Millers, Thunder Win Berkshire Adult Baseball League Titles
 |
The Berkshire Thunder and GB Millers each swept their way to Berkshire Adult Baseball League titles over the weekend.
At Wahconah Park on Sunday, the Thunder edged the Dalton Moneymakers, 6-5, to wrap up their best-of-three championship series in the 33-and-over division of the BABL.
The Thunder, which won the opener, 6-1, on Saturday, got a strong pitching performance from three different players in Game 2.
Joe Bateman, Cory Hillard and Seamus Morrison combined to allow just two earned runs in the title clincher.
Hillard got the win with four innings of work in relief, scattering four hits and allowing all five runs -- three unearned as the Thunder committed four errors behind him.
Morrison gave up a hit in the seventh but picked up the save by not allowing a run.
At the plate, Johnny Goodnow and Jake Barbarotta led the Thunder's offense, each collecting two hits and two RBIs.
For Dalton, Frank Filbrick went 3-for-3 with a double, and Tim Healey was 2-for-4 with a triple in Sunday's loss.
For the 2023 league champion Thunder, it was its fifth league title.
In the BABL's 20-and-over division, the Millers beat the Housatonic River Monsters by scores of 5-3 and 13-3 over the weekend.
After the River Monsters advanced to the final with a 17-0 win over the Berkshire Bandits in a weather-delayed semi-final on Saturday, the best-of-three final got underway on Sunday morning at Memorial Field in Great Barrington.
The Millers rallied for three runs in the sixth inning to erase a 3-2 deficit and take the win in the opener.
Tyler Spofford and Oliver Cookson each homered in the win. Cookson went 2-for-3 at the plate and scored a couple of runs.
Dick Dumas and Brian Rodriguez splt time on the mound for the Millers. Rodriguez struck out five and allowed just one hit and no runs in 2 and one-third innings to earn the win in relief.
For Housatonic, Hunter Potash struck out six and allowed four earned runs in a complete-game loss on the mound and helped his cause with a home run.
In the nightcap, Spofford homered again and went 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Anthony Lupiani earned the win on the bump with four innings of work.
