Westfield South first baseman Tyler Delgado, left, attempts the out on Pittsfield South baserunner Cedrick Rose during the first inning of Saturday’s sectional championship at Cross Street. (Photo by chief photographer Frederick Gore)
WESTFIELD – It took some time, but finally, some tough opponents caught Westfield’s Little League Baseball All-Star teams.
The Westfield South 12-Year-Olds fell in the sectional championship 9-2 to Pittsfield South Saturday afternoon at Cross Street Field.
Pittsfield pitcher Isiah Provencher tossed a five-hitter through 5 1-3 innings, and Drew DeMartino blasted a three-run homer late to put the game out of reach.
The North All-Stars were also eliminated from the sectionals, losing 17-0 at Holden.
In Westfield, the Whip City team jumped out to a 1-0 lead early with an RBI single from Tyler Delgado. After Pittsfield tied the game on Cedric Rose’s one-run double, Westfield reclaimed a one-run lead on an error in the outfield. But their mighty opponent never relented.
In the bottom of the second inning, DeMartino hit a bleeder up the middle to help Pittsfield reclaim the lead, 3-2.
Westfield tried to answer back with runners at second and third with one out in the top of the third. But after a trip to the mound by a Pittsfield coach, starter Provencher settled down and struck out two batters to end the inning.
“We were getting baserunners on base,” said Westfield South manager Mike Raposo. “We just couldn’t come up with the one or two big hits that we’ve come up with throughout the tournament. Their defense shut us down.”
“They made diving catches on our line drives. Every time we would come up with something, they had some big defensive plays to shut the door on us.”
The baseball Gods must have answered the Pittsfield prayers in the third inning as a leadoff hit, bloop single, and bunt single loaded the bases before a wild pitch and error allowed two more runs to score. Westfield was looking up at a 5-2 deficit.
In the bottom of the fourth, Pittsfield nearly sealed the victory on Kyle Crocker’s potential three-run blast that went about a foot left of the foul pole. Instead, Crocker hit into a 4-6-3 double play.
But in the bottom of the fifth, DeMartino’s three-run homer was well within the foul posts, traveling deep over the center field fence for a 9-2 advantage.
Provencher recorded a strikeout for the first out of the sixth inning, before giving way to reliever Jack Cooney. Adam Kearing managed a two-out double against Cooney, but he was left stranded at second base.
“The kids have a lot to be proud of,” said Raposo, whose team has finished in the top eight in the state for the last two years. “It’s tough to see it come to end, but the kis have nothing to hang their heads about.”
11-YEAR-OLD ALL-STARS
Holden 17, Westfield North 0
Westfield managed just two hits – one each from Jimmy Hagan and Cade Bradley – in a shutout loss on the road. For the North, it was their second loss in the double-elimination tournament, signaling the end of their postseason run.
