WESTFIELD, Mass. – The Southern Berkshire Knights 16-and-under Babe Ruth Baseball team Friday battled back from an eight-run deficit to put the tying run on third in the bottom of the seventh.

 

But the Maine State Champions sat down three hitters in a row to secure a 9-8 win in the opener of the New England Regional Championship at Bullens Field.

 

Reliever Parker Bjorklund got two strikeouts and a groundball to shortstop to stop a four-run Southern Berkshire rally as the Greater Sanford, Maine, All-Stars opened pool play with a win.

 

Southern Berkshire (0-1) will be back at Bullens on Saturday afternoon to face Franklin County, Vt., before finishing play in the four-team pool on Sunday morning against Rhode Island.

 

Though the Knights go into the weekend without a win, they also take the field with a little bit of momentum after erasing most of the 6-0 lead Maine took in the top of the first inning on Friday.

 

“I am proud of the way they fought back,” Southern Berkshire coach Chip Paul said. “I mean, a six-run deficit after a half inning, it’s hard to boost them. We made some mistakes in that first inning.

 

“But I knew we had the team that can chip away. We were able to do that. We just weren’t able to score all nine.”

 

Cam Simmons went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles to lead the Knights’ offense.

 

John Brighenti had a hit and three RBIs, and Andrew Miller singled in a four-hit attack for Southern Berkshire.

 

The Mainers took control of the game early, taking advantage of a couple of walks, a hit batter and an error in a six-run first.

 

Bjorkland singled to drive in a run and scored in the middle of the rally, which ended when Knights starter Simmons induced a ground ball to the right side to strand a runner at second base.

 

Simmons settled down from there, throwing scoreless innings in the second and third, twice stranding runners at third base.

 

“He’s a mature pitcher,” Paul said. “He’s a seasoned pitcher. It’s his second year traveling with the Knights. And I think his head is a little bit more with it this year.

 

“He’s just matured as a ballplayer. He’s able to calm down. He realizes that the offensive part of baseball is just as important as the defensive part of baseball, and he does both.”

 

Simmons came up big on the offensive side in the bottom of the fourth.

 

After Maine scored a pair of unearned runs to go up, 8-0, Southern Berkshire scored three in the bottom of the frame.

 

Gabe Ranzoni got things started with a leadoff walk, and Simmons followed with a double to left-center to put two runners in scoring position.

 

With one out, Brighenti reached on a two-base error that allowed Ranzoni and Simmons to score. Brighenti moved up on a wild pitch and came home when Tyler Giardina reached on a fielder’s choice to make it 8-3.

 

Southern Berkshire pulled within four in the fifth inning, when Lincoln Fisher led off with a walk and eventually scored when Simmons was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

 

But Maine answered in the top of the sixth to go back ahead, 9-4.

 

Southern Berkshire could not cash in on a leadoff walk in the bottom of the sixth. But it did just that one inning later.

 

Cam Coon started the inning by working his third walk of the game, and Ranzoni followed with another free pass.

 

Simmons then doubled to drive in a run and put two men in scoring position with nobody out. Another walk – this one to Miller – then loaded the bases.

 

Brighenti hit a ground ball to the left side that was misplayed, allowing both Ranzoni and Simmons to score and leaving Miller at third with the score 9-7.

 

Miller scored on a wild pitch, but Bjorkland was able to stop the bleeding and preserve the victory.

 

Caeden Thayer and Dom Newton combined on 3 and two-thirds innings of one-run relief for Southern Berkshire. As a team, the Knights allowed just four earned runs.

 

“We did clean up some of those mistakes [as the game went on],” Paul said. “I think getting out the inning with a couple of timely double plays and making pitching changes when it was the right time – we made some smart moves.

 

“We were able to get the bats going. I just think we’ve got to make fewer mistakes than the other team. That’s just really what it comes down to.”

 

Photos from this game here.