BRISTOL, CONN. - Earlier in the week, the Walpole American 12-year-old All-Star baseball team's manager, Brian Oberacker, remarked how the other coaches at the New England Regional agreed that his squad was the best-hitting ballclub in the tournament.
If they only knew how right they were.
In Saturday's final in front of over 5,000 spectators and a nationally-televised audience watching the game on ESPN, Walpole American put on an offensive exhibition with six home runs to run away with a 14-4 win in a mercy rule-shortened five innings at the A. Bartlett Giamatti Little League complex's Breen Field.
With the victory, Walpole American (19-1) becomes the first Massachusetts team to advance to Williamsport's Little League World Series since Saugus American in 2003.
"We hit six home runs today. I think yesterday was the best-case scenario with all that rain," said Oberacker. "I don't think (we expected) anything like that."
Shelton National actually scored the game's first runs when Nick Petrovich hit a two-run homer to give the visitors a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.
But the Americans answered with six runs in the bottom half to take the lead and never looked back. Matt Bender was hit by a pitch with one out and Johnny Adams walked before Johnny White's single to center loaded the bases. Mike LaVita's base hit to left scored Bender and Adams before Kyle Donnelly singled to reload the bases.
Mike Rando then unloaded them with a high shot that arced over the fence in left center to give his team the 6-2 lead with his first home run of the summer and his team's fourth grand slam since the state tournament in Pittsfield.
"I knew the bases were loaded. I just wanted to get a hit and score some runs," said Rando.
Shelton National cut the deficit to 6-3 in the top of the second when Bryan Kondor doubled and came home on a fielder's choice and throwing error, but Walpole American continued its power display in the bottom half. With two outs, Adams (3-for-3, 3 runs, 3 RBI) hit the first of his two home runs to dead center. Cleanup hitter White (2-for-2, 2 runs, RBI) then belted one over the fence in right to make it 8-3.
After Shelton National cut the lead in half with a run in the top of the third, Walpole American broke it out with some more thunder at the plate in the bottom of the fourth. Tim Sullivan led off with a bloop single to center. He then stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error. Bender then singled to left to plate him and Rando came on for him as a special pinch runner.
But all he had to do was jog home when Adams drilled one over the fence in right to make it 11-4. Two batters later, LaVita (2-for-2, 2 runs, 3 RBI) socked one over the fence in about the same spot to give his team an eight-run advantage.
Walpole American starter Joey Guarino then got out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the fifth when he induced a ground ball to Sullivan at second, who flipped to LaVita at first to end the threat.
Guarino then helped his team secure the mercy-rule win with his work at the plate when he sent an 0-1 offering over the fence in left. Bender stroked a two-out double to left-center then scored the clinching run when Adams singled to left and the throw home was wild.
