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Pittsfield 10-Year-Olds Survive in Little League Sectional

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires.com Sports
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DALTON, Mass. – One night after losing in a walkoff, the Pittsfield Little League 10-year-old All-Stars ran off with a commanding 17-0 win over Dalton-Hinsdale in the Section 1 Tournament.
 
Knoxx Daniels went 2-for-2 with a triple at the plate and struck out three in two innings of work on the mound in the three-inning win.
 
After scoring two in the bottom of the first, PIttsfield put the game out of reach with a 15-run second inning.
 
“I knew they came ready to play today,” Pittsfield coach Matt Stracuzzi said. “I wasn’t sure about our pitching because we used both our one and our two yesterday, and they were unavailable today.
 
“But I was happy. Knoxx did a really good job, and of course our offense just took that worry away. I didn’t really have to worry once they started putting the bat on the ball. I don’t know how many hits we got with two outs.”
 
Pittsfield collected 11 hits total, including doubles from Luca Bassi, Henry Chevalier, Caleb Tierney and Levi Doyle in addition to Daniels’ three-bagger.
 
That bomb to right-center came in the leadoff spot in the bottom of the first.
 
Daniels scored right away on an RBI groundout from PJ Garner.
 
Bassi then reached on an error and came all the way around to score on Tierney’s double with two out to make it 2-0.
 
Dalton, meanwhile, missed out on a chance to take the early lead in the top of the first.
 
Weston Dietlin singled with one out, and Murphy Duquette followed with a double to put two runners in scoring position.
 
Daniels was able to get out the jam despite giving up another hit, throwing out a runner on the basepaths ahead of Blake Preston’s infield single.
 
Daniels and reliever Thomas Crawford accounted for three of the nine outs with their gloves and four strikeouts between them.
 
In the top of the third, Dalton-Hinsdale showed signs of life with three free passes loaded the bases with one out, but Crawford got a come-backer to the mound and threw to Chevalier at the dish for the forceout.
 
Pittsfield first baseman Thomas St. John then fielded a ground ball and stepped on the bag for the final out.
 
Pittsfield improved to 1-1 in the double-elimination tournament and heads back to Westfield, an 11-1 loser to Holden on Friday, for an elimination game on Saturday at 11 a.m.
 

11-Year-Old Tournament

PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Longmeadow scored six runs in the top of the second inning and went on to a 7-2 win Friday to eliminate the Pittsfield Little League 11-year-old All-Stars from the Section 1 Tournament.
 
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Peace Officer Standards Commission Strips Former Pittsfield Cop of Certification

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— A former Pittsfield Police officer was one of five statewide who recently had their licenses revoked by the  POST Commission. 

Last week, the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission voted to strip five former officers of their licenses to work in law enforcement, including former PPD officer William Straub

The commission had determined that these workers were unfit to carry a badge and gun in Massachusetts; so far, 92 state police officers have been decertified by the commission. 

Records indicate that Straub faced charges tied to a 2024 incident, but details are redacted.  On Oct. 31, 2024, the POST Commission suspended Straub's law enforcement certification, and he resigned from PPD in April. 

"According to Pittsfield District Court records, Straub pleaded guilty in April to two counts of misdemeanor assault and battery tied to a 2024 incident," MassLive wrote on Monday. 

"Three other charges, including drunk driving and carrying a firearm while intoxicated, were continued without a finding. While that resolution allows the charges to be dismissed after a period of time if Straub abides by certain conditions, the commission treats them as a criminal conviction."

According to records, he was certified as a police officer in July of 2021, and recertified in July 2024.  

"The Respondent's appointing agency, the Pittsfield Police Department ("PPD"), submitted a final report to the Commission finding that the Respondent had engaged in criminal conduct and conduct unbecoming [of] an officer," the Aug. 20 final decision to decertify reads. 

"The Respondent resigned from PPD on April 9, 2026, prior to the imposition of any discipline." 

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