Brookline Captures Gold Trophy in Final Round

In winning the gold trophy in the third-round of trophy games, the Brookline under-12 Bay State team has come full circle since its 0-6 second-round showing.

The Warriors were locked into a scoreless pitcher's duel with Melrose on Saturday entering the top of the sixth inning when Brookline went up 1-0 on Patrick Webler's home run. Defense, which is the area of improvement that head coach Jim Wulfson is most proud of, helped preserve the lead in the bottom of the inning. Deven Yee gunned down the potential tying run at home with one out and Jonas Webler closed out Melrose for the win at Donnelly Field in Cambridge.

Webler lived up to Wulfson's billing as an ace with his complete game shutout and Brookline advanced to the gold trophy game on Sunday.

Brookline avenged a 6-2 loss earlier in the third round to Peabody by cruising to a 14-1 win that was highlighted by a Jesse Leung two-run home run and ended after four innings due to the mercy rule. The Warriors proved that they were a far different team than the one that struggled in the second round.

"The second round was tough but it is great to end the season on a high note," Wulfson said.

The Warriors closed out their campaign as a team that wouldn't make mental mistakes and always hit cutoff men, both of which are areas that will be important for players moving onto bigger fields next year.

"We kept getting better and ended up turning into a great team defensively," Wulfson said. "Doing the little things right will translate well once they're on the bigger diamonds."

Wulfson was impressed with the way his team grew throughout the season and said that it was the most tight-knit group that he's ever had. But he has reason for optimism going into next season, as four of his 11-year-olds are eligible to return: Leon Yang, Stewie Silvestri, Alex Chin and Neema Zarrabian.

"I'm excited about the possibility of bringing them back and watching them develop further," Wulfson said.