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Updated June 22, 2024 11:10PM

Coco’s Walkoff Hit Propels Hot Dog Ranch to PIttsfield Little League Title

By Leland BarnesiBerkshires.com Sports
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- Carmelo Coco drove in the winning run in the bottom of the sixth as Hot Dog Ranch rallied from behind for the walkoff win in the championship game of the Pittsfield Little League on Friday.
 
Sawyer Layne struck out eight hitters in three innings on the mound and hit a game-tying homer to lead off the sixth as Hot Dog Ranch took a 4-3 win over East Side Cafe to decide the first title of the newly unified Pittsfield LL.
 
East Side Cafe took a lead early at Clapp Park when Hector Reyes drove in a pair of runs with a shot to center field to make it 2-0.
 
Hot Dog Ranch threatened in the bottom of the frame with a walk and a double, but East Side's Mike Ressler (eight strikeouts) ended the threat with back-to-back Ks.
 
In the second, Layne took away two hits from East Side Cafe with back-to-back fielding plays, and his offense rewarded him right away.
 
Troy Choquette drove in a pair of runs to tie the game after three.
 
In the fourth, Choquette moved to the mound with the bases loaded and got out of the jam to keep it a 2-2 game.
 
In the sixth, East Side Cafe's Jeremiah Bullett hit a deep drive to left field for a ground rule double. And Mateo Herrera drove him home with a single to give his team a 3-2 lead.
 
Hot Dog Ranch ended the inning with a defensive gem, getting a runner hung up on the base paths before throwing home for the final out, keeping it a one-run game and setting the stage for the sixth-inning heroics.
 
Layne hit a 3-2 pitch over the fence to tie the game, 3-3. Hot Dog Ranch then got a pair of singles and a walk ahead of Coco, who ended the game with his walkoff hit.
 
After the game, Hot Dog Ranch coach Matt Mazzeo had a message for his 12-year-olds moving on after this season.
 
"Good luck in Babe Ruth, guys," Mazzeo said. "You're all All-Stars."
 
An earlier version of this story misidentified the player with the game-winning hit. 
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Safety Solutions Proposed for Berkshire Mall Intersection

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — A speed bump and traffic mirror have been proposed at the reportedly problematic intersection of Old State Road and the Berkshire Mall entrance.
 
Last week, abutters approached the Select Board with concerns about drivers ignoring stop signs and speeding through the area. Target owns its building and is the lone business left on the property.   
 
"When you turn into Old State Road, our driveways are right there," Judy Bennett said. "Nobody stops, nobody slows down to come around that corner. They go faster and that's where someone is going to get hurt."
 
Carl Bennett added, "We are taking our lives into our own hands when we pull out during the day."
 
The Old State Road bridge connects the mall and Old State Road to Route 8. Abutter Pauline Hunt would like to see it closed entirely, making the Connector Road the access point from Route 8.
 
"That entrance isn't necessary," she said.
 
"It's chaos. There's an entrance over by the bike path that would serve everybody, there would be no problem, and there are lights at the end of it, it's a dream to get into there. I don't see the reason that chaos is there."
 
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