Wilton Little League 12U All-Stars Win CT District Championship

The Wilton Little League 12-year-old All-Stars won the CT Little League District One Championship on Wednesday night, July 12, defeating Darien 2-1 on Darien’s McGuane Field. The championship marks the sixth time Wilton has lifted the banner in 72 years of District One Little League Baseball.

An early 1-0 lead by Darien meant Wilton had to keep its pitching and defense in check until the offense found its opportunity. A first-inning double by Jonah Meyer and a third-inning tank off the fence by Chase Dustin looked to be the spark Wilton was looking for. But hard-hit balls by Ryan Driscoll and Alex Doughman right to outfielders allowed Darien’s starter to finish the first three innings unscathed.

Wilton’s opportunity finally came in the fourth inning with a leadoff single by Max Bryant followed by Meyer getting hit by a pitch. That set the stage for Brian Cosentino to drive in the tying run with a 197-foot shot off the fence. Owen Hanscom then drove in the go-ahead run with an opposite-field double in the gap.

That left Bryant with a lead to protect for the next two innings. He did just that on his way to a 5 1/3 inning performance with six strikeouts and three hits on 91 pitches.

Tommy Kelly came in with two outs to go in the sixth inning and used a mix of knee-buckling off-speed and well-located fastballs. That combo induced a ground ball to shortstop Brandon Ray and a pop fly to Alex Trichilo with a runner on third to clinch the championship win.

Wilton’s Stellar Tournament Play

Wilton finished 5-1 in the tournament, scoring 17 runs while only allowing six. Bryant led the pitching staff with 17 2/3 innings pitched, striking out 28 batters while only giving up two runs on six hits.

Ray threw 12 1/3 dominant innings, striking out nine while only giving up one run on five hits.

Kelly and Dylan Pamnani threw 2 2/3 and 1 1/3 of shutout ball, respectively, while Meyer added two strikeouts of his own in his inning of work.

The pitching was supported by Meyer acting as a wall for 35 innings behind the plate, very strong defense up the middle by Kelly and Driscoll, and great play at the corners from Trichilo and Hanscom.

Impressive outfield play by Bryant, Ray, Peyton Albright and Cosentino ensured that hits would never come easy for an opponent.

The offense was paced by Bryant and Meyer in the one-two batting order slots with six hits apiece and nine total runs scored. They were consistently driven in by Cosentino and Hanscom, who each had four hits and combined for nine RBIs in the tournament.

The long ball played a key role in District wins with Cosentino, Bryant and Hanscom all hitting game-winning home runs. Albright, Ray, and Kelly all had multiple hits during the District run.

Wilton now moves on to the Connecticut Sectionals Tournament, which begins Tuesday, July 18 against the winner of game one between the District Four and District Two champions. The game will be played at 5:45 p.m. at Unity Park — Field 1 in Trumbull (399 White Plains Rd./Rte. 127, Trumbull).