The Westfield Babe Ruth 13-Year-Old All-Star team celebrates one of a whopping 30 runs as they pounded Worcester 30-3 Tuesday to stave off elimination for the third straight game. Westfield advances to play Pittsfield in the state championship Wednesday at 3 p.m. (Photo by Chris Putz)
WORCESTER – There was a heat advisory in effect for most of the region Tuesday, but the Worcester-West Side Babe Ruth 13-Year-Old All-Stars team is the one who should have been warned.
Westfield pounded out 26 hits in a 30-3, 5-inning mercy-rule drubbing of Worcester-West Side Tuesday afternoon in near-100 degree temperatures at Logan Field to stave off elimination and advance to the state championship. The championship will be played Wednesday at 3 p.m.
“Everyone came together and hit,” said Westfield pitcher Austin St. Pierre, who excelled from the mound and at the plate. “Our defense too. We all did our job today.”
St. Pierre scattered four hits through 3 1-3 innings, allowing just two runs. He also went 6-for-6 with a triple, 4 RBIs, and four runs scored. But the list of players who contributed was aplenty.
Sean Moorhouse (4-for-4, 2 walks, 5 RBIs), Ari Schwartz (double, 3 RBIs), Noah Murray (double, 3 RBIs), Scott Walsh (double, 2 RBIs), Anthony Clark (double, 2 RBIs), Tommy Smith (double, 2 RBIs), J.D. Huntley (3-run triple), Jake Colapietro (2-run double) were some of the biggest contributors at the plate.
Westfield, after hitting six runs across in the second inning to take an 8-0 lead and exploding for 12 more in the third, starter Pierre gave way to reliever Tommy Smith in the fourth. Smith proved equally as effective on the mound. After yielding an RBI sac-fly – charged to St. Pierre – he allowed just one more hit, a one-run single in the sixth.
It was the third straight win for Westfield, who lost its opener in the double-elimination to Pittsfield in an error-plagued affair. Since that game, the Whip City has seen its hometown team survive one must-win situation after another.
In Monday’s game, Westfield rallied from a 4-2 deficit to take a 9-4 lead against Leominster before having to hold off their hard-charging opponents for a slim 9-8 win. Center fielder Ari Schwartz had to track down a long fly ball with the bases loaded and two outs to preserve the win. In that game, St. Pierre stole home plate, a run that proved to be the difference at the end.
On Tuesday, the outcome was a bit pre-determined earlier in the game.
“We just crushed the ball,” Schwartz said. “Everyone did their best and got hits.”
Westfield moves on to play its long-time nemesis Pittsfield. Pittsfield has routinely defeated this Westfield team in tournament play each of the last three years, defeating the Whip City once last year in the Little League 12-Year-Old All-Star sectionals, and beating them twice the year before that in 11-year-old postseason competition.
If the Whip City’s All-Star team can finally defeat Pittsfield on Wednesday, a second and decisive game will be played shortly after to decide the championship. Both teams could likely meet again in the regionals, beginning July 26 at Bullens Field, where Westfield will serve as the host team.
“We’re not overly talented, but we have a lot of heart. It’s fun to work with these kids,” Westfield manager Mike Smith said.
So let the fun bunch continue on.
