HHH Little League Team Finishes Undefeated

The Half Hollow Hills 8-year-old team is the new District 34 Gold Medal Champion.

The boys went into Saturday’s decisive game undefeated, 12-0, but Commack South, also undefeated going into the championship, would prove to be Hills’ toughest competition yet.

Pouring the work they’ve put in all season into the final game, the two top seed teams laid their hearts out on the Ostego Park field.

It was a close match up, but by the sixth inning, Hills was down 1-3 with 2 outs and 2 strikes. Hills wouldn’t accept defeat this game though. The team made a major recovery scoring 3 runs to take back the scoreboard and bring home the gold. The boys won the championship with a score of 4-3.

There’s no lack of talent among the Hills boys, but the key to their successful season is teamwork, manager Rick Goldstein said.

“Throughout season they have played as a fantastic team. If one kid had a bad day, another would help him out,” he said of the players. “No kid won or lost. All of the kids came together and had a dream season.”

Most of the boys have played together for a full year and their opponents expect a tough came when Hills is on the field.

The boys took home the bronze medal last season as a 7-year-old team, defeating teams a year older than them.

While the boys have a history of winning, this year proved to be their most successful.

“This has been our best season yet,” Goldstein said. “Just going undefeated was really something and then to come from behind on Saturday... To see the boys after that last was run scored, all of them jumping up and down, was awesome.”

“We really came together as a team and they’re just 11 great kids,” he added.