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VIDEO: Newark Nat'l powers its way to Little League Title

Newark National's Matt Theodorakis clubbed a leadoff home run, as his District II team repeated as Delaware State Little League Champions with a 2-1 victory over M.O.T.

Theodorakis took the 3rd pitch of the game from Spencer Harbert and deposited it just over the 245-foot wall in center field to put Newark up 1-0.

Joe Silan immediately followed with a double, and then scored on an RBI single by Clayton Hansen, putting Newark up 2-0 just three batters into the game.

The game then settled into a pitcher's duel between Harbert and Newark's Hansen. Hansen retired the first 9 batters he faced and 11 of 12 at one point. Meanwhile Harbert settled down after his rough start, striking out Theodorakis the other two times he came to the plate, two of his 9 strikeouts.

The game remained 2-0 until the bottom of the 6th, when M.O.T. mounted a rally off of Hansen, starting with a leadoff single by Jimmy Faragher. After a strikeout, Harbert then picked up a bad-hop infield single to put runners at first and third for Eric Schuar.

M.O.T.'s clean-up hitter made solid contact, but Theodorakis was able to track it down in centerfield, forcing Schuar to settle for a sacrifice fly that cut the lead to 2-1. Hansen was then able to retire Vincent Green with his 10th strikeout of the game to send Newark back to the Mid-Atlantic Regionals for the 2nd straight year.

Hansen allowed just 5 hits over his 6 innings of work, he did not allow a walk in his 10 strikeout performance. Harbert was nearly as good, pitching 5.2 innings before hitting the pitch-limit, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits while striking out 9.

Hansen, Theodorakis, and Danny Miller will return to Bristol, Ct. for the second straight year with a team that lost in a tight semifinal game last year, just 2 wins away from going to Williamsport.

The win is Newark National's 7th Little League Title dating back to 1957, and it marks the first time the program won back-to-back crowns. M.O.T. was denied its 4th title in 6 years.

Newark is scheduled to open regional pool play Friday morning at 11am against the District of Columbia champions from Northwest Washington.