Brookline Squeaks Out Win Over Bedford

Pitching and defense may be the mantra used by the big club in the Boston area, but it was Brookline's Under-16 Lou Tompkins All Star team that used the formula to perfection on Tuesday night.

The Bandits squeaked out a 2-1 win over Bedford at Warren Field in the first game of the Tournament of Champions on the shoulder of Eric Dumas and the defensive wizardry of Hikari Mamata.

Dumas — who struck out 10 in a complete-game effort — got into a bit of trouble in the top of the sixth inning. He struck out the first man he faced, but then allowed three straight hits, capped off by the game-tying RBI double by Abe Grainger.

With runners on second and third with one out, Walker O'Connor sent a fly ball to center that looked like it would bring in the go-ahead run. But Mamata camped under the ball, threw a strike towards home plate and Alex Rozek was able to slap the tag on the runner just in the nick of time.

Inning over. Threat over.

"The other team would have had all the momentum so I just wanted to make the play," said a tired Mamata, who had to track down two deep fly balls in center to help close the game out in the seventh. "It was all adrenaline."

Manager John Bucci added: "Hikari's a terrific outfielder. He's got a great arm and he gets great reads on the ball. I won't say it's surprising, I'll just say that the timing was great."

Brookline carried that momentum into the bottom of the sixth inning by loading the bases with nobody out. O'Connor  — Bedford's starting pitcher, who nearly matched Dumas pitch for pitch — was left in the game to try and get out of the jam. But his breaking ball to Scott Cordner bounced in the dirt and went by the catcher, which allowed Campbell Narron to bust home for the game-winning run.

"The pitcher was getting tired and he was going to go to more curveballs," Bucci said of the play at the plate. "So I thought let's alert these guys to the fact that if he throws more dirt balls be ready for one and be ready to score."

Narron also delivered with a RBI single in the bottom of the third to give Brookline the 1-0 advantage. 

Minus the sixth inning, Dumas was dominant from the get go. He struck out the side in the first inning and was pounding the strike zone with a consistent fastball all night.

"I was just throwing fastballs," said Dumas. "They were late on most of them. Towards the end of the day they started catching up to them, but I decided not to go away from it."

Brookline will have another home game on Wednesday night at 5:30. If the Bandits pull off the win, then they will have a free ride to the single-elimination tournament over the weekend.