BRISTOL, CONN. – Council Rock Newtown’s 12U All-Star team is headed to Williamsport and the Little League World Series.

During a rainy Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship game on Friday, the Newtown boys defeated a combative Washington, D.C. team to win a trip to Williamsport and a berth in the 2024 Little League World Series.

“The kids, the families and all of Newtown are just happy,” team manager Brad Hamilton said of Friday’s win. “We’ve had great support from Council Rock Newtown and all of the Little League and Cal Ripken teams we play against. All of Bucks County has been endlessly supportive. It’s been a great experience for all of us.”

The weather played a major role in Friday’s match, as rain forced the referees to move the start time forward from the original 3pm to 10am. Despite this, the teams faced off in torrential rain at times, which led to two lengthy play interruptions.

While Newtown had clearly beaten the Capital Hill Boys 13-1 last Sunday, the wet rain conditions at Friday’s game resulted in the “big equalizer”.

Newtown’s star pitcher Saverio Longo started the game strong with his fastball and some good breaking balls that exploded in the catcher’s glove. He struggled a bit in the rain as the weather conditions made it difficult to keep his hand and the ball dry.

The Council Rock Newtown 12U All Stars are Pennsylvania State Champions.

The score remained 0-0 until the end of the third inning, when Newtown’s Brody Gage scored on a bouncer from Will Siveter behind the mound into center field, giving Pennsylvania its first point of the game.

The Capital Hill Boys, who ESPN commentators say have a knack for surviving games, answered in the fourth when Reese Tony hit a double to send Brady Thomas home and tie the game at one-and-one.

The turning point came in the bottom half of the fifth, when Council Rock Newtown
Bases and Ryan Uhl hit a base-clearing double to put Newtown’s score up 5 to 1, ending the game in the sixth inning and Tyler Neeld sending the Capital Boys back to Washington, DC.

Brody Gage scored two runs for Newtown and Brayden Peiffer, Rocco DaBronzo and Tyler Neeld each scored one run. Saverio Longo pitched the first four innings and Neeld finished the game on the pitcher’s mound.

The team’s play on Friday “is consistent with their style of play so far – very consistent,” Hamilton said. “They know that outside the white lines they can have fun and be themselves. But once they’re between those lines they have a switch they can flip to get the job done, which is really impressive for a group of 12-year-olds.”

“That speaks for them because they are good friends. The chemistry between them is right. And they know when it’s time to get to work,” Hamilton said.

Pennsylvania entered the Mid-Atlantic Games 3-0, defeating Washington 13-1 on Sunday and Maryland 11-1 on Tuesday to extend its record of 17 games undefeated heading into Friday’s final.

They will arrive in Williamsport on Saturday with an impressive record of 18-0.

“This is the dream of every little boy playing in his backyard,” Hamilton said. “I told them, ‘You are experiencing something that millions of children have grown up with.'”

Their 2024 12U season began with an undefeated run in District 30. Council Rock Newtown competed against six local teams and won the District 30 title with a score of 8-0. The team completed an undefeated run in Section 6 with a score of 3-0.

Following their Section 6 win, the boys traveled to Newville to compete for the state championship as one of the top 8 teams. Council Rock Newtown faced tough competition from across the state and took the state title with another undefeated streak that saw them finish 4-0.

Most of these guys started playing together in early elementary school. They then started their all-star careers in 10th grade where they finished a solid 3rd at PA State.
Tournament.

In 2023, they competed as 11U All-Stars and were able to see the PA championship game, but finished the season as the PA state runner-up. After their 2nd place finish in 2023, this team was determined to return in 2024 to aim for the top spot and thus move closer to their dream of a World Series appearance.

Council Rock Newtown Little League 12U All-Stars

Brayden Peiffer, No. 8
Brody Gage, No. 22
Dean Hamilton, No. 10
Gavin Caudill, No. 6
Greyson Gage, No. 5
Nick Schiller, #17
Rocco DaBronzo, No. 99
Ryan Uhl, No. 12
Saverio Longo, No. 20
Tyler Neeld, No. 11
Tyler Wexler, No. 30
Wes Esteves, No. 3
Will Siveter, No. 1

manager: Brad Hamilton
trainer: Doug Peiffer and Kyle Neeld