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George Hawley, manager of the Norwood Babe Ruth All-Stars, knew that any hopes of contending for the New England Babe Ruth championship hinged on strong pitching from ace righthander Tom Baxter. Having struggled to get past the third inning in several recent starts, Tom Baxter silenced those doubts by tossing a brilliant four-hitter, leading Norwood to a 2-1 victory over the representatives from Maine in the first round of double-elimination tournament play in Warwick, R.I. The win vaulted Norwood into the winner’s bracket for a matchup against a team from Manchester, N.H.—a contest originally rained out and rescheduled for the following morning.
The story of the ballgame was Tom Baxter, manager George Hawley praised afterward. It was great to see him get past the third inning. In fact, he got stronger after the third. I’m really happy for him. Mixing a blazing fastball with a sharp-breaking overhand curveball, Tom Baxter walked three and struck out seven, retiring the first seven batters before allowing a one-out infield single in the third. Norwood broke through against Maine righty Shane Slicer in the bottom of the third when Tim Coyle hit a two-out single, advanced on a walk to Todd Newman, and scored when Tom Baxter helped his own cause with an RBI single to left. After thwarting a Maine threat in the fourth by picking off Shane Slicer at first base, Norwood doubled its lead in the bottom half when Derek Grudinskas crushed a 400-foot double to left, pinch-runner Brian Adams advanced on a sacrifice by Tom Benson, and Mike Cronin drove him home with a center-field double.
Maine mounted a dangerous rally in the top of the sixth, putting runners on second and third with no outs. But Tom Baxter rose to the occasion, striking out cleanup hitter Rod Bartlett, conceding a sacrifice fly to Jason Douglass, and stranding the tying run by striking out Teddy Quinn on a called third strike. Tom Baxter punctuated his stellar performance by retiring the side in order in the seventh, striking out the final two batters looking.
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
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Babe Ruth Teams Positioned For Tournament Sweep-July 7, 2008
Norwood Babe Ruth Squads Dominate District 5 Tournament Openers The annual predictability of summer rituals arrived alongside the late June heat as Norwood Babe Ruth programs established early dominance in the District 5 Double-Elimination Tournament. With the 13, 14, and 15-year-old all-star squads each securing a pair of victories at the end of June, the…
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Norwood Completes Unlikely Run With Title-June 10, 1991
Armed with only one returning starter and surviving a rocky 4-4 start, the Mustangs pull off a late-inning rally to secure a historic diamond crown. Categories (3–6 layout-appropriate tags): local history, schools, sports, baseball
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Mustangs Batter Harbormen in Sectional Quarterfinal Rout-June 4, 1991
Pitching took a backseat as the Norwood High baseball order erupted for 16 hits and 18 runs to punch their ticket to the South sectional semifinals.
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Norwood American Legion Baseball Team Battles to a Tie Against Andover-July 27, 1990
⠀ The Norwood American Legion baseball team battled against Andover in a thrilling 10-inning game, coming back from a 4-0 deficit to tie 5-5.
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Adams, Norwood work OT-June 6, 1988
A long, grinding tournament matchup turned wild as Norwood clawed back from a five‑run deficit, blasted two game‑saving homers, and leaned on an unlikely pitching hero.
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Legion Baseball Built on Wall-August 14, 1987
Entering the Massachusetts state semifinals against Natick, Norwood American Legion baseball is guided by legendary 24-year head coach Pete Wall.
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Ace Baxter Dominates on Mound-August 12, 1987
Pitcher Bob Baxter struck out nine and drove in four runs, leading Norwood American Legion to a 9-1 victory over Reading in the Eastern Section series.
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Norwood American Legion Baseball Team One Win Away from State Title and Regional Berth-August 12, 1986
With a dominant 30-1 record, the Norwood American Legion baseball team faces Aldenville at Sargent Field in New Bedford seeking a second consecutive state championship.
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Norwood’s Tom Baxter Tosses Complete-Game Four-Hitter in New England Babe Ruth Tournament-August 4, 1986
Ace righthander Tom Baxter tossed a complete-game four-hitter with seven strikeouts to lead the Norwood Babe Ruth All-Stars past Maine 2-1 in the New England tournament opener in Warwick, R.I.
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Norwood Prevails Over Westwood in Hard-Fought American Legion Matchup-July 16, 1986
Despite a demanding schedule and early deficits, the reigning state champions maintained their momentum ahead of the upcoming playoff series.
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