Norwood American Legion Baseball Team Begins State Title Defense Tonight-August 9, 1986

East Sectional Champions Face Spindle City of Fall River in Opening Game of Double-Elimination Tournament Following a Dominant 24-1 Zone Season

If consistency over a long period of time is a mark of greatness, the Norwood American Legion baseball team has more than reached the top of the mountain known as success. Starting tonight, the team representing Post 70 will once again seek the state title as it participates in the state tournament at Sargent Field in New Bedford. Norwood, capturing the East sectional championship, will shoot to defend the state crown it secured the previous year. The defense of the title starts at approximately 8:15 p.m., when the Norwood squad faces the Spindle City team from Fall River, winner of the South area title.

So far this season, Norwood—making its 15th trip to the playoffs—has encountered very little trouble dispatching opponents, finishing zone play with a stellar 24-1 record. Their first-round series against Peabody ended swiftly with a two-game sweep, setting up a sectional final matchup against a strong Lawrence squad where Norwood erupted for 19 runs and 28 hits across two lopsided victories. “I think that we’re ready for anything,” said Norwood manager Pete Wall. “We only lost three players from last year’s title team, so the kids are experienced. We haven’t scouted them [Spindle City] at all, so we don’t know what to expect. Even if you scout a team for 10 games, you’re not necessarily going to learn anything about them.”

Norwood’s offense has proven lethal, led by Mike Wall, who batted .500 with seven hits in nine at-bats during the Lawrence series, alongside Mike Generazo, who rapped out five hits and three RBIs, and catcher Derrick Ghostlaw, who drove in six runs in the sectional final. Pitching has been equally formidable, anchored by Bob Baxter (12-1), who fanned 13 Lawrence batters in a brilliant three-hitter, and Scott Generazo (8-0), who scattered eight hits to win the sectional title game. Manager Wall announced plans to start Baxter tonight, followed by Generazo tomorrow. Spindle City enters the double-elimination tournament with a 32-3 record after sweeping Braintree in the semifinals and rallying past Barnstable. Fall River manager Tom Arruda selected John Cipollini to start on the mound against Norwood, leading a pitching staff that has won 32 games utilizing finesse.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger