Pittsfield Nationals, Americans Roll in County Little League Tourney
PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- The Pittsfield Little League American Division and National Division All-Stars set up a rematch in the county tournament on Sunday with convincing wins on the first day of the double-elimination tournament.
Jay Codey went 5-for-5 with a home run and a pair of doubles in the Americans’ 23-0 win over Dalton-Hinsdale on Myron Gray Field at Clapp Park.
In the nightcap, the Nationals’ dispatched Great Barrington, 10-0, in four innings as Jaskson Almeida contributed a homer and a double.
The two Pittsfield squads will meet again on Tuesday at 5:30 for a berth in the county final. Dalton and Great Barrington will play each other to stay alive in the elimination bracket on Monday. All games are at Clapp Park in the 10- to 12-year-old tournament.
Pittsfield Americans 23, Dalton-Hinsdale 0
The Americans came into Sunday’s games as the tourney’s No. 1 seed after last week’s round-robin tournament, and they wasted no time backing up that claim.
After Codey stranded a runner at second in the top of the first, his offense gave him a three-run cushion in the bottom of the frame.
Codey helped his own cause with a one-out single up the middle to get things started.
Matt Egan, Mitch Hall and Andrew Hamill each added a hit in the rally. Hamill’s single to right drove in a pair of runs to make it 3-0.
But the Americans were just getting warmed up.
They batted around in the second, an inning highlighted by a two-run homer by Simon Mele (4-for-5) and a pair of doubles by Codey. When it was over, the Americans had a 14-0 lead after two innings.
Codey, meanwhile, allowed just one hit and struck out four before giving the ball to Egan with two out in the top of the third.
In the bottom of the third, the Americans tacked on nine more runs, getting nine hits, including Cody’s three-run blast to left center.
The game could have ended in the bottom of the third, but the teams agreed to play through the top of the fourth to give Dalton-Hinsdale a chance to get all its players an at-bat.
Egan struck out the side in order to finish the day retiring all four men he faced.
James Robuse’ first-inning double was the lone hit for Dalton-Hinsdale.
Pittsfield Nationals 10, Great Barrington 0
Quentin Christopher and Devin Reynolds combined to allow just two hits and strike out five in four innings of work to get the victory on the mound.
The Nationals built their lead a little at a time, getting a pair of runs in each of the first two innings before taking control of the game for good with a four-run third.
Reynolds had an RBI single in each of the first two rallies, and Almeida doubled and scored a run in the second.
Almeida delivered the big blow in the third, a two-out, two-run homer to left center.
Evan Roccabruna followed three batters later with a two-run double to left to make it 8-0.
In the fourth, the Nationals tacked on runs with a sacrifice fly by Morrie Fried and an RBI single by Aiden Anderson to end it.
As in the first game, the teams agreed to play one more frame to give the losing team a chance to get all its players into the lineup.
Ian Lanoue helped Great Barrington make the most of things with a leadoff double to ignite a four-run rally. Brady Kinna also had a hit in the inning.
