The Freehold Township Little League 13U team remains confident about its chances in the Intermediate 50/70 Baseball League World Series in Livermore, California, despite losing its first game to the team from Danville, California, 3-2, on July 30.
Freehold Township would need to win all of its remaining games in order to capture the World Series championship, beginning with its contest scheduled for Aug. 1 against either the Hawaii or Indiana team.
The team’s recent history backs up the believe it can accomplish that.
In the Eastern Regional tournament in Commack, New York, the team lost early in the tournament by a 5-4 score to the Commack Little League team on July 23, putting Freehold Township in an early do-or-die situation. Freehold Township had to beat New York’s Gates-Chili Little League team on July 24 just to have the opportunity to play four games in two days in order to win the tournament.
Freehold Township defeated the Keystone, Pennsylvania, Little League team, 7-5, in its first game on July 25, before beating Commack, 12-9, later that day.
The win meant the team had to beat Maryland twice on July 26 to win the regional tournament. Freehold Township bested Maryland, 13-1, in the first game, and 12-2 the second game to win its bid to the World Series.
Now the team will have to rally again if it wants to win the World Series. Manager Jeff Gorman believed in his players then, and certainly does now.
“We are a resilient team,” Gorman said. “The boys know they let one get away [July 30], and they are not done playing baseball. We asked them if they wanted to go out and enjoy California on their day off. They said, ‘No! We want to practice today, scout our next opponent and get ready for tomorrow.’ That’s how I know they are ready for this moment.”
