By Anthony Bosco
Several teams have already been sent home for the summer in the eight District 27 Little League tournaments, with several other teams poised to make a run at the championship, said Ed Chrzastek, one of the district administrators and the former president of the Ridgewood-Glendale-Middle Village-Maspeth Little League.
The District’s Minor Division, for 9- and 10-year-olds, is almost into the fourth round of play, with two teams, St. Albans and Rochdale, both being eliminated — by Broad Channel and Briarwood, respectively — while two other leagues, Cambria Heights-Laurelton and Rosedale, both pulled out before play actually started.
The two teams in position to make it to the finals with just one more win are Rockaway and RGMVM, which will square off Saturday for a berth in the title game. Rockaway beat Ozone-Howard, 13-0, after four innings and RGMVM beat Rich-Haven, 7-0 to make it to the winner’s bracket final.
The winner of that game will wait for the team to emerge from the loser’s bracket, which currently includes Rich Haven, Broad Channel, Ozone Howard and Briarwood. These four teams will play down to one, with that team playing the loser of Saturday’s game for the right to get to the finals.
In the 11- and 12-year-old Major Division, Rosedale and Ozone-Howard will play in the winner’s bracket final, but the victor will have a lengthy wait, as six teams still remain alive in the loser’s bracket, including Rich-Haven, Rockaway, Rochdale, Briarwood-Jamaica, Cambria Heights and RGMVM.
Only Jamaica-Holliswood, Broad Channel and St. Albans have been eliminated.
Like in the Minors, the loser of the winner’s bracket final will await one team to emerge from the loser’s bracket for the right to advance to the finals.
In the 13- and 14-year-old Junior Division, RGMVM and neighboring Rich-Haven will play for a trip to the championship game, with Broad Channel, St. Albans, Briarwood and Rochdale playing out the loser’s bracket. Cambria Heights, Rosedale and Ozone-Howard have been eliminated.
And in the 15- and 16-year-old Senior Division, Rosedale and Rochdale were slated to play in the winner’s bracket finale. The loser will play the winner of Briarwood-Jamaica vs. RGMVM.
In girls’ softball, action has started later than in the baseball division, but the finals of the Major Division were played Monday night between Ozone-Howard and RGMVM, while the Minor Division was slated to start play July 15. The Junior and Senior Divisions began playing Sunday.
Reach Sports Editor Anthony Bosco by e-mail at TimesLedgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 130.
