Baseball: Darkness makes Little League teams co-champions

The championship game was ended because of darkness, and just like that, the Riverhead Little League Major Division had two champions.

After Riverhead PBA and Flexim took a scheduled six-inning game to eight innings, only to still be tied at 7-7, umpires called an end to the proceedings at Stotzky Memorial Park because of darkness on Monday night. That left the two teams as co-champions.

Flexim coach Mark Stark, who is a Riverhead Little League board member, said he had never before been a part of a co-championship in all his years with the league. “I was involved in little league as far back as the ’90s and I don’t remember this ever happening,” he said.

Riverhead PBA scored two runs to take a 7-5 lead in the top of the eighth, but Flexim answered back in the bottom half when K.J. Duff’s shot to right field plated two runners to even the score at 7-7.

Photo caption: Members of the Riverhead PBA and Flexim teams celebrate their Riverhead Little League Major Division co-championship together. (Credit: Bill Landon)