Berlin Little League Falls to Washington, D.C. 7-6 in Heartbreaking Mid-Atlantic Regional Opener
By Brian Hradsky | Maryland Sports Blog
Berlin Little League came painfully close to opening the Mid-Atlantic Regional with a victory Sunday, but a late Washington, D.C. rally sent Maryland into the elimination bracket.
Capitol Hill Little League scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to erase a three-run deficit and defeat Berlin, 7-6, Sunday morning at the Little League East Region Headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut. The game was the opening contest of the 2026 Little League Baseball Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament.
Berlin entered the tournament representing Maryland after winning the state championship and immediately showed it belonged on the regional stage.
Berlin Builds an Early Lead
Maryland took advantage of Washington pitching problems early.
Berlin scored its first three runs on bases-loaded walks, putting pressure on Capitol Hill before the Maryland bats began contributing additional offense.
The lead grew in the fourth inning.
Jonah Isett delivered a sacrifice fly to extend Maryland’s advantage to 4-1. Cooper Smith followed with an RBI single, giving Berlin a commanding 5-1 lead.
At that point, Berlin appeared to have control of the game.
Washington began cutting into the deficit, however, and entered the fifth inning trailing 5-3.
Berlin answered once more.
Cole Brown drove home another run with a sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth, extending Maryland’s lead to 6-3 and giving Berlin three outs worth of breathing room before the game dramatically changed.
D.C. Storms Back
Capitol Hill mounted the decisive rally in the bottom of the fifth.
Washington capitalized on Maryland defensive mistakes and scored four times in the inning, turning a 6-3 Berlin advantage into a 7-6 Capitol Hill lead. Little League’s official recap also credited D.C. with completing the comeback behind the four-run fifth inning.
Berlin suddenly found itself trailing for the first time at the most difficult possible moment.
Maryland still had one final opportunity in the top of the sixth and managed to put the potential tying run in position, but Capitol Hill escaped the threat and preserved the one-run victory.
The loss dropped Berlin to 0-1 in regional play, while Capitol Hill improved to 1-0.
Maryland’s Road to Williamsport Gets Tougher
The Mid-Atlantic Regional is a double-elimination tournament featuring the state champions from Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania along with the Washington, D.C. representative.
Berlin’s loss does not end Maryland’s run, but every game from this point forward becomes an elimination game.
Berlin will face Delaware champion Naamans Little League of Wilmington on Monday, August 10 at 5 p.m. Pennsylvania defeated Delaware 8-1 in Sunday’s other opening-round game.
The winner of Maryland-Delaware will advance to Thursday’s elimination game against the loser of Tuesday’s Capitol Hill-Pennsylvania matchup.
The Mid-Atlantic championship game is scheduled for Friday, August 14 at 3 p.m. The regional champion advances to the Little League Baseball World Series in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
A Difficult Loss, But Plenty to Build On
For Berlin, this one will sting.
Maryland held leads of 5-1 and 6-3 and appeared positioned to take control of the winners bracket before Capitol Hill’s late comeback.
Still, Berlin showed plenty of positives.
The offense consistently created scoring opportunities, Maryland received production throughout the lineup, and Berlin demonstrated that it can compete with one of the strongest Little League programs in the region.
Isett, Smith and Brown all produced important runs, while Berlin’s approach at the plate helped Maryland build an early four-run advantage.
The biggest challenge now will be putting Sunday’s loss behind them quickly.
There is little time to dwell on it.
Berlin returns to the field Monday with its Little League World Series hopes on the line.
One loss remains available.
Another would end the run.
For Maryland’s state champions, the road to Williamsport just became considerably more difficult — but it is far from over.
Final: Washington, D.C. 7, Maryland 6
Up next: Berlin Little League vs. Naamans Little League (Delaware), Monday at 5 p.m. in Bristol, Connecticut.
