Defending champs top CALL
National uses Maher complete game, defense to earn 1-run win
CUMBERLAND — The formula the Cumberland National all-star team used to win last year’s District 4 10-year-old title is a little different this summer.
With three of National’s top hitters trying to help the Major Division allstars reach the state tournament at Slater Park, CNLL 11-year-old coach Gary Lamora knows the margin for error is very thin.
National is going to have to win games like they did Saturday after- noon against league rival Cumberland American. National righthander Matt Maher allowed just one earned run in a complete-game effort, while the top two hitters in the order – Brady Collins and Matt Lamora – scored in the first inning of a 2-1 District 4 winners’ bracket quarterfinal contest.
“We lost our top three bats, so we’re just going to have to scratch and claw our way to wins,” Gary Lamora said. “What we didn’t lose was our pitching and my defense, and you saw that all game long.
“We’re a fundamentally-sound defensive team. We have gritty, hard-nosed kids who will bring it every day.”
National’s superb defense was on full display in the top of the sixth inning with Maher nursing a one-run lead. American’s Jacob Webster hit a one-out single to move the game-tying run to second base with just one out, but Lamora made a superb play at short and fired the ball to Kasin Rose at third to force out the lead runner.
With leadoff batter Brady Enos at the plate, Rose made another solid play to force out Owen Barcarcel at second base to end the game. National is back in action Monday night in the winners’ bracket semifinal against Burrillville in a rematch of last season’s district final.
American isn’t back in action until Friday night when they play in a losers’ bracket quar- terfinal game against the loser of a winners’ bracket semifinal Monday night. Saturday, Enos suffered the loss after allowing just two hits and two runs, one of which was earned, in three innings of work. Matt Sanzi and Jacob Iannucilli each threw a scoreless inning.
“The kids have been resilient this summer practicing in the heat and in the sun, they’re a good bunch of kids,” CALL coach Scott Iannuccilli said. “Last year, we were down 7-nothing to this team and we came back and lost by a run. Today, we had a lot of runners in scoring position, we just didn’t get that big hit.”
National wasted no time opening the scoring, as Collins led off the bottom of the first inning with a single and then Lamora walked. Both runners moved into scoring position on a double steal and Collins scored on a throwing error. Maher aided his own cause when his sacrifice fly to right scored Lamora for what turned out to be the winning run.
Maher was dominant early in the game, needing just 18 pitches to navigate the first two innings. He set down the first eight batters of the game before three straight National hitters reached base. Aidan Ray grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the threat. CALL had runners in scoring position in each of the final four innings, but only managed to plate one run.
“That is a great team across the way from us and we managed to pull one out,” Lamora said. “Matt was unbelievable throwing 83 pitches or whatever he threw to beat a team like that. He’s really emerged as a very solid number one for us.”
CALL cut its deficit in half in the fifth inning when shortstop Matt Sanzi (2-for-3) hit a two-out triple and scored on a single up the middle by Ray. Josh Lyon followed with a single to push Ray into scoring position, but Chase Austin grounded out to end the threat.
“We’re looking for our 11-year-olds who have been around for a while, Matt Sanzi and Brady Enos, to lead the way,” Iannuccilli said. “We have a couple of 10-year-olds who can also play. Now, we go to the losers’ bracket and we did it last year. It’s just one game at a time for us.”