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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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Berkshire Force 12Us Make Final Day of New England Regional

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires.com Sports
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Olivia Archambault threw three innings of no-hit ball Saturday to lead the Berkshire Force 12Us to a 13-3 win in a must-win game at the Babe Ruth Softball New England Regional.
 
The victory, Berkshire’s second of the day, keeps the Force alive to take another crack at the Stamford, Conn., Stars on Sunday at 10 a.m. at the Doyle Complex on Benedict Road.
 
Archambault, Lilly Pudelko and Tori Blanchard had two hits apiece in Saturday’s elimination game against Windham, N.H., which the Force ended in the bottom of the fourth inning via the run rule.
 
“We had to play a third game for the day,”  Force coach Mike Lodowski said. “They came back and they put it on these guys to get out of here, get some rest and come back tomorrow and fight hard.
 
“That’s a tough team we’re playing tomorrow. We’ve got to get through it. But all our players have played great.”
 
The Force began bracket play on Saturday morning with a 12-4 win over the Windham Wildcats.
 
Kaylana Altman went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs, and Archambault tripled twice and drove in two runs in the victory.
 
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