Orioles Win Babe Ruth Championship

The following article was submitted by Jim Femia:

The Orioles got hot at the right time of the year, winning five of their final six games, on their way to winning the Marblehead Babe Ruth Championship, downing the previously unbeaten Marlins, by a score of 9-7.

The Orioles and Marlins matched up four times during the regular season with the Marlins winning twice and two games ending in ties due to darkness.  The Marlins advanced to the finals by beating the Diamondbacks while the Orioles blanked the Royals to reach the championship game.

The Fish broke on top early, scoring an unearned run in the bottom of the first inning.  The Birds responded with five runs in the top of the second, highlighted by a line-drive RBI single by Justin Meyerson.  Tom Seminara had an RBI while Cam Mitchell, Jake Driscoll, Evan Myers and Ben Avramidis scored runs.

The O’s added two more runs in their half of the third inning to take a 7-2 lead into the fourth inning.  Pitcher Michael Femia gave up only one hit, an RBI double to Dan Marino, through the first three innings of work.  The Marlins then responded with four runs in the bottom of the fourth to close the gap to 7-6.

In the top of the fifth, the Birds got two runs back.  With two outs and no one on, Femia looped a single to left, followed by hits by Dan Peters, Max Delvento and David Bolognese.  Peters then came into the game and pitched scoreless fifth and sixth innings, highlighted by a running catch in right center by center fielder Brandon Dinez, who then doubled off a runner at first base to kill a Marlin rally.

Down by three runs heading into the bottom of the seventh, the Marlins rallied as expected.  Shortstop Jacob Hemple had a key RBI single which put the Fish in position with the tying and winning runners on base.  But pitcher Peters bore down and recorded the final out on a looper to shortstop Cam Mitchell to end the game and earn the O’s the 2011 championship.