Below is a submission from the Wilmington 12U District All Star Baseball Team:
WILMINGTON, MA — The Wilmington 12U District All Star Baseball Team had a very strong showing in the District 13 Little League Tournament this season. The team was made up of 12 players who earned the opportunity to represent Wilmington after a strong spring season. The team entered the tournament knowing there was very strong competition having played in the tournament the past two seasons.
In Game 1, the Wildcats defeated Wakefield 1-0 in extra innings. Zach Stroud dominated on the mound pitching seven shoutout innings. The hurler had 13 strikeouts and allowed just three hits and no walks. Jake Russell, Deacon King, Tyler Noble, Jack Quinn, Luca DiCenso, and Joe Langone all had a hit for Wilmington. Nick Collins had a great at bat with a walkoff walk with the bases loaded to win the game in the 7th inning.
In Game 2, Wilmington faced Billerica at Boutwell Field. After Billerica took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, there were no runs scored by either team for the next two innings. The Wildcats headed into the bottom of the 4th inning down 1-0. Declan Riley led off the 4th with a double into the gap. Joe Langone followed with a double of his own to tie the game 1-1. Luca DiCenso then singled giving the Wildcats a 2-1 lead. Nick Collins then hit a 2-run home run over the fence in centerfield to give the Wildcats a 4-1 lead. From there, the Wildcats never looked back. Joe Langone pitched a strong 4.1 innings allowing one run on six hits while striking out six. Luca DiCenso closed the game out with 1.2 strong innings of relief. Owen Daly, Jake Russell, Zach Stroud, Deacon King had key hits as well. Logan Drane had a great at bat earning a key walk. The Wildcats won the game 4-2 to improve to 2-0 in the tournament.
Heading into Game 3, the Wildcats knew that one more win would likely be needed to advance in the four-game tournament. Andover prevailed in this game with a final score of 15-1. This meant that the Wildcats would need to win against North Reading at Rotary Park on Sunday, 7/6, to advance to the playoffs. In the previous season, North Reading won District 13 going undefeated. Wilmington knew this game was going to be a big challenge.
Wilmington jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Nick Collins had an RBI groundout scoring Declan Riley. In the 4th inning, Luca DiCenso hit a home run over the fence in right field. RBIs by Joe Langone and Jake Russell extended the lead to 4-0 after the 5th inning. Zach Stroud commanded the mound once again with 5 outstanding innings. Stroud allowed one run on seven hits and had five strikeouts. Joe Langone closed the game out on the mound in the 6th inning to preserve the 4-1 win. The team played an excellent defensive game with John Boland and Tyler Noble making key defensive plays. Declan Riley led the offensive attack with three hits including a double and a triple. Riley also did an outstanding job at catcher in this game and throughout the tournament including a big caught stealing play at second base in the 6th inning. Owen Daly and Tyler Noble also had key hits in this game to contribute to a big win.
The win over North Reading gave the Wildcats a 3-1 record in pool play. Wilmington finished as the #1 seed in the pool!
In the semifinals, The Wildcats lost to Acton Boxboro 4-0 while facing the top pitcher in the entire tournament. With that said, this game did not take anything away from the amazing accomplishment the boys had this summer. This team put Wilmington Little League Basketball back on the District 13 map. What they accomplished will be cherished and remember by all!
- Row 1: Jake Russell, Joe Langone, Declan Riley, Zach Stroud
- Row 2: Jack Quinn, John Boland, Nick Collins, Luca DiCenso, Logan Drane, Tyler Noble
- Row 3: Coach Jim Russell, Coach Joe Langone, Deacon King, Owen Daly, Coach Dave DiCenso, Coach Jason Riley
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