Eastbayri.com

FAIRHAVEN — A team of Tiverton Little Leaguers won the World Series of the Autumn Baseball League (ABL) Saturday completing an undefeated playoff run with a two-game sweep over Taunton Independent to claim the 10U division championship at the Fairhaven Little League Complex in Fairhaven, MA.

Tiverton completed its gritty, season-long performance with two, tough-fought, one-run wins. The locals took the first game of the best-of-three series 3-2 and the second, 9-8.

“Let’s hear it for the little town of Tiverton,” shouted Tiverton Little League president, Claudia Linhares during the post-game ceremonies.

Tiverton took the lead in the opener with a three-run, third-inning rally behind singles by Nathan Medeiros, Trent Rogers, Will Brigham and Josh Schneider. Nick Amaral powered home two of the runs with a double to left-center field.

Taunton chipped away at the lead with runs in the third and fourth innings. But Tiverton pitcher Carson Hart dominated the rest of the way and was aided by strong defense, including unassisted double plays by Medeiros and Rogers and the leadership of catcher Nick Braz.

“That was a tough game,” said Tiverton coach Peter Hart. “Taunton is an aggressive baserunning team but Carson kept them off the basepaths and the defense did the rest.”

Tiverton fell behind 5-1 early in the second contest, rallied for a 7-5 advantage, fell behind again 8-7, then took the lead for good and held off Taunton in the final inning to secure the championship.

“It’s been like this all year with this group of kids,” Tiverton manager Steve Schneider said. “This team just keeps on fighting and it’s impossible to count them out.”

In the decisive bottom of the sixth inning, the infield tandem of Hart and Josh Dore turned in two sparkling defensive plays. With one out in the inning, Hart ranged far to his left to field a grounder, spun, and flipped it to Dore at first. Then, with the tying run at second base following a Taunton double, Hart ranged even farther to his left to field a low grounder, spun, and tossed it to a stretching Dore for the final out.

The Tiverton players, coaches, and family members spilled onto the field in celebration following the victory.

Speaking to the team after the game Schneider said, “We got some hits today, but pitching and defense wins games and that’s something this team never forgot.”

Garrett Nolan’s clutch mound work and stellar fielding by the locals paved the way to victory in the final game. The outfield was led all season by Matthew Gacioch, Robert Whalen, Toby Foltz and center fielder Matthew Potvin, who, in the fifth inning of the deciding game, slid and cut off a ball heading into the gap holding the batter to a single. Nolan stranded runners at first and second to stifle the rally.

The infield defense was anchored at third base by Josh Schneider, who contributed several key plays, and the steady leadership and fielding of shortstop Will Brigham.

Offensively in the second game, Tiverton scored a quick run in the first on hits by Amaral and Nolan. Taunton responded with five runs in the bottom of the frame but Nolan came into the game to settle things down on the mound.

Tiverton got a run back in the second when Braz stole home. In the third inning, Tiverton used clutch two-out hits by Dore, Braz and Potvin to score five runs and take a 7 - 5 lead.

The remainder of the game was a back-and-forth affair with Taunton regaining the lead with three runs in the fourth inning and Tiverton once again battling back with the winning runs in the fifth inning. Nolan helped his own cause by leading off the fifth with a double. Hart, Dore and Braz followed with singles to complete the scoring.

Following the game, ABL president Herm Bomback addressed the two teams saying, “That was the best defensive performance by Little Leaguers that I have seen in 59 years.”

He handed out trophies to the Taunton team and commemorative baseball bats to the Tiverton team.

Tiverton advanced to the championship series after topping No. 1 seed Greater New Bedford Computer Guys 6-1 and 7-6 the previous weekend in New Bedford. Tiverton used two complete-game pitching performances, clutch hitting and flawless defense to sweep the series.

Tiverton, including its four playoff victories, completed the season 13-5. Taunton finished with a record of 12 and 6. Two of those victories came at the expense of Tiverton in a sweep of a regular-season doubleheader.

Tiverton was the smallest town to compete in the 10U division, facing the much larger communities of New Bedford and Taunton, as well as opponents from Swansea and Fairhaven. Many of the teams used players assembled from different leagues, but the Tiverton team only included players from the town’s Little League system.

“Tiverton Little League produces great players, and this is just more proof of that,” Schneider said. “We couldn’t be prouder of the way these kids have represented their community. What an unbelievable group of kids.”

Tiverton coach Ron Potvin said, “It was a privilege to watch these kids learn and grow as ballplayers and as individuals.”

The Autumn Baseball League is an independent fall baseball league formed in 2000. This season it featured 49 teams in six divisions.