County's Little League Teams Fall in Openers of Sectional Tournaments
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – It was a rough start for the Berkshire County contingent in the Little League sectionals for 10-year-olds and 11-year-olds on Thursday night.
In the 10-year-old bracket, both District 1 Champion Pittsfield and runner-up Dalton-Hinsdale lost on the road.
In the 11s, Pittsfield opened the tournament at home but dropped a 10-0 decision in four innings.
The good news is that all three teams live to fight another day in the double-elimination tournament, and all three will be close to home on Friday night in elimination games.
The 11-year-olds will be back at Deming Park at 5:30 to face the loser of Thursday’s game between the champions from District 2 and District 4.
Meanwhile, at Chamberlain Park in Dalton, Dalton-Hinsdale and Pittsfield will meet in a win-or-go-home game and a rematch of last week’s best-of-three district championship series.
The 12-year-old Section 1 Tournament, the next step on the road to Williamsport, Pa., gets underway on July 21 with District 1 Champion Pittsfield on the road.
11-Year-Olds
Rutland 10, Pittsfield 0
Unlike the rest of the county teams advancing to the sectional tournaments, Pittsfield’s 11s did not get to play in a district tournament.
Although they were able to schedule one scrimmage during the layoff between house league and sectionals, they struggled to find a rhythm, especially at the plate, in Game 1 of the tourney.
“The team we scrimmaged was a 12-year-old team, and we beat them,” Pittsfield coach B.J. Jefferson said. “So you think that would carry over and give them confidence to carry over.
“I mentioned the other day that [not playing in a tournament] is a gift and a curse. I tried to take advantage of not playing to prepare, to get my guys ready. And it just didn’t work out today.”
Rutland’s Luke Blanchard and Teddy Orlando combined on a four-inning no-hitter. Blanchard struck out seven and walked two in 3 and a third innings on the mound. Orlando got a swinging third strike for the final out of the game.
Starting pitcher Kooper Colon and PIttsfield played with fire and, for the most part, avoided getting burned in the first two innings.
Rutland collected four hits and two walks in those innings but had just one run to show for it. Blanchard led off the bottom of the first with a triple in the right-center gap but was erased when Pittsfield catcher Tayo LaFramboise scrambled back on a pitch in the dirt and fired to Colon covering home to make the play.
In the second inning, Pittsfield escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam when first baseman David Griesemer fielded a ground ball and threw to LaFramboise, who pivoted back to second baseman Nolan Coon covering first for a 3-2-4 double play.
“We came out well defensively,” Jefferson said. “That’s what I emphasized during practice: pitching, defense and teamwork. I knew we might struggle at the plate, and we did today. Kids were just too tight. They weren’t relaxed at the plate.
“I thought making a couple of those defensive plays would have loosened them up a little bit and given them a spark at the plate. But all the credit in the world to their pitcher. He threw the ball well, he threw strikes, he kept the ball down.”
Rutland’s one run came home in the first when Ryder Cook reached on a two-out walk, moved up on Weston Newell’s single and took third and home on pitches in the dirt to make it 1-0.
The way Blanchard was pitching, it looked like that might be enough.
But Rutland broke through for five runs in the third, helped by an infield error. And another error helped fuel the four-run rally that ended the game an inning later.
“Having this game under their belt might let them come back tomorrow and play a little better,” Jefferson said. “I feel that they will. I feel they’ll forget about today and realize that, hopefully, three weeks of practice wasn’t for nothing, to play two games.”
10-Year-Old
Westfield 4, Pittsfield 3
WESTFIELD, Mass. – Tyler Raposo singled to left to cap a two-out rally and give the District 2 Champions a walk-off win in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Four Westfield pitchers, led by Greyson Krause and Cooper Csekovsky, combined to strike out 11 and allow two earned runs in the win.
Luca Bassi doubled, and Thomas St. John and Grayson Christopher each drove in a run for Pittsfield, which tied the game, 3-3, in the top of the fifth when Knox Daniels scored on an error.
Bassi went three innings on the mound, striking out three, walking one and allowing one run. Daniels and P.J. Garner split the remaining innings on the mound.
Holden 6, Dalton-Hinsdale 0
HOLDEN, Mass. – Rowan Borowiec struck out seven in three innings of work on the mound and doubled in a pair of runs at the plate to lead the District 4 Champs to a win in their Section 1 tournament opener.
Finlay Storti and Jayson Haskins each had a single for Dalton-Hinsdale.
Camden Duma got the start on the mound for DH and gave up just two unearned runs in 4 and two-third innings of work. Murphy Duquette and Storti each took a turn in relief.
