SYA East reaches second straight state final
By Dave Buschenfeldt
Being the defending Little League Majors state champion, it would be easy to assume that the SYA East All-Stars were destined to reach the state final again this summer. But following his team's 10-4 win over Vienna American in Tuesday's state semifinals, SYA East coach Preston Bach was still trying to wrap his mind around what his team had accomplished."I think it's a surprise," Bach said. "These boys have exceeded expectations. We're undersized, but that's on the outside, not on the inside. It's really coming together for us. I couldn't be happier for the boys."
SYA East's victory set up a state championship showdown with Tuckahoe Wednesday morning. Check back later for a full recap of the state final.
SYA East had already faced Vienna in pool play, losing by a score of 10-8, but Bach felt that game gave his players an advantage in Tuesday's semifinal. Vienna jumped out to a 10-1 lead in the teams' first meeting, only to see SYA East score seven unanswered runs and nearly pull off a miracle comeback.
"I think we scared them a little bit," Bach said of the first meeting. "We were eager to get back on the field."
SYA East wasted no time in attacking Vienna the second time around, pushing across two runs in the top of the first inning. The All-Stars added four more in the third, including a three-run home run by starting pitcher Carson Bach.
SYA East added three more runs in the fourth inning and Scotty Walter blasted a solo shot in the sixth to cap the scoring. The Vienna All-Stars weren't able to get on the board until their final two at-bats, when the outcome was in little doubt.
"We got up early and were able to keep the momentum," coach Bach said. "The key for us today was our pitching."
In order to win a second state title, SYA East would have to go through Tuckahoe, a perennial powerhouse and a team that coach Bach joked had been mistaken for a high school squad due to the size of its players.
"That's a big, strong team," he said. "They're capable of generating a lot of offense. It's going to take our pitching keeping the ball in the yard. If Scotty [Walter] can keep them off-balance and our bats continue to hit well, I think we've got a shot of playing a good ball game."