BEVERLY — He pitched masterfully. He scored the game’s only run.
And when Jake DeLeo struck out the final batter of the game looking on a blazing fastball, he and his teammates accomplished what no other Boxford Little League all-star team had done beforehand.
Boxford blanked Beverly, 1-0, Wednesday night at Harry Ball Field to capture the District 15 Williamsport championship for the first time ever. They went a perfect 7-0 in district competition and outscored their opponents by a whopping 65-6.
“You’ll hear me say it again and again and again: pitching and defense win baseball games. That’s what we got tonight,” Boxford manager Paul DeLeo said.
“Thank God my son was my son tonight,” he added of his child’s pitching prowess. “That’s him: a fastball with zip, curveball, a good changeup. He’s about as good as they come from around here.”
Jake DeLeo allowed just two hits — a pair of singles to right by Beverly’s No. 2 hitter, lefty Anthony Carney — didn’t walk a single hitter and struck out seven. He also fielded six comebackers to the mound and needed just 61 pitches to earn the complete game triumph.
With the historic victory, Boxford advances one step closer to a Massachusetts Little League crown. They’ll take part in the Section 4 tournament that begins in Andover next week, with the winner of that four-team tournament advancing to the state’s Final Four in Holden the last week of July.
“The boys have put in a lot of hard work for sure; no one works harder and no one’s more prepared that these boys,” said the elder DeLeo. “They fully deserve what they have.”
Runner-up Beverly, which finished 5-3 in District 15 play (including two losses to Boxford) but won two games in the double-elimation format in their last at-bat, got out of a bases loaded, no-out jam in the first inning and another bases loaded, one-out situation in the third. For the game, the Orange-and-Black watched their opponents leave 11 men on base in five innings Wednesday.
But they managed to get one runner as far as second base against DeLeo.
“We faced a true ace, an elite pitcher,” Beverly manager Andy Fox said. “Boxford’s a hell of a team that’s going to do very well (at sectionals).
“I’m really proud of this team,” added Fox. “They’re fighters and gave it everything they had; the left it all on the field.”
The night’s only run came in the bottom of the first when Jake DeLeo singled to center and his catcher, Harry Stevens, boomed a double to left-center to drive him home.
“They’re the best of buddies,” Paul DeLeo said of his son and Stevens. “They’ve been playing together for years and play on the same club team (Antonelli 12U Black). They just work really well together.”
Third baseman Brendan Foley had the other hit for Boxford, which walked eight times and saw another batter hit by a pitch. Center fielder Vincent Merullo made a nice line drive catch off the bat of Jameson Granfield to end the fifth inning as well.
Beverly third baseman Brendan O’Connell made a nifty catch in foul territory in the third inning, while Carney and reliever Ben Belanger combined to strike out 10 Boxford hitters.
“This run was three years in the making,” said Fox. “This group had a good run as 10-year-olds, made it to states as 11s and had a great run here. Now we’ll look forward to Babe Ruth all-stars in the future and keeping these boys together.
“They represented Beverly baseball and their community very well.”
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