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DARIEN, Conn. Perry Pierce has been involved with the Darien Little League for 32 years and this year might be his most memorable.
Pierces team won the District 1 softball championship Monday with a 10-0 victory over Easton-Redding. It's the third straight district title for Darien, but the first for Pierce. Having his daughter, Brittany, on the team made it even better.
It nice to be able to carry the banner to Darien, said Pierce, whose team begins the Section 1 tournament Thursday against Fairfield in Shelton. Weve had a lot of banners for Darien. Now to be able to put ours up there is great.
Pierce is a Little League lifer, starting out as scorekeeper and umpire after his playing days were done. In 1992, he managed a boys team that came within an eyelash of winning the district championship. We lost to North Stamford on a home run that hit the foul pole, Pierce said. The night before that we scored 25 runs. That was the closest Ive come to a team winning the district before.
Over the years he has served Little League a lot of capacities. Currently, he is the assistant district administrator to Westons Scott Miller. They are among the men chiefly responsible for coordinating the baseball and softball tournaments for players ages 9 to 14 from Greenwich to Ridgefield.
Pierce enjoys his administrative duties, but managing the district champions is a bigger thrill. His squad could even be a contender in the Section 1 tournament. Darien rolled through the district tournament undefeated and has a deep pitching staff. Sophie Barbour pitched a one-hitter in the District 1 clincher, while Aislin Florio, Kristen Picard and Julia Mazzotta also saw time in the pitchers circle.
With a nice blend of hitting, defense and experience, it will be interesting to see how Darien fares against its Section 1 opponents. It will be a great test for these girls, Pierce said. I know theyll give it their best.
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