PITTSFIELD, Mass. – One day after a performance that left head coach Matt Stracuzzi wanting more, Pittsfield answered the challenge in convincing fashion.

 

Behind a dominant outing from PJ Garner, timely hitting throughout the lineup and a defense that made every big play it needed to, Pittsfield rolled to a 13-3 victory over Dalton on Friday to sweep the best-of-three District 1 Championship Series.

 

The win was exactly the response Stracuzzi hoped to see after speaking with his team following its previous game.

 

“I kind of challenged the kids [Thursday],” Stracuzzi said after the win. “I don’t think we played that well yesterday. I thought the first inning [Friday]] we played okay, but from the third inning on, I thought they played to their capabilities. They played as good as we can play. They hit the ball well, their heads were in the game.”

 

Pittsfield wasted little time setting the tone.

 

Knox Daniels opened the game with a single before Garner crushed an RBI triple into the gap to give Pittsfield an early lead. Luca Bassi followed with an RBI groundout to bring Garner home, and after Henry Chevrier doubled and Caleb Tierney singled, Pittsfield had Dalton on its heels before Camden Duma escaped the inning with a strikeout and a fly out.

 

Garner immediately carried that momentum to the mound. Dalton put two runners on with singles from Finlay Storti and Weston Dietlin in the bottom of the first, but Garner stranded both runners with help from his defense. After a walk loaded the bases with two outs, Jayson Haskins lined a ball toward center field that Daniels tracked down for a terrific catch to end the inning and preserve Pittsfield’s 2-0 advantage.