The Tewksbury 9U District team didn’t leave any doubt on its way to some hardware at the Conway Classic.
Winners in all three pool play contests — outscoring the opposition by a combined margin of 50-17 — the Redmen romped to the playoffs while holding the top seed and never looked back.
Tewksbury downed Merrimac, 17-3, before defeating Hudson, N.H., 11-1, in the finals.
In pool play, Tewksbury rattled off wins over Hudson (13-9), Merrimac (22-3) and Reading (15-5).
The Redmen formulated a complete-game effort in the championship, with contributions up and down the lineup.
In the 11-1 win, Zack Cheslofska opened the scoring for Tewksbury with an RBI single before Kareem Fahfoui’s double plated another Tewksbury run. The Redmen posted 13 hits in the victory.
And after William Banderas walked in the second, opening the door for a Dominic Capasso RBI, Tewksbury added to its early cushion by taking a 4-0 lead.
But it was the third inning where Tewksbury left its mark, tallying five runs. Fahfoui and Zach Taylor highlighted the flurry with RBI singles.
Collecting multiple hits on the day were Fahfoui, Cheslofska, Sebastian Desrosiers, Taylor and Rametta. William Banderas demonstrated his speed on the base path, swiping a pair of bases.
Meanwhile, Hudson didn’t have an answer against Tewksbury’s pitching staff.
Cheslofska started the game on the bump for the Redmen, allowing only one run through two innings, while amassing four strikeouts. It set the table for Fahfoui (1 IP, three strikeouts) and Barrett Rametta (1 IP, 0 runs) in relief.
Tewksbury’s roster included Kareem Fahfoui, Scarlett Quinlan, Scott Capaldo, Sebastian Desrosiers, William Banderas, Zach Taylor, Zack Cheslofksa, Barrett Rametta, Connor Wright, Dominic Capasso and Drew Goldstein. The Redmen are coached by Michael Rametta, Matt Taylor and Shawn Quinlan.
8U team captures crown
Tewksbury’s 8U team flexed its muscles en route to a Conway Classic championship.
Though Tewksbury suffered a narrow 9-8 loss to Reading in pool play, the Redmen picked up dominant wins over Dracut (18-3) and Salem, N.H., (11-1) to net a 2-1 record and earn the No. 2 seed in Pool B.
In the playoffs, Tewksbury completed victories over Georgetown (11-1) and Salem, N.H., (13-8) before defeating Reading (15-6) in the title match.
In the win against Reading, the Redmen avenged its loss in pool play to the Rockets when it mattered the most.
Lucas Robertson opened the scoring for Tewksbury in the first frame, notching a fielder’s choice RBI before Reading ultimately knotted the score in the bottom half.
Robertson also earned the win on the bump, tossing 1.2 innings and posting four strikeouts. Henry Magary and Colton Wagstaff also appeared on the mound for Tewksbury.
Robertson then picked up another RBI in the third to tie the game at 3-3.
Tewksbury mounted a sizable lead in the fourth and never looked back, plating five runs to take a 7-2 advantage.
Walker Anderson’s two-run single highlighted the salvo, who had two hits in the contest.
But Tewksbury’s offense wasn’t done yet, scoring another five runs in the fifth frame.
Nolan Heffernan, Bryce Ohara, Grayson Colbert, Wagstaff and Anderson all picked up RBI in the effort. Mason Veits drew an impressive four walks.
Tewksbury’s roster includes Bryce Ohara, Grayson Colbert, Walker Anderson, Brady Daigneault, Colton Wagstaff, Connor Hourihan, Henry Magary, Lucas Robertson, Luke Leo, Mason Veits, Nolan Heffernan, Troy Comeau and Yusef Fahfouhi. The Redmen are coached by Brad Wagstaff and Shawn Anderson.
11U fall in championship thriller
In an 11-inning marathon, Tewksbury’s 11U team came up oh so close in the finals in a 3-2 loss to Methuen.
That’s nearly two full games, as each complete contest is set to last six innings.
Tewksbury picked up wins over Pentucket (25-0), Hudson, N.H. (11-3), and Reading (5-3) in pool play. Its only loss came to the Rangers (11-6), as Tewksbury entered the playoff bracket as the No. 2 seed with a 3-1 record.
After beating Pentucket (15-1) and Reading (4-0) in the playoffs, a rematch with Methuen was set for the trophy.
The Rangers opened the scoring in the bottom of the first, but Logan Dingivan singled to knot the game at 1-1 in the third. In the home half of the frame, Methuen answered to retake a one-run advantage.
Eyeing an 0-2 count, Connor Bresnahan laced a single down the left field line to again tie the game in the fourth. That’s when the two sides reached a deadlock.
The next six frames would be scoreless as a result of masterful pitching from both teams. After Jack Magary started the game for Tewksbury — tossing 2.1 innings and striking out three batters — Sam Trowbridge pitched 5.2 clean innings to keep Tewksbury’s shot at the title alive. Trowbridge totaled a whopping nine strikeouts and scattered just four hits.
But something eventually had to give, and Methuen ultimately mustered a run across home plate in the bottom of the 11th to seal the game.
Posting multiple hits in the game for Tewksbury was Logan Dingivan, Mike Kippenberger and Brody Augustyniak, as Andrew LaMarche, Trowbridge, Owen Brett, Bresnahan and Sebastian Foley had hits. The Redmen were rounded out by Matthew Lanterman — who drew a walk in the contest — Joshua Baker, and Darrell Robertson.
The team is coached by Steve Powers, Liam Brett and Jim Trowbridge.