BEVERLY — The way manager Mike Lovett and his Middleton Little League all-star coaches see it, their squad has not one, but two ace pitchers.
They’ll both be rested and ready to go later this week when the town goes for its first ever District 15 Williamsport all-star championship title.
Hunter Katz, a nearly 6-foot right-hander, showed why he’s one of those aces Sunday afternoon at Harry Ball Field. He limited Danvers National to just one hit over five innings and struck out a dozen to power Middleton to a 2-0 victory in the winner’s bracket final.
After a dramatic 1-0 triumph over Boxford Saturday in extra innings and Sunday’s second straight shutout win, Middleton has advanced to the District 15 title game, where it would have to lose twice to be knocked off the top of the heap. A victory Thursday or Friday against the winner of Tuesday’s Boxford/Danvers National game would advance Middleton on to the sectional tournament for the first time.
“Hunter is a big kid who gets on top of you fast from that short distance. But then he can mix it up with a curve to keep you off balance,” said Lovett. “Between him and (Noah) Alexander, we feel we’re in really good shape at the top of our rotation.
“We try to keep our kids loose, because these games can get stressful,” he added. “It’s young kid baseball; you never know what you’re going to get. So we want to make sure they’re having fun and enjoying the game.”
Kenny Blake of Danvers National nearly matched Katz pitch-for-pitch. He went the entire six innings and gave up just three hits (and only one after the 1st inning) while also striking out 12.
The Nats were hoping to ride the momentum of Saturday’s dramatic comeback win over Gloucester, in which Ty Gonzalez hit a two-out, two-strike grand slam in the final inning for the win. But Katz and the Middleton defense prevented them from doing so.
“We knew we were going up against a stacked pitching staff, one of the best in the region,” admitted Danvers National manager Ross Graham. “But we’ll face them again. We plan on facing them Thursday.
“Kenny was phenomenal; there was one bad inning with two balls that we probably should’ve caught. He held them without anything after that.”
All the scoring occurred in the top of the first inning. Alexander hit a one-out double that got past the center fielder and Vincent Ortins followed up with an RBI ground rule double to left. With two out and Ortins having moved to third via a wild pitch, he raced home on a dropped third strike as teammate Finn Buser reached first base safely.
“Our only hit Saturday was our walk-off winner, so it was good to get a few right away and score some runs,” said Lovett.
Middleton’s only other hit was another ground rule double, this one to center field by leadoff hitter Matty Antonelli.
Danvers National got its first hit in the bottom of the fourth when leadoff man Reece Goehlert drove an opposite field double to left, but he and teammate Ty Gonzalez (walk) were left stranded on the bases. In the bottom of the sixth, Ethan Graham led off with a walk and Danny Demoulias punched a single up the middle before Antonelli — a lefty who took over for Katz to start the frame — set down the next three hitters (including a strikeout) to earn the save.
One of those outs was an excellent reactionary play by Ortins from behind home plate, who sprang up and snared an attempted Danvers Nationals bunt out of the air. It was his second popup catch of the day.
“To be behind the plate back-to-back days in this heat for six innings and still pop up as quickly as he did to make that play, that was terrific by Vincent,” said Lovett.
Ross Graham, who said his team has to put the bat on the ball much better moving forward, said Boxford will be “no gimme” on Tuesday, but is confident with a deep pitching staff that his squad can throw strikes and prevail.
“We’re going to go have fun in the pool; these kids need to be 12-year-olds first,” he said, “then (Monday) we’ll get back to the grind.”