21 Photos
Michael Garcia unloads for his second home run of the game on Friday. DREW BUDD
Michael Garcia is mobbed at home plate by his teammates after hitting a home run over the right field fence on Sunday afternoon. DREW BUDD
Connor Girard makes contact. DREW BUDD
East End second baseman Charlie Blaine throws to first for an out. DREW BUDD
Jude Dawson puts a ball in play. DREW BUDD
Michael Garcia is congratulated by third base coach after hitting a home run over the right field fence. DREW BUDD
East End third baseman Declan Byrne throws home for a big out with Sag Harbor having loaded the bases. DREW BUDD
Travis Hefter took the mound in relief of Jude Dawson on Sunday. DREW BUDD
Jordan Lukert started on the mound for the East End Majors All-Stars in Hampton Bays on Friday. DREW BUDD
East End second baseman Charlie Blaine throws to first base for an out. DREW BUDD
Cole Maag gets set for his first at bat on Friday. DREW BUDD
Michael Garcia is congratulated by his third base coach after hitting a home run over the right field fence. DREW BUDD
Michael Garcia is mobbed at home plate by his teammates after hitting a home run over the right field fence on Sunday afternoon. DREW BUDD
Cole Maag on the hill for East End against Hampton Bays on Friday. DREW BUDD
Travis hefter fields a ground ball and then throws home for an out. DREW BUDD
Travis Hefter throws home for an out after fielding a ground ball cleanly. DREW BUDD
Michael Garcia is congratulated at home plate but his teammates after his round tripper. DREW BUDD
Jude Dawson started the first two innings for the East End Majors All-Stars on Sunday afternoon. DREW BUDD
Jude Dawson started the first two innings for the East End Majors All-Stars on Sunday afternoon. DREW BUDD
Cole Maag tags out a Henry Rose trying to advance to third on a base hit. DREW BUDD
Cole Maag, left, and Henry Rose look for a call from the umpires. DREW BUDD
The East End 10-, 11- and 12-year-old Majors All-Stars won all five of their games in pool play of the District 36 Tournament and are moving on to the playoffs.
East End, which pulls youth from the hamlets of East Quogue west to Remsenberg-Speonk and in between, dominated pool play, which began on June 26. That wound up being East End’s most competitive game of pool play, a 12-9 victory over East Hampton at Pantigo Field. The rest of the games ended early due to the mercy rule. Overall, East End outscored its opponents, which included North Shore American, Hampton Bays, Southampton and Sag Harbor, on top of East Hampton, 67-14.
“Our coaches and parents are really thrilled for this year’s All-Star Tournament team,” East End Little League President and manager of the Majors All-Stars, Bill Dawson said. “Going 5-0 in this first segment of pool play has made for an exciting ride. It’s been inspiring to watch, and I think we are all grateful to be part of this moment.”
With East End finishing as the top seed in Pool A, it will play the second-best team in Pool B in a single-elimination playoff game on July 11. The top team in Pool B will play the second-best team from Pool A in the other semifinal. The winners of both semifinals will play for the district title next week. Pool B, as of Tuesday morning, was led by North Patchogue-Medford and Moriches Bay little leagues, but still has games to be played due to rain outs last week. Riverhead, Longwood and North Shore National also play in Pool B.
This tournament ultimately leads to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, later this summer.
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. East End did not enter a team in the younger 8-, 9- and 10-year-old Minors Division this season, nor did it enter any softball teams.
East End’s offense has been powered by Michael Garcia, who has hit an astounding seven home runs already, and Romeo Rivas has hit three. But as Dawson mentioned, each player has provided offense, is getting on base and contributing to that big run differential. The team has also played seemingly errorless ball on defense and has had solid pitching from a number of different players.
