The Rotterdam Little League 9- and 10-year-old All-Stars were a team on a mission.
Rotterdam piled up a 14-0 record on its way to winning the district, section and state tournaments.
The All-Stars dedicated their playoff run to fellow Rotterdam Little League player Tyler De-Marco, who has been battling cancer since the start of the league season. The team brought a sign honoring DeMarco with them to each of the tournaments.
Before every game, they’d gather in front of the sign and say a prayer to Tyler, said Rotterdam manager Tony LaRue.
Rotterdam played inspired ball during its playoff run. The All-Stars outscored their opponents 189-42, had a team batting average of .469 and belted 24 home runs in their 14 games. Eight of their games ended in the 10-run mercy rule.
The only time Rotterdam was challenged was in last week’s state tournament championship game against Geddes from suburban Syracuse. Geddes built a 9-6 lead entering the sixth inning before Rotterdam rallied for a 13-9 victory.
Justin Cullam had the big hit for Rotterdam in the top of the sixth inning with an RBI double to drive in the go-ahead run. Brandon Laventure followed with a two-run single, and Brandon LaRue added an RBI double to cap the scoring.
It was the first state title for a Rotterdam Little League team at any age level since 1975.
`It was quite an achievement because Rotterdam Little League has about 400 players, and the teams that we faced came from leagues that had between 1,100 and 1,600 players,` said coach LaRue.
Rotterdam reached the state finals by beating up on its competition. The All-Stars opened the tournament with a 13-3 victory over Batavia in the first game of pool play, and then they downed Geddes 15-2 in the second game.
Chris Hamilton led Rotterdam during pool play. Hamilton belted a triple and three singles against Batavia, and then he launched two home runs and a single against Geddes. Cullam added a home run and a double in the Geddes game.
Rotterdam continued its dominance in a 16-6 semifinal victory over Pearl River. Laventure hit three homers, while Kyle Jasenski and Tyler Struffolino each added a double and two singles. Hamilton allowed two hits over the final 5.2 innings to pick up the victory.
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