Little League All-Stars in district tournament
BY STEVE SHEPPARD INDEPENDENT SPORTS EDITOR
In the second round of Little League district tournament play, Nantucket played South Plymouth at Plymouth Sunday afternoon but was turned back, 7-0.

MICHAEL GALVIN/The Independent Will Ferreira attempts a bunt during last Wednesday's game against Sandwich.

Andrew Benson started the game for the islanders and struck out five. In two innings of strong relief work, Zach Moran struck out four.

The pitching was not enough to stem the South Plymouth tide, however, as Nantucket was limited to three hits - a double and single by Benson and a double by Vaughan Vittorini.

South Plymouth advances to the next round of the double elimination tournament that culminates in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa.

The Nantucket All-Stars, meanwhile, now look forward to various Cape and Islands tournaments that begin this weekend in Yarmouth.

FIRST ROUND ACTION

Andrew Benson homered over the right centerfield fence, but it wasn't enough to turn back Sandwich in last Wednesday's first round Little League district tournament game at the Delta Fields.

The Nantucket Little League All-Stars saw enough of Jordan DeBettencourt in the contest, as the Sandwich all-star struck out 13 and hit a solo home run to seal a 3-1 victory over the islanders.

For once, the game WAS as close as the score indicates.

Although Sandwich squeezed out a run in its first at bat, the solid pitching of DeBettencourt and Nantucket's Sean Davis prevented further scoring from either team through the next three innings.

Davis was aided by the strong defense of his teammates, including solid gems in the fourth and fifth innings. With runners on first and second and no outs in the fourth, Benson fielded a bunt and stepped on third to halt the runners' advance. Afly ball out to left fielder Jamie Topham was followed by a liner to first baseman Will Ferreira, who deftly snagged it to end the inning with no runs scored for Sandwich. (Oddly enough, the home team for this contest - the team with the most players, apparently, being the home team.)

The Nantucket defense put an emphatic stop to Sandwich in the fifth. After two runs scored on DeBettencourt's home run and an ensuing double and single, Kevin Rivera caught a pop behind second base. Another single put runners on first and second, but Benson turned a ground ball into a classic and well turned 5-4-3 double play to end the threat.

In Nantucket's next at bat, Benson homered with one out, but that was all the scoring the islanders

could muster. I