turned off the scoreboard.
"It was a pivotal point in the turnaround for DLL softball," Marino said.
That's when the league leadership decided to put more effort into the girls' program. Workouts continued through the winter and the league hired professional hitting and pitching coaches. "But most importantly, the girls showed the dedication and commitment to their sport," Marino said.
Their victory, it seems, may be even bigger than a state championship.
"Not only have the girls won over the hearts of Lower Manhattan families," he added, "but I believe they are now on equal footing with the boys program."