Cherry Hill Makes US Finals In Senior League World Series

The following news release comes from the Cherry Hill Atlantic 16U baseball team, which will compete in the Senior League World Series in South Carolina. The team created a GoFundMe to help with travel, lodging and meal costs.

The Cherry Hill Atlantic 16U team earned a thrilling walk-off victory in its second game of Senior League World Series, beating South Carolina, 6-5, on Tuesday, Aug. 1 thanks to a game-winning hit by Austin Hanni and three-and-a-third scoreless innings pitched by reliever Aiden Ryder. Tristan Perry, Andrew Bechtel and Ryder each added multiple hits in the game, played in Easley, South Carolina, that featured four lead changes and a raucous crowd.

The win puts the 15-year-old and 16-year-old boys from Cherry Hill in the finals of the U.S. bracket, scheduled for this Friday, Aug. 4 at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN+. The winner of the U.S. bracket of this World Series tournament will play the winner of the International bracket to crown a World Champion.

“We’re exactly where we dreamed we’d be when this ride began in Cherry Hill,” said Team New Jersey Manager Christian Carkeek. “We have put ourselves in the best positon to win a tournament that has the best Senior League teams in the world.”

The Cherry Hill team, representing New Jersey and East region, got to the World Series by winning the East Region Tournament in Bangor, Maine. Before that, they won tournaments in Cherry Hill, Wildwood and Old Bridge.

The team has won 16 out of 17 postseason games this summer, powered by strong pitching and a barrage of hitting.

This team is made up of boys from Cherry Hill Atlantic Little League and Cherry Hill American Little League; from Cherry Hill East High School and Cherry Hill West High School. Now they are united, and on a mission to keep winning.

“This is this team’s final tournament,” Carkeek said. “It’s the World Series. And we want to be the World Champions.”

The Senior League World Series is one of seven tournaments sponsored by Little League International.

Team members are Andrew Bechtel, Eric Brown, Brody Connors, Jimmy Farley, Kyle Fisher, Carter Gill, Brody Goldfarb, Mick Goldstein, Cole Haddock, Austin Hanni, Stephen Longo, Luciano Macri, Ryan Moyer, Tristan Perry, Aiden Ryder, Zach Salsbery, Manager Christian Carkeek, Coaches Chandler Dunoff, Ben Keating and Scott Burnham.

Here is a video recap of the game.