According to Harrison 10u baseball coach Anthony DiFiore, the Huskies’ recent run through the Little League District 20 tournament wasn’t only a valuable lesson in hard work, it could also come in handy a few years from now when his young ballplayers find themselves preparing for college entrance exams.
Harrison’s strong showing in the district tourney, which culminated in a 14-1 win over Eastchester on July 8, proved the team’s mettle—and possibly introduced the players to the term in the first place.
Harrison began the double-elimination tournament with three straight wins, outscoring its opponents 40-6 as it marched to the finals. But in a game against Eastchester on July 6, that momentum came to a screeching halt as the Huskies dropped their first—and only—game of the summer, falling 11-1 to the Eagles.
DiFiore said that the loss might have been the best thing to happen to the team, which went on to win three more games, including two straight victories over Eastchester to claim the tourney title.
“I think they thought they were invincible, but they got knocked down and baseball is a game that can knock you down a lot,” DiFiore said. “The kids came back, we started practicing and it was so fulfilling to see them pick themselves back up.”
DiFiore believes that the team’s ability to overcome adversity should be a teachable moment for his squad, and also pointed that out to the players’ parents as well.
“I sent the parents an email and said that it was going to be important for the kids to show that kind of fortitude after a loss,” he said. “And, I also said they were going to increase their SAT scores because they just learned what mettle was.”
With the July 8 win over Eastchester, Harrison earned the right to represent District 20 in the Little League Sectional tournament, which began on July 11 with a game against Cortlandt American from northern Westchester.
The winner of the sectional tourney will move onto the eight-team state draw.
“The kids are so excited to travel and play teams from outside the district,” DiFiore said. “And the response from the community has been great; I’ve gotten so many calls, texts and emails wishing us well.”
