Berlin advances to District 8 Majors Championship with offensive explosion

DELMAR, Md. – Berlin took down Delmar 10-0 in four innings on Thursday to advance to the Maryland Little League District 8 Majors Championship.

Berlin’s offense started early and never let up, opening up a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. James Runkles expanded the lead to 4 with a solo home run in the bottom of the third.

An RBI single from Cash Foster made it 5-0 in the fourth, then starting pitcher Jackson Booher followed with an RBI single that scored a second run on the throw to make it 7-0. With his third hit of the day, James Runkles made it 10-0 and ended the game with a bases clearing double.

After the game, Berlin Manager Mike Gaylor praised his team’s all-around performance, saying, “We hit the ball well today. Pitching was outstanding. The boys ran the bases very well today, and defense was on point. So, that’s a recipe for success right there.”

Gaylor noted a couple of individual standouts: “Jackson Booher pitched a nice game there. James Runkles–the boy’s hitting the ball good, he’s seeing it well. All the way around, top to bottom, these boys hit very well.”

Berlin will play the winner of Delmar/West Salisbury on Tuesday, July 8 with the District 8 Championship on the line. Because Berlin is unbeaten in the double elimination tournament, their opponent will have to win two consecutive games for the title, while Berlin will only need one.