McLaughlin Leads Quality Printing to Dalton-Hinsdale Little League Title
DALTON, Mass. -- Sam McLaughlin struck out nine on the mound and tripled in a pair of runs in a game-ending fifth-inning rally Saturday as Quality Printing walked off with a 12-2 win over Crosier Electric in the Championship Game of the Dalton-Hinsdale Little League tournament.
McLaughlin went the distance on the hill, allowing just four hits and one earned run.
But it was still a close game going to the bottom of the fifth, when Quality Printing batted around and scored seven runs, the last coming in when Brodie Kelley-Smith drew a bases-loaded walk.
McLaughlin went 2-for-2 on the day and walked twice, reaching base and scoring every time he went to the plate. Aidan Hagmaier went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and three RBIs to help the cause.
After striking out a pair and working around two hits in the top of the first, McLaughlin led off the bottom of the inning by walking. He moved up Brody Ziemba’s infield single, stole third and came home with a steal on a throw back to the pitcher to make it 1-0.
It stayed that way until the bottom of the third as Crosier starting pitcher Ben Westlake retired seven in a row -- five by way of strikeout.
But McLaughlin hit a one-out single in the third and ended up coming home on Hagmaier’s single to right to double Quality’s lead.
In the fourth, Crosier pulled even.
Jacoby Vincellette led off by reaching on an error and came all the way around on a combination hit and error off the bat of Westlake, who ended up on third. Jackson Crow brought Westlake home with a single to center to knot the score, 2-2.
Westlake (seven Ks) ran out of steam in the fourth as Quality rallied for three runs.
An error and a pair of walks loaded the bases with two out, and Crosier turned to Vincellette to try to put out the fire.
But Ziemba and Hagmaier each worked an RBI walk for Quality, and a ball to the backstop allowed the third run to come home as the designated home team went ahead, 5-2.
In the top of the fifth, McLaughlin gave up a leadoff walk but then settled down to get the next three hitters on a bunt, a swinging third strike and a bounce back to the mound to preserve the lead.
Quality Printing took advantage of five walks in its game-ending rally. Eli Todd had an RBI single to go with extra-base hits by McLaughlin and Hagmaier.
More photos of this game to come.
