SAUGUS — In a game that was up for grabs until the final inning, the Peabody West 11-year-old all-stars rallied with six runs in the top of the sixth inning to erase a 2-1 deficit and beat cross-city rival Peabody, 7-3, Saturday at Hurd Field to win the District 16 championship.
Peabody fought back in its half of the inning and closed to 7-3 on a clutch RBI single off the bat of Jaxson Hoffman and had runners at second and third with two outs, but reliever Parker Santos slammed the door shut with an infield ground out to end the game and punch West’s ticket to the Section 4 tournament which begins Friday at Deyermond FIeld in Andover (TBD).
West manager Phil Ragusa summed this one up simply, saying “There wasn’t a lot happening for us until the sixth inning.”
Indeed there was not, although West did strike first, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI single from Logan Latorella that plated Cam Segee, on base with a single.
Peabody wasted no time responding, taking a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the frame. Jack Hollihan led off with a single to right, got to second on Adam Grant’s single to left. Hollihan stole third and home to put Peabody on top, 1-0. After Wesley Weed walked, Hoffman doubled home Grant to make it a 2-1 game.
The game stayed tight until the sixth when West batted through the order and put the game away. Mosca got things started with a leadoff single. He advanced to second on Reid Ruffing’s single and scored on a single by Luke Pelletier. After an infield ground out, Bryce Ragusa (RBI single) and Cam Segee (2-run double) bumped West’s lead to 5-2. Segee and Parker Santos (hit by pitch) scored the final runs on bases-loaded walks issued to Leo Pietrosanto and Owen Skerry.
