SAUGUS — The District 16 Little League titlists will head to the Section 4 tournament next week undefeated … but they won’t go in unscored upon.
Peabody West put a scare into unbeaten Lynnfield in the championship game Thursday at Saugus’ Hurd Ave. Field. The Tanner City kids plated the first runs that the Pioneers allowed in their entire tournament, had a two-run lead after four and were tied headed to the sixth.
Lynnfield rose to the occasion, however, stringing together a few hits late in order to prevail, 5-3, and win the District 16 pennant for the first time since 2009.
“To play in front of this many people with a lot of cheering, that’s a lot of pressure and both teams played great baseball,” said Peabody West manager Shaun Coburn. “It was a great game and I’m really proud of our kids.”
A bases loaded single by Ben O’Hara broke a 3-3 tie with one out in the top of the sixth inning. Lynnfield tacked on an insurance run on a bases loaded walk; Peabody West reliever Connor Segee then posted back-to-back strikeouts to keep his team within two.
Lynnfield’s own relief pitcher, Luca Mandell, worked around a one-out double by Segee to retire the side and send the Pioneers (5-0) to next week’s Section 4 playoffs in Andover. They’ll be joined by Boxford, Reading and either North Reading or Billerica; that foursome will battle through round robin action and a championship game next Saturday to earn the right to advance to the Massachusetts Final Four (hosted by Hudson the last week of July).
“We’ve played Peabody West in the semis or finals every year since these kids were eight and every time it’s a competitive game, so we expected that,” said Lynnfield manager Chris Cavallo, whose team had previously outscored its opponents 40-0 in blitzing through the winner’s bracket.
The pitching of Lynnfield ace Nico Mandell was one of the reasons for that dominance. He struck out eight in four innings on Thursday, but walked four and also allowed two hits. Peabody West was patient but also aggressive in hitter’s counts, so Mandell hit the 85-pitch limit in the fourth and handed things over to his younger brother (who serves as his catcher as well).
“He’s one of the best pitchers in the state,” Coburn said of Nico Mandell. “We brought some of our older kids to practice to throw to us to get used to the velocity, and that helped. We came in with a pretty good plan.”
Tyler DeAmelio’s double in the first inning helped give Peabody West some confidence (even though he didn’t come around to score). Peabody broke the seal in the fourth after a pair of walks. DeAmelio dropped a perfect sac bunt and Robbie Stanziani followed with an RBI single to square the score at 1-1.
The go-ahead run came home when Jax Vallatini put the ball in play and Gaetano Fodera produced an RBI ground out to make it 3-1.
Trailing for the first time in the entire tournament, Lynnfield responded with a bases loaded walk and an RBI single by Matty Cavallo to get even, 3-3. Peabody’s Brayden Coburn made a nice running catch in center to keep it that way and end the inning.
“The boys showed some resolve there,” said Chris Cavallo. “We’d been winning by a lot early in the tourney, but we’re a gritty team that knows how to win close games, too.”
Brayden Coburn got the start for Peabody and held off Lynnfield’s powerful offense, scattering two hits over 2 2/3 innings. Manager Coburn opted to change things up in the third and Segee wound up going the last 3 1/3, mixing in a vicious curve to keep the Pioneers off balance.
Peabody West got no shortage of great defensive plays, especially 11-year-old Stanziani at shortstop. He prevented runs from scoring in the fourth with two excellent snags.
“Our left side was phenomenal between Robbie and then either Tyler or Will (Sabia) at third,” Shaun Coburn said.
After dropping the first game of the double-elimination District 16 playoff more than two weeks ago, Peabody West rattled off five straight wins to reach the championship round. West went deep into its pitching staff in order to get the job done and caught fire offensively as well. There was no shame is falling in a tight battle to a squad like Lynnfield.
“I think getting blanked in the opener lit a fire under the boys,” Shaun Coburn said. “They put in a lot of work over the last few weeks to get to this point, and they should be really proud of themselves.”