WESTFIELD, Mass. – A frustrating day ended in a frustrating manner for the Pittsfield Babe Ruth 13-year-old All-Stars on Friday: with the bases loaded and nobody out in the top of the seventh.

 

Pittsfield failed to convert on that opportunity or several others as Connecticut State Champion Bethel earned a 7-1 win in the opening game of the New England Babe Ruth Regional at Bullens Field.

 

The designated visitors faced a tall order going to the seventh down by six runs, but they got a lift when pinch-hitter Alex Woo started the inning with a single up the middle.

 

Jake Knauth and Mateo Herrera (3-for-4 with a double) followed with singles to load the bases. But Bethel reliever Alex Martin got a strikeout, a fly ball to short left and a groundout to the right side to end the threat.

 

The three seventh-inning hits gave Pittsfield an 8-4 advantage in hits and upped its number of runners left in scoring position to six.

 

“It’s tough when you outhit a team, eight to four,” Pittsfield coach Francis McKeon said. “You should win nine times out of 10. And unfortunately, today was that day that we just didn’t win the game.”

 

Bethel struck first in the bottom of the first, taking a 1-0 lead without a base hit.