Pittsfield Babe Ruth 14s Top South Berkshire in Tournament
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. – Kevin Smith struck out 10 in a complete-game, four-inning win Wednesday as the Pittsfield Babe Ruth 14-year-old All-Stars knocked off South Berkshire, 16-, in the Western Massachusetts playoffs.
Smith gave up no hits as Pittsfield bounced back from Monday’s loss to Westfield and improved to 1-1 in the three-team round-robin to determine who goes to Sunday’s Western Mass final at Bullens Field.
Smith helped his cause by going 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI at the plate, and Jonathon Parsons was 2-for-2 with a pair of RBIs in a 12-hit attack for Pittsfield.
The South Berkshire Knights worked a couple of walks against Smith in the bottom of the second, but he got the final out of the inning with a called third strike to leave runners at second and third.
“Smith pitched a gem,” Pittsfield coach Phil Bock said. “I’ve had him for the last few years in baseball, and you can’t get much better. He throws the ball extremely well. Very well controlled.”
His offense spotted him an 8-0 lead after batting around in the top of the first.
Jace Coco had an RBI double, and Parsons, Jack Wendling and Aiden Arseneau each drove in a run during the rally.
Smith then got his team back in the dugout by striking out the side in order in the bottom of the frame.
And Pittsfield effectively put the game out of reach with five more runs in the top of the second.
Bryce Hoff got things going with a leadoff single, and Smith and Parsons each drove in a run to help push the lead to 13-0.
Starting in the third inning, Bock got his reserves into action, pinch-hitting for five straight batters. The second unit produced two more runs, and Austin Decker doubled to right-center.
“I do not hesitate to put any man I have on my roster at the plate,” Bock said. “They’re very good players. Very happy for them. They all put their time in. They all show up. And they all work hard.”
Lincoln Fisher and Mason Bailey split time on the mound for the Southern Berkshire Knights, combining to strike out five while allowing 10 earned runs.
Southern Berkshire (0-1) will finish the round-robin phase of the tournament on Friday when it visits Westfield.
Westfield is sitting at 1-0 atop the pool standings after rallying for eight runs in the top of the seventh on Monday to beat Pittsfield, 11-6.
“We amped them up the last couple of days in practice,” Bock said. “I’m very proud of them. They work hard. We do double sessions every day and a couple of hours worth of hard practices. I’m very pleased with the whole squad.
“The other night, it was just four ridiculous errors on the infield and they scored [eight] runs on us. It was heart-breaking. But they battled back. They came to play today. They always do. Great group of kids.”
