Peabody West’s 12-year-old Little League All-Star team failed to punch its ticket to Thursday’s District 16 championship game, falling 6-1 against Swampscott Sunday night at Wyoma.
Big Blue starter Gavin Cerrutti led the offense with a 2-for-3 effort and also delivered on the mound. In 5 ⅓ innings, he allowed seven hits with three strikeouts and two walks. Johan Standal relieved him with one out in the sixth, striking out the final two batters to end the game.
Wes Saunders doubled and scored one run, and Kate Pavey, batting in the No. 9 slot, had a huge two-run double in the fourth to help put the game out of reach. No. 11 hitter Jason Fabiszewski (RBI run) also had a big RBI double.
For Peabody, Owen McMahon (2-for-2, double) had a multiple-hit game. Joe Ryan (1-for-2, double) scored West’s only run on a passed ball. Danny Lancaster, Justin Devereaux and Jack Liske also had hits. Lancaster relieved West starter Ben Wenzel in the fourth inning and finished strong, retiring all six batters he faced, three on strikeouts.
West plays again on Tuesday against the winner of Monday’s game between Lynnfield and Winthrop. Swampscott came into Sunday having played just two games in three weeks.
“It’s been very difficult to keep everything going,” said manager Mike Brown. “It’s hard to know who the teams to beat are because you just don’t see them very often. Lynnfield still has a great chance and Peabody West is always strong.”
Also on Sunday, in an extremely well-played game in Salem, the Lynnfield 12-year-old Little League All-Stars eliminated Peabody from the District 16 tournament with a 3-1 win.
Lynnfield’s one-two punch of Chase Paton (triple, 2 R) and Grant Hudson (RBI, R) led the offense with two hits apiece. Peabody’s Andrew Harris, Preston D’Ambra (double) and Cole Mattera had two hits each.
Peabody got off to a fast start, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. With one out, Teddy Ferrante and Harris ripped back-to-back singles to set the table for D’Ambra, who blasted an RBI double that scored Ferrante.
Lynnfield took the lead for good with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Paton led off with a single up the middle, got to second on a passed ball, and third on a single from Hudson. Both runners scored on an infield error to make it 2-1, Lynnfield.
The Pioneers added an insurance run in the third. With two outs, Paton ripped a triple to center and scored on an RBI single by Hudson.
The game featured excellent pitching on both sides. Lynnfield starter Luke McEwen scattered eight hits over five innings and struck out nine. Paton came on in relief and pitched a 1-2-3 sixth to earn the save. On the other side, Peabody starter Harris went the distance. In six innings, he gave up one earned run on seven hits with two strikeouts. Not a single walk was issued by any pitcher in this one.
Defensively, the game was as close to clean as it gets, with the teams combining for just one fielding error.
Lynnfield will try to battle its way through the losers’ bracket Monday night at 5:45 p.m. against Winthrop, which defeated East Lynn, 9-8, on Sunday.
