Milford’s Lou Gehrig squad advances to District 4 final

MILFORD—The “we not me” philosophy of Lou Gehrig Little League manager Rob Hansen was on full display on Thursday in the District 4 12U baseball semifinals with every player on the team contributing to a one-sided victory.

Ethan Long went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored, Zach Worzel went 3-for-4 with two

RBIs and pitchers Declan Wywoda and Worzel combined for eight strikeouts to lead Lou Gehrig to an 11-1 win over Milford International at Ralph Clarkson field in a game that ended in the fifth inning due to the 10-run mercy rule.

Lou Gehrig will face Max Sinoway (North Haven) in the District 4 championship game on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Ralph Clarkson field.

“Going into this season we hoped for this kind of success,” Hansen said. “Our kids are battle tested and it’s not just one or two individuals leading us. The kids have all bought into the we not me philosophy, and just like today, every win has been a team win. (All 13) players on our team contributed today and they’ve been doing that all year long.

“Our bats are really heating up for us now and our pitching and defense have been solid. We’ve only allowed two runs in our last four games.”

In the first inning, Long drove in the game’s first run with an RBI single and Wywoda scored from third on a wild pitch for a 2-0 lead. Worzel had an RBI single in the second inning and Nolan McKenna-Hansen scored from third on a wild pitch in the third inning for a 4-0 lead.

“I’m excited for all our boys,” Long said. “We all worked hard for this moment. I was really pumped up for this game and it was great to be able to contribute to our win. It’s a great feeling to get to the championship.”

An RBI single by Milford International’s Cal Wrigley in the top of the fourth inning cut the Lou Gehrig lead to 4-1. But Lou Gehrig answered in the bottom of the fourth inning with four runs, including an RBI single by Long and two-run double by McKennaHansen, to take control with an 8-1 lead.

“We played one of our best games of the season today and we lost,” Milford International manager Pat Fallon said. “Our kids played great but they (Lou Gehrig) are a solid team. It just wasn’t our night.”

Lou Gehrig improved to 6-1 and Milford International fell to 4-2.