Waterford wins opener in New England Little League tournament
Burrows pitches four-hitter in win over Rhode Island
Bristol — It’s not the normal baseball hero for a 12-year-old pitcher.
Waterford’s Jared Burrows likes to emulate former Red Sox knuckleball pitcher Tim Wakefield.
In the opening game of the Little League Baseball New England Regional on Monday at Leon J. Breen Field, Burrows pitched a complete-game four-hitter to edge Cranston Western (R.I.) 3-2, keeping Waterford in the winners’ bracket as it bids to become the first team ever to represent District 10 at the Little League World Series in William sport, Pa.
Up 3-0 after two innings, Cranston Western scored two in the fourth inning on a two-run single by pinch hitter Jason Patalano. Burrows walked the leadoff hitter in the inning and gave up a pair of hits, throwing a game-high 24 pitches in that inning.
That’s when he began mixing in the knuckleball, which serves as his offspeed pitch.
“I don’t let him throw a curve; he’s too young to be throwing a curve,” said manager Tim Burrows, Jared’s
dad. “We work on locating the fastball and mixing in the off-speed. He uses the knuckleball as a changeup.”
“Just a little bit,” Jared Burrows said, asked if he was nervous in that fourth inning.
“We stayed confident and we pulled through. I don’t usually (pitch a complete game); usually they save us for another game.”
Waterford moved on to play Bedford (N.H.) at 4 p.m. today, with the winner gaining a berth in the winners’ bracket final. Bedford had a bye Monday.
Waterford scored in the top of the first inning, leading 1-0.
Burrows led off with a single on the first pitch and Luke Sokolski grounded to third, with Burrows making it to second safely when the throw sailed high.
Ryan O’Connell then singled to deep right field for perhaps one of the most unusual plays of the game. Tim Burrows waved his son around, but Jared couldn’t hear him, he said, and stopped at third, creating a logjam as Jared Burrows, Sokolski and O’Connell all ended up between second and third base at the same time. Somehow, all three made it back safely.
Not only that, when the throw went to first to try to get Sokolski retreating back to the bag, Burrows raced home for the 1-0 lead.
Waterford scored twice more in the second to push the lead to 3-0, getting an RBI fielder’s choice by Ryan Salvador and an RBI single by Sokolski.
Meanwhile, Jared Burrows maintained his efficiency. By the time Rhode Island starting pitcher Dylan Demers had thrown 52 pitches, Burrows was still on seven.
After allowing a walk, a single and a wild pitch to start the fourth, he got Demers to strike out with a knuckleball, getting a swing and miss earlier in the at-bat and returning to it for strike three.
After Patalano’s two-run single, Burrows got Tom Harper to swing at a pitch that was high and outside and he retired Jake San Antonio on a grounder to first to end the inning.
Burrows, settling back in, threw only eight pitches in the fifth, helped by an unassisted double play by Sokolski at first base, and 14 in the sixth and final inning.
He finished with 84 pitches, one short of the maximum number of pitches Little League allows. Because he threw 65-or-more pitches, Burrows must have four days rest before he pitches again.
Tim Burrows said either Sokolski, Connor Podeszwa or O’Connell will pitch today.
“We’re confident because that was one of the better teams in the tournament,” Jared Burrows said of Rhode Island.
“Especially because we’re in the winners’ bracket,” O’Connell added.
Five different players had one hit each for Waterford, which was quieted by 2.1 innings of no-hit relief by Rhode Island lefty Cam Adamec, who came on for Demers.
Burrows, however, made the onerun lead stand.
“I thought he was pitching great,” Tim Burrows said. v.fulkerson@theday.com Twitter: @vickieattheday