Westfield North right fielder Kevin Palluck, front right, crosses home plate after a home run during Sunday’s game against Westfield South. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
WESTFIELD – It was certainly a hot, tense atmosphere for spectators and players alike at Paper Mill Field Sunday, as the Westfield South 10-11 year old Little League All-Stars geared up for a rematch of the first game of the All-Star tournament season, when they lost to their North counterparts 4-1.
Sunday’s contest served as a bit of revenge for the South squad, as they would stave off a North rally with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning to win 4-3, bumping their record to 3-1 for the round-robin tournament, now tied with North.
South immediately pounced on their first series of at-bats, when a Colin Scanlon RBI double off of North starting pitcher Ethan Flaherty gave the Blue team a 1-0 lead.
North responded in the bottom half of the first frame with a solo home run from right fielder Kevin Palluck to tie it up. However, a diving Tony Torres grab in centerfield to rob catcher Ryan Moorhouse of a hit, followed by a Jack Lamirande strikeout at the hands of South starter Tanner Koziol, effectively stamped out the potential for any further damage from North.
The second inning saw offensive production from Torres as well, as the centerf ield spitfire’s top of the second double set up a David Roundy sac fly which sent the speedster home, putting South on top once again 2-1, a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the afternoon.
Westfield South’s Matt Pelletier, left, slaps the tag on North baserunner Walter Figeroa. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
Meanwhile, the potent bats of North began to falter in the sweltering Paper Mill heat, as Koziol settled in and struck out two North batters in the second to get his team back in scoring position.
The game went back and forth up until the final frame, with each team displaying some slick glove work in the field to prevent the opposition from scoring.
The top of the sixth saw a new North pitcher enter the contest, as Palluck left his post in right field to take the mound, and proceeded to load the bases, setting up Torres to deliver what appeared at the time to be a knockout blow, another RBI double to give South a 4-1 lead.
With their dugout hooting and hollering like a den of hyenas, South brought Scanlon in from shortstop to close North out and even the season series.
The North squad engineered a mini-comeback of their own in a feverish attempt to win or send the game into extra innings.
After hitting North center fielder Walter Figueroa between the shoulder blades with an errant fastball, Scanlon calmed down and mowed down the next two North batters.
Westfield South’s David Tirrell delivers to a North batter during Sunday’s Little League 10-11 year-old All-Stars game at Paper Mill Field. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
Following a Figueroa stolen base, North first baseman Mason Collingwood pounced on an off-speed Scanlon pitch for an RBI double, bringing Figeuroa in from second. A Will Cameron double sent Collingwood home, bringing North within one run of extending their afternoon and creating more breathing space in the standings.
But Scanlon fanned North third baseman Jack Masciadrelli in the next at-bat to stamp out the North rally and preserve South’s 4-3 victory over their cross-town rivals.
After the game both coaches were gracious, in both victory and defeat.
“Both teams played great defense,” said North coach Brian Burke, before highlighting his own team’s performance. “Jack Lamirande played great at short, and Ryan Moorhouse did a fantastic job behind the plate.”
Burke’s South counterpart, coach Mike Raposo, was ecstatic with his team’s victory.
“All twelve of our guys worked real hard this week,” he said. “Our last two wins against Northampton and Agawam have helped us get in a good rhythm for this one. Our bats really came alive.”
No bat came up bigger on the afternoon for South than that of Tony Torres, whose efficiency at the plate (2 for 3 with two runs batted in on two doubles) accounted for half of his team’s run production for the day.
When asked of his day at the ball field, Torres was modest.
“We played good,” he said. “Last year, I played all stars for South and lost to them twice. But the team came together today. We wanted to get this win.”
