Babe Ruth Teams Positioned For Tournament Sweep-This Day In Norwood History-July 7, 2008

Norwood Babe Ruth Squads Dominate District 5 Tournament Openers

With the 13, 14, and 15-year-old all-star squads each securing a pair of victories at the end of June, the league positioned itself to replicate the prior summer’s accomplishment: a clean sweeping of all three brackets to earn consecutive appearances in the Eastern Mass. State Tournament. Despite a collective 6-0 weekend start, Norwood Babe Ruth President John “Lighty” Lightizer, a veteran of 31 years of coaching all-star squads, tempered expectations by noting that a strong opening does not guarantee a trip to the state tournament. He stated that while the league was happy with the opening run, talented opposing clubs at each age level required the local ballplayers to maintain focus because they had not accomplished anything yet. Concurrently, the organization recognized civic dedication off the diamond, honoring Kevin Igoe as the recipient of the 23rd Annual Joseph Houston Award for outstanding service and dedication, presented by Alice Houston, the widow of Joseph Houston.

In the 15-year-old tournament bracket, local high school prospects showcased their development, highlighted by Norwood centerfielder Joe Colton. Having played junior varsity baseball at Xaverian High School as a freshman, Joe Colton demonstrated his defensive range during Sunday’s 13-3 victory over Hopkinton. Trailing 2-0 in the second inning, the Norwood lineup rallied to secure a mercy-rule victory after five innings. In the fourth inning, Joe Colton tracking deep into right-center field to complete a fully-extended diving catch, robbing a Hopkinton hitter of extra bases. The play caught a Hopkinton baserunner out of position, allowing Joe Colton to throw a strike to second base to complete a double play. Norwood Manager Dan French, evaluating the play against over 20 years of coaching all-star baseball, labeled the catch as the best he had ever witnessed, calling it unbelievable. Defensively, pitchers Mike DeCosta handled 3 innings and John Anderson tossed 2 innings on the mound, supported by a strong overall performance from Tony Gaitor. Offensively, Craig Hughey drove in three runs, delivering the final 13th run on a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning to end the contest.

The 15-year-old squad initially opened tournament play on Saturday with a 9-5 victory over tournament host Dedham. Pitcher Joe Meehan logged 6 2/3 innings on the mound before Chris Taggart entered to record the save, stopping a seventh-inning rally where Dedham scored three runs and brought the tying run to the plate. Offensive production was sustained by hits from Matt Stover and Steve Cedrone. Following these two victories, the 15-year-olds were scheduled to return to action on Monday, July 7, at Heaphy Field in Dedham against the winner of a matchup between Franklin and Walpole.

The 14-year-old division commenced on Saturday at Willett Field, where Norwood secured a critical 4-3 opening victory against a strong Parkway lineup. The outcome placed Norwood into the winner’s bracket while sending Parkway into the losers’ bracket, an alignment requiring Parkway to win five consecutive games to reach the tournament finals. Following the opening loss, Parkway secured two victories, keeping open the possibility of a future rematch. Left-handed pitcher Tim Duggan pitched a complete-game 3-hitter for Norwood, recording 10 strikeouts. Manager John “Lighty” Lightizer praised the performance, noting that Timmy Duggan did a great job in an essential matchup against a talented opponent. The defensive effort preserved the narrow lead, as first baseman Billy Morrison and second baseman Peter Kelly executed difficult catches to end Parkway rallies in the sixth and seventh innings. The offensive performance was led by Andrew Alty with 2 hits, Billy Morrison with 2 hits, Tommy Munro, Adam Kewriga, and Owen Oliveira.

On Sunday morning at Willett Field, the 14-year-olds followed their opening win with a 12-6 victory over Needham, scoring seven runs within the first two innings. Starting pitcher Sean O’Neill earned the victory, striking out 11 batters over five innings of work while contributing two doubles at the plate. Left-handed pitcher Stephen O’Brien entered the game to throw in relief. The offensive output included further production from Andrew Alty, who collected two hits to bring his two-game total to 4-for-5 with two walks, alongside Tommy Munro going 2-for-4, Andrew Stover, and Adam Kewriga. The victory advanced the 14-year-olds to a Monday, July 7 matchup at Willett Field against an undefeated Franklin team, which had previously defeated Westwood on Saturday in its sole tournament appearance.

In the 13-year-old division, a pair of opening victories advanced the squad into a winner’s bracket matchup against Wrentham scheduled for the evening of July 6. On Sunday at Wilson Park, pitcher Tyler Gover delivered a complete-game, 85-pitch performance, allowing zero runs, zero walks, and three hits—two of which occurred in the seventh inning—while recording 11 strikeouts in a 6-0 shutout against Walpole. Norwood established a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Ryan Igoe hit an opening single, stole second base, and advanced home on two consecutive wild pitches. Solo runs were added in the third and fifth innings following runs batted in by Ryan Igoe and Ryan Greeley.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Norwood expanded its 3-0 lead by scoring three additional runs. Aaron Drummey initiated the sequence with a single, moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by Richard Saad, and scored following a failed pick-off attempt. A subsequent single by Jordan Davis, who finished the game 3-for-3 with a walk, coupled with an RBI double off the left-field fence by Tyler Gover, concluded the scoring. Defensively, the shutout was maintained by infield plays from third baseman Kurt Bullard and second baseman Mark Maggio, alongside a shoe-string catch by right fielder Brendan Zablocki.

The 13-year-olds opened their tournament schedule on Saturday by defeating Dedham 17-4. Brendan Zablocki led the offense, finishing 3-for-4 with two doubles, while Sam Anderson hit a three-run home run. The defensive effort relied on combined pitching performances from Tim Collins for 3 innings, Tom Eckhardt for 1 inning, Kyle Dolan for 1 inning, and Sam Anderson for 1 inning.