Asked to comment on a big at-bat by Keegan in the second inning, Pittsfield Manager B.J. Jefferson misheard and jumped straight to a big at-bat by Keegan in the seventh. The former was Pittsfield’s first hit of the game and sparked a five-run rally to tie the game. The latter produced the baserunner who scampered home on a wild pitch to give the Americans the extra-inning victory over Swansea and the ultimate prize for 10-year-old Little Leaguers in the commonwealth. In between, Keegan delivered 3-⅔ innings of one-run relief that allowed Pittsfield to right its ship after a rough start at the Andover Little League complex.
July 25, 2021 | 06:25AM
A 2020 report issued by State Auditor Suzanne Bump revealed that the commonwealth s payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) program for state-owned lands (SOL) is underfunded and negatively affects smaller rural communities in Western Mass compared to larger, wealthier communities in the eastern part of. click for more
July 24, 2021 | 04:48PM
The Pittsfield Little League American Division 12-year-old All-Stars Saturday beat Longmeadow for a sectional title. click for more
July 23, 2021 | 04:00PM
The Police Advisory and Review Board will be reviewing its ordinance language to make changes that support its mission as about half its members will be gone by February. click for more
The last practice we had, 10 players in a row missed the bunt, Jefferson said after the Pittsfield Little League American Division 10-year-old All-Stars defeated Holden, 10-0, in five innings on Friday. Couldn t get a bunt down to safe our life. And all of a sudden . thank God they re game players and not practice players. Bunts were critical to the Americans in opening the double-elimination Section 1 tournament with a victory at Deming Park. In the second inning, Jacob Welch and Jacob Knauth laid down back-to-back sacrifice bunts in a four-run rally. In the third, Kydd Kearns bunted for an RBI and a base hit in the middle of another four-run rally. In the fifth, Jack Wendling sacrificed to move Cooper Brown into scoring position with the run that eventually ended the game on Ryan Albuquerque s walkoff basehit.
The Americans scored more than twice as many runs as its opponent had plate appearances in a 23-1 win over Dalton-Hinsdale to advance to the state sectional tournament. But all that offense was superfluous with a lights-out pitching performance from the tandem of Cooper Reed and Jack Wendling. Reed struck out five in two innings of work and allowed just one unearned run before turning the ball over to Wendling with a 22-run lead. Wendling got the first two batters he faced on ground balls before getting a swinging third strike to end the game. “Our pitching staff, even in their house league, they continue to throw strikes non-stop, and it was nice to see them coming in and doing the job, getting the job done,” Pittsfield Americans manager B.J. Jefferson said.