Little League Roundup: 11-Year-Olds Claim District Championship

11-year-olds

The Tewksbury National 11-year-old team made a strong showing in the District 14 pool play, leading the pack with a 4-1 record and placing as the number one seed going into a three-game playoff series.   They beat Billerica American (11-2) and Tewksbury American (6-5) before going on to defeat North Andover East, (last year’s 10-year-old State Championship team) in a (4-2) victory.  Their one defeat in pool play came to North Andover West (0-4), but they came back strong to close out pool play on Friday, July 13^th with a (16-5) victory in Billerica over Billerica National.

Game one of the three-game district finals was a hard-fought loss at home to North Andover East.  Strong pitching and defense on both sides led to the 1-0 defeat.  The Tewksbury 11s, however, came back strong (truly a full-team effort) with a 6-1 win in North Andover the next night to force a final game on Monday. 

Monday night, in the deciding game of the championship series, Tewksbury came out a bit flat, trailing 4-0 after one inning.  They hit their stride in the second, batting around, scoring 5 to take a 5 – 4 lead.  The offense consisted of singles from Dominic Jolly, Jack Kelly, Josh Papa, a walk for Danny Adelsberger and a double from Cam Legvold.  North Andover came back to tie it in the bottom of the second inning.  Tewksbury would add 2 more in the third to take a 7 – 5 lead, the offense consisting of singles from Dom Jolly, Jack Kelly and Travis MacMurdo.  It would remain that way until the fifth, with Tewksbury scoring 5 more runs to take a 12 – 5 lead.  Riley Frost started it off with a walk followed by singles from Josh Papa, Travis MacMurdo, Adam Pacheco and Will Timmons and another walk for Colby Wilson.  North Andover stormed back in their half of the fifth, closing the gap to 12 – 8, Matt Perron ended the inning with a put-out from deep short and a great scoop at first from Travis MacMurdo.  The sixth inning saw more action as Tewksbury added another run on a walk by Dom Jolly, a single from Josh Papa and a double from Travis MacMurdo.  But North Andover would not go down quietly, adding 2 more in the sixth before Tewksbury was able to close it out.  In the end, Tewksbury was able to escape with a hard fought 13 – 10 win.  Missing from the line-up were team members Troy Acconcia and Zach Weitz.

Next up for Tewksbury National is the Section 4 tournament that begins Wednesday at Stagefort Park in Gloucester.  Tewksbury will take on the winner of the Wakefield American vs. Peabody West game on Thursday at 7PM.

Senior Division (15-16)

Tewksbury's Senior Division All-Star team was dealt a heavy blow before play even began when Coach Ed Sullivan passed away on July 13.

But the team showed the definition of Tewksbury tough when they opened play over the weekend with a 5-0 victory over East Boston. Pitchers John Cave and Jayson Walden combined on a no-hitter for Tewksbury, combining for 17 strikeouts.

Behind the plate and batting leadoff was Connor Sullivan, Coach Ed Sullivan's son. He singled, walked and stole two bases in the win.

Walden had a pair of hits to pace the Tewksbury offense. Ryan Bradley and Ron Mallach both reached base twice.

Tewksbury is scheduled to take on either East Boston or North Reading on Wednesday in the Sectional Final at 5:30 p.m. at Obdens Park on Livingston Street. The winner advances to the State Tournament.

 Major Division (11-12)

It's been a tough road for the Tewksbury teams in the District 14 Major Division Tournament.

Tewksbury American dropped their opening game, 16-1 to Andover National. However, they rebounded to thump North Andover West, 15-8 in their second game of pool play.

Tewksbury National is 0-3 in pool play, losing to Billerica National (4-1), North Andover East (18-1) and Callery (22-7).

Junior Division (13-14)

The Tewksbury Junior Division All-Stars advanced to the Mass. Sectional Final after knocking off Gloucester, 9-6 on Sunday.

Tewksbury exploded for four runs in the first inning and four more in the second to build an 8-4 lead. From their, they rode the pitching of Nathan Tenaglia and Steven Rosa for the win. Brett Morris paced the offense with a pair of hits, including a home run, and three RBI.

Tewksbury (2-1) is scheduled to take on Canton in the title game later today (July 17). Earlier in the tournament, Canton defeated Tewksbury, 13-3.