Everett Little League Williamsport all-stars drop District 12 opener to Charlestown

By Joe McConnell

The Everett Little League 11-12-year-old Williamsport all-star team dropped its first game in the District 12 portion of the tournament to Charlestown at Langone Field in the North End last Friday night (June 27), 7-1. It was a game, however, that could have gone either way, according to manager Kevin Blatt. Blatt’s team is made up of mostly 11-year-olds – eight to be exact – with the remaining four on the roster consisting of 12s.

“We’re a little younger than the other teams in the district,” said Blatt. “But this team is capable of doing everything well. We have good pitching, hitting, defense and speed.”

If there’s anything that can be said of the team’s youthfulness, the probable returnees for next year’s Williamsport roster will have that necessary experience to handle the pressures of this granddaddy of all youth baseball tournaments.

Angel Baca (11), Logan Salie (11), Giovanni Blatt (11), Jason Oliveira, Jr. (12). Joshua (O’Neil) Santana (11), Denzel Reyes (12), Lorenzo Papa (11), Jovani Namey (11), Kayaki Battle (11), Albert Yan (12), Niko Kotsiopoulos (11) and Symon Golden (12) are this year’s Williamsport all-stars from Everett. Billy Kotsiopoulos and Jimmy Schaefer are Blatt’s assistant coaches.

Oliveira, one of the team’s oldest players, was Monday night’s starting pitcher against Dorchester at Sacramone Park after press deadline. The Everett 12-year-old hurler was looking to lead his teammates into the win column to avoid being eliminated in two straight games.

In the game against Charlestown, Blatt had nothing but praise for his team’s ability to never give up. “The kids really continued to fight throughout the entire game,” he said.

Everett had runners on base in every inning, but didn’t break through until the bottom of the sixth, when Papa scored on a bases loaded walk. In that frame, Kotsiopoulos was robbed of a grand slam by the Charlestown centerfielder, who snared the ball as it was heading over the fence to end the game.

“If (Kotsiopoulos) connected on that grand slam, we still would have been trailing by two, but we would have had the momentum on our side with the heart of the batting order coming up,” said Blatt.

Battle, Salie and Kotsiopoulos all had hits for Everett against Charlestown. On the mound, Kotsiopoulos pitched five solid innings, throwing the requisite amount of 85 pitches – Little League pitch count rules. The Townies scored three runs each off Kotsiopoulos in the third and fifth innings, while still fanning seven times against him. Baca followed him to the hill in the sixth inning, and struck out three sandwiched around a single and a run.

The Everett boys showed off their speed in this game with five stolen bases from the likes of Battle, Salie, Papa, Blatt and Yan.

Everett had to beat Dorchester on Monday night to remain alive in the tournament, and if that was the case they were back on the diamond on July 2. Another win gives them a few days off to celebrate the Fourth of July holidays, before resuming the road to Williamsport on July 7. Opponents beyond Dorchester to be determined, as District 12 teams begin eliminating each other.