Swampscott Little League outlasts Saugus American

The Swampscott Little League All-Stars rallied from a 5-1 deficit to defeat Saugus American, 7-6, Tuesday in District 16 Little League action at MacArthur Park in Peabody.Swampscott?s Graham Inzana had the big hit, a walk-off single in the bottom of the sixth inning that scored Drew Oliviera, who had led off with a single, with the winning run.This was a struggle for both teams, but in the end, defense proved to be the difference. Saugus made eight errors and Swampscott had several key plays with runners on base that kept it in the game. At one point, second baseman Oliviera blocked a hard-hit ball with his chest. He kept it in the infield, allowing shortstop Anthony Rakauskas to pick it up and step on second for the out.First baseman Jonathan Oriakhi also stopped a shot down first and stepped on the bag for an out. Perhaps the biggest play came in the fifth inning when left fielder Drew Coleman made a highlight reel catch over his shoulder on a long fly ball to frustrate Saugus once again.Inzana had two hits and Rakauskas had a two-run double. Swampscott used three pitchers, Will Loguidice, Ethan Weisse and Inzana, who went the final two innings for the win.Saugus manager Ed Nazzarro said the errors made the difference. Starting pitcher Charlie Alcott went three innings and only allowed two hits, but three unearned runs scored. He also had five strikeouts and two walks. Jackson Stanton was solid in relief.Brandon Naumann was 2-for-3 for Saugus. He also managed to steal home.?The Swampscott defense played almost flawlessly,” Nazzarro said.Saugus American is eliminated from the tournament with the loss. Swampscott will play Saugus National Saturday at 4 p.m. at a location to be determined.