Hitting can be contagious … and lately, everyone for Peabody West has caught the bug.
Peabody West’s bats stayed hot on Tuesday night and the 12-year-old Little League Williamsport all-stars avenged their only loss of the summer with a 12-2 victory over Winthrop in the District 16 semifinals at Swampscott Middle School.
After dropping their first game of the double-elimination tournament, Peabody West has rattled off five straight victories to earn a chance to play for the District 16 championship. They’ll need to beat an unbeaten juggernaut Lynnfield team that’s outscored its opponents 40-0 in order to do so starting Thursday at Saugus (5:45), with the if-necessary game scheduled for Friday.
Winthrop actually jumped ahead by two runs in the top of the first Tuesday, but Peabody West answered right away to tie things up after one complete inning. Peabody then took the lead on a 2-out RBI single by Jaxson Vallatini in the third and exploded for nine runs in the fourth to put the game away.
Doubles by Will Sabia and Brayden Coburn (RBI) helped kick off the big inning, during which Peabody West sent 11 hitters to the dish and recorded six hits. Jake Kalliandis kept the train moving with a single, Connor Segee added an RBI single, and Vallatini plated the game-finishing runs with a bases loaded double (extending the lead to 10 and ending the proceedings via Little League’s 10-run rule).
Robbie Stanziani threw all four innings for Peabody West, settling in after the first inning and finishing with four hits allowed and eight strikeouts. Going the distance could help keep more of his team’s pitchers available for the championship round against Lynnfield as well.
In all, Peabody West finished with 12 hits. Vallatini had a huge night, going 2-for-2 with four RBI, while Sabia was 2-for-2 and drove in a pair. Also hitting safely were Segee, Tyler DeAmelio (2 runs), Stanziani (run scored), Coburn (run scored) and Kalliandis. Louie Ippolito reached and scored a run, and Dylan Giacolone scored and posted two RBI.
Peabody West now aims for its first District 16 title in three years, while Lynnfield hasn’t won the flag since 2009.