Lynn Babe Ruth 14s win District 1 title

LYNN – Lynn Babe Ruth 14-year-old manager Alex Napoleon says his boys have their own motivation for winning the District 1 title Sunday ? and it went beyond baseball.View Photo Gallery?When we get to the state level,” Napoleon explained, “the managers and coaches have to wear uniforms. So that was their motivation ? seeing us in uniforms.”It was undoubtedly more than that. The game group of kids – plus or minus a few – made a subpar showing last year as 13s.?We had a few different kids this year, and we played better defense,” said Napoleon after his team?s 4-2 championship-clinching win over Saugus Sunday. “You make the plays and you pitch well, you?re going to win a lot of games. There aren?t a whole lot of teams who are going to score 10 runs in a game.”Lynn rode Napoleon?s formula to two victories this weekend. Saturday, in the district semifinal, it was Lynn 8, Danvers 3.The championship means Lynn will play in the state tournament this weekend at Adams Field in Qunicy.Sunday, Lynn jumped on Saugus for two runs in the top of the first and seemed quite willing to ride them all the way through. Dan Hennessey led the game off with a double and went to third on an error on the play. As Joe Tardiff was drawing a walk, Hennessey game home on a wild pitch on the fourth ball.Both Brendan O?Neill and Devin Pierce hit into forceouts, but Pierce was able to steal second and come home when Joe Desilites reached on an error on which the ball got past Saugus first baseman Dan Bertrand.That was it for either team until the top of the fifth, as both Brandon Devin (Lynn) and Adam DiChiara (Saugus) were tough on the mound.Devin was particularly stingy. His signature inning was the fourth, when Saugus put two runners on with none out when Brendan Grocki was hit by a pitch and Tyler Serino singled to center. But Devin bore down, and got Brendan Wood, Bertrand and Nick Landry on strikes to get out of the jam.Lynn responded in the top of the fifth with two runs. O?Neill walked and came home on Desilites? two-base hit; and Desilites scored on Devin?s single.Saugus got a run back in the sixth on an RBI double by Luke Surette and was poised to do more damage in the seventh when the first two hitters walked and Surette?s infield hit scored one of them. Saugus had the bases loaded with two out, but, with reliever Marquis O?Neal on the mound, Desilites, at second, made nice play on a sinking flair by Wood. He actually had to run in and dive to make the play.Saturday, Lynn jumped in front, 3-0, in the first when Desilites knocked in two runs with a single and scored the third on Tardiff?s base hit.The Lynners upped that lead to 6-0 in the third when Tardiff?s double scored O?Neill (who led off with a double) and Deslilites (who had reached on an error). Tardiff came home on a double by Marquis O?Neal.Danvers cut the lead in half with three in the fifth, But increased its lead to 8-3 on RBI singles by Hennessey and O?Neill (who handled the mound duties).uThe North Shore will have plenty of teams in all three age groups competing in the state tournaments. The 13s will play in Lynn, with both the host team and Danvers (district champion) participating. It?ll be Lynn going to Quincy for the 15s; and Saugus, which hosts with 15s, will compete as well as Peabody (district champion.)Steve Krause can be reached at [email protected].