Council Rock Newtown advances to the Little League World Series: ‘It feels surreal’

Council Rock Newtown is going to the Little League World Series. The team from Bucks County won the Mid-Atlantic Region in Bristol, Conn., on Friday afternoon, defeating Washington, D.C., 5-1, to book its ticket to South Williamsport for the first time since 2005.

“It feels surreal,” coach Brad Hamilton told The Inquirer. “You don’t start out practicing with 7-, 8-year-old kids thinking, ‘Hey, we’re going to go to the Little League World Series.’ It’s a wonderful feeling.”

Though the game was moved up five hours to avoid a poor weather forecast, it was delayed twice due to rain — once in the middle of the third inning and again before the start of the fifth. But starting pitcher Saverio Longo was able to work through the delays and throw four innings of one-run ball.

Council Rock Newtown held a 2-1 lead as it emerged from the second delay, and in the bottom of the fifth inning, Ryan Uhl blasted a bases-clearing double for three big insurance runs. Holding a four-run lead, Tyler Neeld closed out the game calmly in the top of the sixth.

“I am super proud [of the team],” Hamilton said. “I think they’re a group of boys who genuinely love each other, and I think that shows on the field. To be honest, all the winning is great, but building the memories that will last them for a lifetime, as a youth coach, is why you get into it.”

» READ MORE: Council Rock Newtown is heading to the Little League World Series. Here’s what to know and how to watch.

Council Rock Newtown has won all 18 of its tournament games this summer. The team went 11-0 while winning its district and sectional tournaments, and last month they won four straight games in the Pennsylvania state tournament to claim the title. They continued their undefeated run in the regional round with three more wins, which included run-rule victories over Washington and Maryland earlier in the week before a more contested win on Friday.

Hamilton’s team lost in the state title game a year ago — and the season before that, they finished third. After falling short twice, this year’s success feels extra sweet.

“I think it was such a good lesson for these boys to just keep at it, because it gives yourself a chance that maybe something good might happen,” Hamilton said. “I think it’s a life lesson for them to hopefully hold onto that, ‘Hey, it might not go right the first time, but give it a few more tries and you never know what might happen.’”

So far, the third time is proving to be the charm.

Council Rock Newtown holds the longest winning streak in the country as it prepares for a homecoming in the Little League World Series, where the Mid-Atlantic representatives will open play on Thursday at 7 p.m. against the Southwest Region champion, Texas West. The team has the talent to make noise in the tournament, but Hamilton and his coaching staff will make sure their squad enjoys the experience regardless of what happens on the field.

“I want them to understand that it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Hamilton said. “Since 1953, 24 boys from Newtown have been able to step on that field. … I’m going to try to slow it down for them in the beginning, to really just absorb what they’re going through and try to just build that memory bank for them.”