East Hampton’s 11-and-12-year-old Little League all-star team, behind the three-hit pitching of Colin Grisch, whose 12th birthday it was, shut out the North Shore Nationals 4-0 in Rocky Point Thursday evening to advance to the District 36 final with Riverhead at Riverhead’s Stotzky Park Saturday at 10 a.m.
Grisch went the entire six innings in Thursday’s game. In addition to giving up three hits, he walked two and struck out 12.
East Hampton scored all its runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Scott Abran led off with a walk, after which Declan Balnis singled, putting runners at first and second for Rohan Keogh, who came through with a double to the fence that scored Abran with the first run of the game. Elias Wojtusiak, who bats sixth in the young Bonackers’ lineup, then doubled in Balnis and Keogh for 3-0. A sacrifice fly to right field by Ryan Balnis that plated Wojtusiak made it 4-0.
“Colin shut them down the rest of the way,” his father, John Grisch, the team’s head coach, said Friday, adding that North Shore had runners at second and third base with two out in the top of the second, but Finn Alversa, East Hampton’s second baseman, ended the threat, knocking down a ball hit his way and throwing the runner out.
Earlier on Thursday, Riverhead advanced to the district final by edging Sag Harbor 5-4 in a game that Riverhead won in the sixth inning. East Hampton defeated Sag Harbor 9-3 in pool play.
Colin Grisch won’t be available to pitch Saturday because he maxed out his pitch count Thursday. The elder Grisch said Friday that he probably would start Aidan Stone in the district final.
Saturday’s winner will go on to play for the county championship in a final four tournament.