Berkeley Senior League Falls to Holbrook

Last year, the Berkeley Little League Junior League team lost in the first game of the District 18 tournament.

It didn’t keep them down for long. The team fought through the losers bracket, beating Holbrook twice to win the district title and earn a trip to the sectionals.

That group is now Berkeley’s Senior League team. If they want to advance to the sectionals again, they’ll have to repeat that feat, after falling to the Holbrook Senior League team, 9-3, on Saturday evening at Leiter Field in a game that was twice postponed due to rain.

“Last year we had to win eight or nine games and had to beat Holbrook twice,” manager Harry Smith said.

This time, they would need three wins to repeat, starting with Manchester on Monday night in Brick. If they get by Manchester - who they rallied to beat 11-8 in their previous game - they would have to again beat Holbrook twice.

Saturday night Berkeley got behind early, trailing 4-0 after the first inning. Berkeley scored in the top of the fourth to make it 4-1, but Holbrook added a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 6-1 lead.

In the top of the fifth, Berkeley appeared poised to begin a comeback, as they had done in the win over Manchester, but Holbrook turned a double play on a single that Berkeley tried to stretch into a double on an overthrow. Holbrook was helped by a lot of luck, however.

“We hit the ball hard, but every one was at Holbrook, and they made the plays,” Smith said, noting that Holbrook’s hits found the holes.

It was a tough night, but Smith noted that the Berkeley players never gave up. In the top of the seventh, with Holbrook leading 9-1, Berkeley rallied and scored a pair of runs, and appeared ready for more before Holbrook brought in a new pitcher to seal the victory.

“We’ll come back,” one parent said afterward. “We did it last year.”

It’s that confidence that will allow Berkeley to do just that.