Adams Aces Take BABL 35-Year-Old Title
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DALTON, Mass. -- Gary Munson went 2-for-3 with a triple, and the Adams Aces exploded for nine runs in the third inning en route to a 12-2, five-inning win over the Berkshire Thunder to capture the Berkshire Adult Baseball League 35-and-over division championship on Thursday night.
The win capped a come-from-behind best-of-three title series win and gave the Aces their fourth crown in six seasons.
Cory Hillard got the win on the mound, overcoming a rough start to scatter four hits and allow no runs over the last four innings -- leaving the bases loaded in the fourth and fifth.
The Aces were behind, 2-0, before they came up to bat, but they took the lead in their second turn at the plate with a three-run second inning.
Jeremy Broadwell got the winning rally started with a double to left-center. After Dan Corbett drew a walk, Munson crushed a triple to right to drive in a pair of runs.
He ended up scoring on Chris Flynn’s sacrifice fly to make it 3-2.
The third-inning rally started with Scott Nimons’ one-out double and an RBI single by Pat Ryan.
The first of three errors in the inning then opened the floodgates. Broadwell, Munson and Hillard each had an RBI single before Corey Swistak’s two-run double to center put the game out of reach.
The Thunder, which topped the Aces in last year’s league final, got a quick start on Thursday.
Seamus Morrison worked a one-out walk in the first and went to third on D.J. Clark’s double. Paul McBride then dropped a single into right to score both runs and make it 2-0. Shawn Liccardi then drew a walk, and T.J. Hillard’s swinging bunt put two men in scoring position.
Cory Hillard then got the next man swinging to end the threat and strand the first two of 10 he would leave on base in the five-inning game.
In the top of the fourth, Dave Vidal’s single, a walk and an error loaded the bases with two out, but Hillard got the final out on a fly ball.
In the top of the fifth, Liccardi singled, and Corey Lehmuth and Livernay Vassallo each walked to load the bases again with two out, but Hillard recorded his fifth save of the night to end the game.
