Banner day for Cumberland Little League
Penney’s walk-off home run lifts Cumberland American past Lincoln and into state tourney
Members of the Cumberland American 12-year-old Little League All-Stars take a victory lap around Richard Peck Field in Burrillville Saturday night after clinching the District IV Major Division Tournament crown. Cumberland earned the right to the banner run after surviving a furious Lincoln comeback and winning in walkoff fashion, 9-7, thanks to a game-winning, two-run home run by Scotty Penney.
BURRILLVILLE — In the span of maybe five minutes, this one turned from just one of those pedestrian wins into an instant classic.
The Lincoln All-Stars had trailed Cumberland American's best, 7-3, with two outs in the top of the sixth inning, and needed a miracle just to tie up the R.I. Little League District IV Major Division (11-12) Tournament championship tilt on Saturday evening.
They did, courtesy of two walks, Caden Specht's soft single to right and Elijah Moffat's astonishing opposite-field, grand-slam dinger over the right-field fence to knot it at 7-up.
What happened immediately
after that Richard Peck Field blew the minds of the 300 or so fans on hand. Starting pitcher Jack LaRose, who seemed destined to record the victory, drew a leadoff walk from righty Marcus Rodrigues, and Scotty Penney walloped a 1-2 fastball far over the left-field wall to deliver to CALL an amazing 9-7 walk-off triumph.
With it, CALL – which had claimed the state 10-11 major title last summer in Wickford – earned the District IV championship banner, and now will set its sights on the state tourney, slated to begin Saturday at Johnston Memorial Park.
Penney had never before hit a Little League blast, but it lifted manager Tony Tarara's contingent from a possible “if-necessary” clash on Sunday against Lincoln to a thrilling finish.
“I knew it was a 1-2 count, and I just thought, 'Hit the ball!'” Penney offered later. “I was worried because I only had one more strike. I didn't know it was out (of the park); I thought I flew out … I don't know how I did it, but I'm glad I did.”
Rodrigues took the loss, while Tarara, who had blown a save attempt after relieving James Sukatos in the sixth and yielding Moffat the “grannie,” collected the win on the hill.
All told, CALL bashed four homers, including La Rose's two-run dinger and James Sukatos' rip, giving the “hosts” the 5-1 cushion in the back half of the third.
Lincoln manufactured a pair in the fourth on Preston DeSousa's two-run double to slice the deficit to 5-3, but CALL delivered the same amount in the bottom half on Tarara's opposite-field wallop.
That merely set up Moffat's stunning slam – and Penney's unlikely crush.
Penney batted in the fifth spot and finished 2-for-2 with the clinching home run, a walk, two RBI and a run scored.
Lincoln 100 204 –7–9–1 Cumberland American 113 202 – 9 – 10 – 1 Brady Mellen, Marcus Rodrigues (3) and Caden Specht, Elijah Moffat (3). Jack LaRose, James Sukatos (6), Charlie Tarara (6) and J.J. Sanzi. 2B – Preston DeSousa. HR – Moffat, LaRose, James Sukatos, Tarara, Scotty Penney.