Toms River East Little League Takes On PA, Aims For World Series

BRISTOL, CT — One win, and they're in.

The Toms River East Little League all-stars can clinch a trip to Williamsport for the Little League World Series with a victory Thursday night over Pennsylvania in the Mid-Atlantic Regional tournament in Bristol, Connecticut.

It would complete a quest that Toms River teams have had annually since the 1998 Toms River East team won the World Series and made Todd Frazier a household name as a 12-year-old.

First, however, the current team of 12-year-olds has to beat the team from Upper Providence Little League. The game is set for 7 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.

Because the international teams are unable to travel to Williamsport due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Little League World Series is taking the top two teams from each region.

Toms River East comes into the game having given up just one run in its first two games in Bristol, and unbeaten during its all-star season this summer. And while there is a Frazier on the roster — Carson Frazier, son of Todd's brother Charlie — the team gets contributions from throughout its lineup. On Monday, it was Max Miko who drove in all three runs in the win over Maryland.

Toms River East will need solid pitching Thursday against a Pennsylvania team that has put up 16 runs in two games in the Mid-Atlantic Regional.

Upper Providence beat Washington, D.C. on Sunday 5-1, and New York 11-3 on Monday and has six players who are batting .500 or better in the two games.

Upper Providence had one loss in its journey to the Pennsylvania state championship, the Pottstown Mercury reported. In the second game of the state tournament, the team lost to Greencastle. Upper Providence then beat Greencastle twice to become the Pennsylvania champions.

The loser of Thursday night's game will play Delaware on Friday evening in the elimination bracket final. Delaware, which lost to Toms River East 3-0on Sunday.

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