Lowell 10U and 11U baseball teams capture championships

LOWELL — The Lowell 10U baseball travel team wanted a different start to the summer.

The defending Eastern Mass. champions got knocked out early in the Cal Ripken District Tournament with a rugged extra-inning loss in the district elimination game.

Undaunted, the Lowell 10U young stars turned their attention to the Bay State Baseball League, which brings together the best teams from across Massachusetts in their respective age groups, regardless of affiliation (Little League or Cal Ripken).

Lowell did not disappoint its fans – the team romped to the championship with outstanding play.

The Bay State Tournament runs two multi-round mini-tournaments throughout the summer. Teams gather points to qualify for the Tournament of Champions, where the best eight teams compete for the championship. Twenty-nine teams competed for this year’s Bay State title.

The team went 5-1 in regular pool play, qualifying for the first trophy weekend in Sudbury. Lowell took care of business in the semifinals against Belmont, winning 6-2, and faced a tough Boston South End squad in the title game.

Lowell won in an exciting 1-0 battle against a previously unbeaten club.

In the second round of Bay State Play, Lowell went 4-2 in a tough bracket and again qualified for the second trophy weekend round. Lowell hosted the mini-tournament, putting on a great show for 16 surrounding communities.

The Lowell 10s did it again and took home the gold trophy with wins over a tough Newburyport squad and defending Tournament of Championship winners Reading.

Lowell put itself in position as the No. 6 seed in the Tournament of Champions hosted by Sudbury and Winchester. Lowell went 2-0 in pool play with a decisive 8-1 win over No. 3 seed Winchester and a 2-0 battle against No. 2 seed Chelmsford.

Harry Zahareas had the play of the game against Chelmsford with a game-saving diving catch in right center field. The wins secured Lowell a semifinal spot.

Lowell faced a rematch with an excellent Chelmsford squad. Lowell held on for a 5-4 victory on Nutile Field in Winchester, putting them into Monday’s championship game. The win was backed by solid pitching performances by Sean Drinkwater (2 innings, 3 hits, 2 K’s) and Ryder Swett (4 innings, 5 hits, 6 K’s).

Victor Bellrose powered the offense with a timely two-RBI single. Others providing offense were Sean Drinkwater, Zahir Rodriguez, James Kane and Swett.

Lowell faced off in the championship against top-seeded Boston South End in Winchester.

Lowell rolled to a 9-3 victory, receiving a strong pitching performance from Thomas Florence (5.1 innings, 2 hits, 0 ER, 6 SOs). Junior Ventura closed the door for the final two outs.

Rodriguez paced the offense with a massive two-run triple in the top of the first inning. Ventura added pop to the lineup with two hits and two RBI. Others adding to the big offensive day were Swett (1 hit, 1 run scored), Bellerose (1 hit, 1 RBI), Kane (1 RBI, 1 run scored) and Florence (1 hit, 1 RBI, 2 runs scored).

Defensively, shining were Jacob Marion behind the plate, Drinkwater, Zahareas, Lucas Ros, Kal Eang and Emily LeLacheur.

Lowell 11U Ripken

The Lowell 11U Ripken team had a great summer that culminated with a Bay State
league championship. The team started off strong with a district championship in Ripken and a run to the semifinals in states.

The team finished 22-4 in Bay States, outscoring its opponents 271-49, including two trophy weekend victories, and ended the season with 13 straight wins.

The team was led on offense by Wes McDonald (11 HR’s), Matthew Rurak (7 HR’s), Arthur De
Souza (2 HR’s), Jack Duffy (1 HR) and Finn Stevens (1 HR). Among the leaders in batting average were Emilio Cespedes, Drew Durkin and Matthew Matos. Timely hits were provided by Liam Joyce and quality at-bats by Merryn Kay proved vital.

Pitching was led by starters Cespedes, Harry Shea, De Souza, Matos and closer Wes McDonald, with stellar spot starts by Jack Duffy, Louis Molinari, Logan Kelly, Finn Stevens and Rurak.

Overall, the team defense was strong, with many players playing multiple positions. Manager Sammy Valles was assisted by coaches Greg Kay, Brian Shea and Kris Stevens.