Pittsfield National League Wins 12-Year-Old Little League District Crown
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Pittsfield National Little League All-Stars showed their resilience Wednesday in a 5-4, come-from-behind victory over the Pittsfield AL in the District 1 12-year-old Championship Game.
Caden Frazier drove home Haywood Eurquhart to end the game in the bottom of the seventh inning as the NL claimed the title and denied the AL a shot at a winner-take-all game on Thursday night.
The NL came into Wednesday's game as the survivor of the winner's bracket. It already had one win over the AL from their meeting in the main draw over the weekend.
But it was the American League that grabbed a 3-0 lead on Wednesday at Olympian Field. And it had a 4-1 edge going into the bottom of the fifth inning.
That is when the NL rallied with a pair of home runs.
With two out and nobody on, Frazier reached with an infield single. Jake Risley promptly drove him in with a shot over the fence in left-center.
Logan Buendia followed with a homer to right field to tie the game, 4-4.
"These guys don't give up," National League coach Bryon Sherman said. "They hit the ball once in a while and pitch well when we need to."
After a scoreless sixth inning that saw the NL record an inning-ending double play thanks to shorstop Anton Lazits, the game went to extra innings.
Eurquhart closed the door on the AL in the top of the seventh with a pair of strikeouts wrapped around Andrew Watkins' infield single.
Sherman later said he felt confident going to the bottom of the frame with the top of his order due up, and that confidence was well placed.
Eurquhart led off by dropping a single down the right field line. Lazits followed with a single up the middle. Then Frazier singled on a 1-1 pitch and Eurquhart scored from second without a play at the plate to end it.
"Those guys played great," Sherman said, referring to the AL. "There's not an easy out in that lineup or an easy pitcher to face."
The AL used three pitchers on Wednesday night. Watkins got the start and went four innings before yielding to Brendan Stannard. Christian Marchbanks then came in and finished the game.
Buendia got the start for the NL and came up with two big strikeouts to get out of a jam in the top of the second.
Patrick Rindfuss drew a leadoff walk, and Stannard and Watkins followed with free passes to load the bases with nobody out. Buenida got the next batter to swing at strike three. First basemen Riskey then fielded a grounder and threw to catcher Frazier for the force at the plate, and Buenida ended the threat with another of his nine strikeouts.
"In Little League baseball, that was a huge deal — nobody out, bases loaded, getting out of that jam," Sherman said. "This team can put runs on the board quick, the Americans, and getting out of that was critical. This game's not going to extra innings if we don't get out of that inning."
The American League put three runs on the board in the top of the third. London Steinman reached on a two-base error, and Leo Arace singled up the middle. Then Rindfuss homered to left to put his team up, 3-0.
The NL got one back in the third when Frazier drove in John Monahan.
But the AL re-established its three-run lead in the top of the fourth with a solo homer from Steinman, setting the stage for the NL's fifth-inning comeback.
The Pittsfield National League will host the first round of the state tournament next Wednesday against the winner of District 2.
Tags: championship, little league, youth sports,
