PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- Cam Blake powered through five innings on the mound. His offense provided enough power to make sure that was all he needed to do to get the win.

 

Blake struck out 11 for the complete-game win as the Pittsfield Little League American Division 11-year-old All-Stars captured the county championship with a 17-1 win over the National Division on Wednesday at Deming Park.

 

Robby Bazinet went 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs, and Blake helped his cause with a pair of hits and three RBIs.

 

The big key was Blake’s performance on the mound, where he fanned seven of the last nine batters he faced and allowed just three hits and three walks.

 

“He was definitely on a short leash,” Pittsfield Americans manager Cory Bazinet said of Blake, who started the fifth inning with 68 pitches under his belt and finished the game with 84 pitches thrown. “We’ve got a lot of guys behind him to help out. But the entire team, including those [pitchers] are so confident with him.

 

“We just said, get out there. You’ve got the defense behind you. And he did really well tonight. We’re happy with that.”

 

The Americans’ offense got some help early when Sam Gyurjan reached on a leadoff error in the top of the first.

 

Kevin Konefal, Bazinet, Blake, Sebastian Herrera, John Mullen and Brenden Merwin followed with six straight hits. But thanks to running miscues, the Americans plated just three runs and stranded two when Nationals starter Connor Paronto recorded an inning-ending strikeout.

 

In the top of the second, Bazinet blasted a two-run triple to right that scored Mario Zerbato and Konefal. Bazinet then came home on an RBI groundout by Blake to make it 6-0.

 

They stretched their lead to 7-0 in the third when Mullen and Merwin pulled off a delayed double steal.

 

The Nationals then answered with their lone run off Blake in the bottom of the frame.

 

Cade Demary got things started with a one-out walk and went to third on Paronto’s two-out double off the fence in right-center. Aiden Underdown then drove home Demary with a single up the middle.

 

Blake got the next hitter looking at a called third strike to end the threat with runners at the corners.

 

Bazinet and Blake each drove in a run, and Bazinet scored from third on a pitch that got to the backstop to push the lead back to nine runs at 10-1, but the wheels really came off for the Nationals in the fifth, when the Americans scored seven.

 

An error with one out allowed Sam Glockner to reach base to start the rally, which ended when Merwin’s infield single scored Mullen to make it 17-1.

 

Needing three outs to end the game early in the bottom of the fifth, Blake got the first two batters swinging.

 

Paronto then worked a walk, but Cory Bazinet said that did not give him any thoughts of pulling the southpaw starter.

 

“When you’re up by that much … You know what, he gave up a walk to a very good hitter,” the manager said. “He pitched around that guy.”

 

The Pittsfield American Division’s 12-year-olds will look to make it a clean sweep of the county titles on Thursday when they take on the Nationals at 5:30 at Clapp Park. With a win, the Americans will win the double-elimination tourney; if the Nationals win, they will force a winner-take-all final.