Below is a submission from the Wilmington 12U Bay State Baseball Team:
WILMINGTON, MA — The Wilmington 12U Bay State Team completed an amazing season by winning the Pacific Division. After losing their first eight games of Bay State, the team then went on amazing run by winning their next nine games. This included four wins where the team was behind in the 4th inning or later. The team then advanced to the Bay State Trophy Weekend.
In the league semifinals against Andover, the Wildcats got the bats going early in the first inning with 4 runs right off the bat. This included key hits by Joe Langone, Jake Russell, Luca DiCenso, Zach Stroud, and Jack Quinn. The Wildcats continued the offensive attack in the second inning with a base hit by Zach Stroud which scored Jake Russell and Luca DiCenso. In the third inning, John Boland drove in another run with a sacrifice fly after key hit be Jack Quinn and Bruce Callahan. In the field in that inning, a key play was made by Josh King in leftfield on a fly ball which saved a run. In the 4th, Luca DiCenso drove in Jake Russell for the 8th and final run of the game. Overall, the offensive attack was led by Jake Rusell and Jack Quinn who had three hits each. Zach Stroud commanded the mound with a complete game shoutout. Stroud struck out 11 batters while giving up just 5 hits and no walks. Declan Riley had an outstanding game at catcher. This win advanced the Wildcats to the championship game against Stow.
In the championship game, the Wildcats faced Stow who was the #2 team in the division. Earlier in the season, the Wildcats had defeated Stow in a clutch 9 inning extra inning win. The Wildcats got on the board in the second inning on an RBI single by Bryce Callahan which scored Nick Collins to give the team a 1-0 lead. Stow tied the game at one in the top of the third inning on a RBI groundout. In the bottom of the inning, the Wildcats regained the lead on a bases loaded walk by Zach Stroud scoring Jake Russell. From there, the Wildcats bats went quiet for the next few innings. Joe Langone pitched a complete game allowing 3 runs on 6 hits and no walks. The team trailed 3-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning. The team had one last chance to win the division title. Nick Collins led off the inning with a leadoff single. Owen Daly then followed with a single of his own. John Boland stepped up to the plate win one out and runners on first and third. Down 0-2 in the count, Boland got a clutch base hit scoring Nick Collins to tie the game. Blake Kelleher then was hit by a pitch to lead the bases with one out. Joe Langone stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. Langone got a clutch base hit to centerfield to win the game.
The Wildcats were crowned as champions following the game. This capped off an amazing season of baseball. The next day the team traveled to Myrtle Beach for a tournament. The team completed against strong club teams from Kentucky, North Carolina, And Pennsylvania, and Virginia. The team had a 2-5 record in this tournament against very strong competition.
It was an amazing summer of baseball for the 12-year-old boys! The coaches are very proud of their accomplishments!
Front Row: Declan Riley, Joe Langone, Bryce Callahan, Josh King, Jake Russell, Zach Stroud
Back Row: Luca DiCenso, Jack Quinn, John Boland, Owen Daly, Nick Collins, Blake Kelleher
Coaches: Jim Russell, John Callahan, Dave DiCenso, Joe Langone, Jason Riley
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