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Pittsfield American League All-Stars Win 12-Year-Old District Crown

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires.com Sports
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- The Pittsfield American League 12-year-old All-Stars pounded out 14 hits in just three innings to win Thursday’s Don Gleason District 1 title game.
 
But that was only half the story.
 
And, to hear the team’s coach tell it, it wasn’t the biggest reason the Americans are headed to next week’s sectional tournament in Amherst.
 
“You’re not going to win this tournament unless you have pitching,” Skutnik said. “Last year’s group, the 11-year-old group, had some pitching. Then you take the 11s that were up with the 12s last year and combine it together, and I really thought we had a nice group that would do OK.
 
“You need pitching to win this tournament.”
 
On Thursday night, Owen Salvatore delivered all the pitching his needed an 11-0 win over Dalton-Hinsdale that ended after 3-½ innings.
 
The southpaw allowed just one hit and struck out five, including the final out of the game with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth.
 
Offensively, the Americans did all their damage in the third inning.
 
Dalton-Hinsdale starting pitcher Ryan Adams pitched around five hits to keep Pittsfield off the board in the first and second.
 
Adams helped himself by fielding all three outs in the second. First, he snagged a bunt with runners at the corners, faked a throw to first and then turned and got the runner trying to get back to third.
 
Then, with the bases loaded and one out, Adams snagged a line drive up the middle and threw to third to double off the runner and retire the side.
 
“We hit the ball,” Skutnik. “We hit a couple where they made good plays. That’s going to happen. We tried to be aggressive on the bases, and sometimes that can cost you.
 
“But they stuck it out. I was waiting to see what happened the second time around.”
 
The Americans had the top of the order up to start the third, and Nick Brindle got things started with a single up the middle.
 
He and all eight of his teammates in the lineup reached and scored as the Americans went on to score nine runs before they made their first out.
 
Antonio Scalise and Salvatore each delivered a two-run single, and Scalise added an RBI double. Brindle and Ben Jacob each scored twice, the latter coming home on Cam Sime’s infield single to make it 11-0.
 
Skutnik said this year’s edition of the Pittsfield American Leaguers has the same makeup as the program’s past highly successful squads. But he also is realistic.
 
“You never know,” he said. “When you get into this next round, the competition ramps up considerably more than is here.”
 
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BCC Wins Grant for New Automatic External Defibrillator

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) is the recipient of a $2,326 grant, funded by the Healey-Driscoll Administration, for the purchase of an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) device. 
 
The grant specifically covers a device for use inside one of BCC's security vehicles for easy access when traversing the campus.  
 
In total, the Commonwealth awarded more than $165,000 in grant funding to 58 municipalities,
13 public colleges and universities, and nine nonprofits to purchase AEDs for emergency response vehicles. The program is designed to increase access to lifesaving equipment during medical emergencies, when every second matters.  
 
An AED is a medical device used to support people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest, which is the abrupt loss of heart function in a person who may or may not have been diagnosed with heart disease. An AED analyzes the patient's heart rhythm and, if necessary, delivers an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help the heart re-establish an effective rhythm.  
 
"Immediate access to AEDs is vital to someone facing a medical crisis. By expanding availability statewide, we're equipping first responders with the necessary tools to provide lifesaving emergency care for patients," said Governor Maura Healey. "This essential equipment will enhance the medical response for cardiac patients across Massachusetts and improve outcomes during an emergency event."  
 
The funds were awarded through a competitive application process conducted by the Office of Grants and Research (OGR), a state agency that is part of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS).  
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