BANGOR- Bryson Kail fired 5.2 solid innings on the mound on Tuesday morning, and Dubois (PA) got some timely hitting in defeating Oxford (MA) 3-1 in the Senior Little League East Regional Championship game at Mansfield Stadium. With the victory, the team from Pennsylvania caps off the regional with a 5-1 record and advances to the Senior Little League World Series in South Carolina that will begin this Saturday, July 26th.
Dubois scored a run in each of the first two innings and never trailed. Brody Knouse lifted a RBI sacrifice fly in the first, and in the second the eventual game winner was driven in by London Duncan who singled to leftfield. They extended their advantage to 3-0 in the fourth on a Wes Clyde RBI single. Oxford, who had won back to back elimination games to reach the final including a 7-2 victory over Dubois on Monday, had a chance to get back into the contest in the top of the fifth inning when they loaded the bases with two outs. Kail though was able to get out of it when he retired Xavier Higgins on a flyout to left. Oxford did get on the board in the sixth on a RBI single by Andy Collins, but Knouse who came in to relieve Kail retired Massachusetts in order in the seventh in helping to send his team to the World Series later this week.
Kail was charged with one run on four hits with two walks and three strikeouts in picking up the win for Dubois. Knouse gave up just one hit and struckout two while not walking anyone to get the save over the final 1.1 innings. Jack Statler and Nate Witherite had two hits a piece. Clyde from his leadoff spot in the order had one hit, one RBI, and scored a run. Jeff Guzman had two hits for Oxford, with Collins driving in their lone run of the afternoon. Jared Magnusson gave up three runs on six hits with four walks and four strikeouts in 6.0 innings in taking the loss on the hill. The team from Massachusetts finished their exceptional play in the regional as runner-up with a record of 4-2. Dubois, Pennsylvania opens up pool play in the first game of the Senior Little League World Series on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. in Easley, South Carolina when they take on Central Regional Champion Burbank American Little League out of Burbank, Illinois.
