Southampton - Thanks to fine pitching, clutch hitting and rock-solid defense, the Southampton Little League minor league all-star team had ventured where no squad in recent history had gone before – the District 36 championship game. The Mariners were upended by North Shore 6-1 at Flying Point Field on Thursday but they nevertheless laid down the building blocks for success in the future.

Southampton's Michael Finalbogo takes a swing during the team's meeting with North Shore.

The 9- and 10-year-old all-star team was consisted of a mix of the six minor league teams in Southampton Little League. Coach Hugh Beckman believed from the start that the local boys had a deep run in them.

"It was hard to pick the all-star team because there are a lot of good players," Beckman said. "The level of talent on this team was pretty consistent top to bottom. They played hard against each other all season, were picked on the all-star team and they all blended well together and played well."

Southampton needed to beat the North Shore team twice to claim the district title and got halfway to its goal by pulling off a 14-10 victory at Rocky Point. Aidan Roughan provided a big lift by going 2 for 3 and doubling twice to the wall. Roughan was also one of the team's top two pitchers along with Chad Pike. Devon O'Brien provided some pop in the batting order while Danny Beckman's ability to frequently get on base gave the opposing pitchers fits. Andrew Wesnofske and Michael Cenzoprano proved they could come through in the clutch with base runners on. Coach Beckman said the team showed great character throughout their tournament run.

Southampton started off the double-elimination tournament by eking out a 5-4 victory over Eastport in extra innings. It then knocked off Bellport 6-2 to set up their first meeting with the North Shore which ended in a 10-9 decision in the opponents' favor, even though the game was called prior to the sixth inning due to darkness.

Andrew Wesnofske takes off for third base but keeps an eye on the play at first.

One defeat away from being eliminated, the Mariners' backs were firmly against the wall after their next adversary, Shoreham-Wading River, went up 2-0 in the first inning of the ensuing game. Southampton not only held SWR scoreless the rest of the way but tallied six runs of its own to win 6-2.

"It was a good boost for them," Beckman said. "It showed they're capable of playing good baseball and winning from behind."

In their victory over North Shore to set up the championship game, Southampton trailed by a run heading into the sixth and final inning before putting five runs on the board and winning by a sizable margin. The last team to reach the district finals from Southampton consisted of many of the high school varsity players who steamrolled to the Suffolk and Long Island championships this past spring, and a few of those players' younger brothers suited up for the all-stars. At the next level of Little League play, the players will be eligible to play in the nationally televised Williamsport tournament.

"I think they saw that they're good baseball players and if they continue to play baseball, that's how you make the varsity team," Beckman said. "They've played a lot of baseball, continued through the years and had a really successful season. Hopefully these kids work hard so when they get to the varsity level they'll be able to compete at a high level."

The Southampton Little League All-Stars compiled a record of 4-2 and advanced to the District 36 championship game for the first time since 2001.