Westfield Little League North 11-Year-Old All-Star Jimmy Hagan leaps onto home plate for the game-winning run as the Whip City upset top-seeded, unbeaten Northampton at McDonald’s Field in Florence. (Photo by Chris Putz)
NORTHAMPTON – If anybody questioned the resilience of Westfield’s youth ball players prior to Friday night, they likely won’t again.
After the Westfield Babe Ruth 14-Year-Old All-Stars waged a comeback in their state opener, one of the city’s Little League teams overcame unlikely odds to earn a shot at the district title.
The Westfield North 11-Year-Old All-Stars knocked off unbeaten Northampton 3-2 in a dramatic eight-inning thriller early Saturday at McDonald’s Field in Northampton. The North advances to Monday’s championship against the South. The game will played at 3 p.m., followed by the North-South 12-Year-Old district title game at 6.
The drama unfolded amidst a nice following of area fans.
Jimmy Hagan led off the bottom of the bottom of the eighth inning with an infield single, and advanced to second base on a passed ball. Mike Nihill drew a one-out walk, and both baserunners moved into scoring position with a wild pitch. Then, Ryan Rix delivered the final dagger, a single to score Hagan from third for the game-winner.
“It felt awesome,” Rix said of the improbable victory. “Once I got back (to home plate), I couldn’t stop jumping up and down.”
”I was a little worried in the sixth inning,” Westfield’s 11-Year-Old Little Leaguer admitted. “But we came through and won.”
Things appeared a bit uncertain for Westfield, until the city’s north side Little Leaguers rallied for two runs in the fifth.
Westfield hit three consecutive doubles in the fifth – from Jack Masciadrelli, Nick Barber, and Joe Racco – to tie the game at 2-2. Barber and Racco’s hits each plated a run.
The pitching was dynamite for Westfield too.
Westfield North’s Spencer Cloutier and Hagan pitched a combined four-hitter. Cloutier struck out eight batters through four innings, and Hagan (4 Ks) allowed no hits in four innings of relief duty.
“The pitching was unbelievable by Cloutier, and Hagan – that was true grit,” Westfield North 11s manager Mike Nihill said. “This was not expected.”
Northampton entered the semifinal game having mercy-ruled every opponent in the tournament thus far, en route to compiling a 4-0 record.
“We just knocked down the giants. …It was an all-around team contribution from all ends.”
“I have to give credit to coach (Denis) Cloutier, he knew we were going to advance here,” Nihill continued. “He felt our guys had come a long ways in three weeks.”
Nihill said coach Cloutier and Jim Hagan were instrumental in the team’s upset victory.
It was the third straight win for the North (3-2).
