Cranston, RI -
Liam Spellman pitched a complete-game three-hitter as the Waterford South 9-10 year-old All-Stars won the 2011 Eastern Region Little League Championship, 11-1, in five innings, over Massapequa Coast, NY, in Cranston, RI on Saturday afternoon.
Waterford scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to end the title game early under the mercy rules.
Find out what's happening in Waterfordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“It’s unbelievable and I’m very proud of them,” said Waterford manager Bill Speller. “I don’t think you can even dream or imagine this, or explain what has happened to us and the town of Waterford.”
The left-handed Spellman reached only a 57-pitch count. He retired the side in order three of five innings and needed only 16 pitches to retire the final six Massapequa batters. The hurler also had three strikeouts and had excellent defense behind him.
Find out what's happening in Waterfordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“This is how we play, fundamentally sound- very fundamentally sound,” Speller said. “Liam didn’t pitch well in the bullpen session, but once he came out he was pounding the zones and was perfect.”
The Game
The champions struck right away in their first at bat on consecutive bunt singles by leadoff batter Jamal Brennan and another by Eric Pinch. Dylan Bosco stroked an RBI single and Trevor Yeomans followed with another RBI single combined with a throwing error for a 3-0 lead.
Massapequa scored its only run and recorded its only hits in the second. Anthony Patullo and Ross Mitton singled with one out before Connor O’Rourke sliced a single just inside the third base bag to score Patullo. But Spellman ended the threat by retiring the next two batters on a groundout and a swinging strikeout.
Waterford countered with another run in the bottom of the second when Nathan Landon and Brennan walked with one out before Bosco delivered another RBI single. Two fielding plays by Massapequa infielders halted more scoring, as third baseman Anthony Patullo finally tagged third base on a prolonged force play after catching a grounder while first baseman Dylan DeGiovanni corralled a hard ground ball against his chest and then tagged the bag to end the inning.
In the third, reliever Matt Schneidler temporarily quenched the Waterford bats and kept them scoreless by forcing two groundouts and striking a batter with the bases loaded.
But in the fourth, Pinch tripled to deep right and crossed home on a groundout by Bosco. Then Spellman, who also bats lefty, crushed a shot over the 205-foot sign in right for a solo homer to pad the lead to 6-1.
“When it came off the bat I knew it was gone,” Speller said.
The Connecticut state champions shut the door in the fifth. The inning started with a leadoff walk to Daniel Annibalini, a bunt single by Brennan combined with a throwing error, another error and a few wild pitches, a hit-by-pitch, an infield hit and RBI by Yeomans and game-ending single by Nick Porazzi to score the last run as Waterford South celebrated its biggest milestone ever.
“It was great, fantastic,” said Spellman.
Waterford rolled through the Connecticut tournament with a perfect 6-0 record, and by a combined 70-16 margin. They won the New England title with victories over ME, MA, NH and RI (twice). No Waterford team has ever won the state championship in the age division, furthermore the eastern regional championship.
Waterford South’s 9-10 All-Star Roster
2011 Eastern Regional Champions
Jamal Brennan
Eric Pinch
Dylan Bosco
Liam Spellman
Trevor Yeomans
Noah Speller
Nicholas Porazzi
Cadin Maynard
Nathan Landon
Payton Sutman
Avery Albenese
Daniel Annibalini
