FILE PHOTO
The Peabody all-stars celebrate a run in their 4-3 win over Peabody West.
By HAROLD RIVERA
When the Peabody all-stars take the diamond at Wyoma Little League’s Reinfuss Field for Wednesday night’s Massachusetts Section 4 Little League tournament game against Gloucester, they’ll have a tough task on their hands in seeking a win. Gloucester carries a talented offense that’s more than capable of scoring runs, but the challenge of limiting those bats is one that Peabody’s looking forward to.
“Gloucester has a good hitting team,” Peabody coach Justin Powers said. “The good thing is that a lot of kids play AAU together and know each other from different leagues. You always have somewhat of an idea from different people. They’re a big team. It’s going to take a strong effort to take those guys down.”
Peabody clinched its spot in the Section 4 tournament with a 4-3 win over Peabody West in the District 16 final. Although Peabody matched up against a tough slate of opponents in District 16, the all-stars weren’t fazed by the task. Peabody finished the District 16 tournament undefeated.
Jumping out to early leads and dominating all facets of the game have been the two keys to Peabody’s success.
“We get off to pretty good starts and that gives us our confidence,” Powers said. “Overall, we’ve done a good job of throwing strikes and making plays behind our pitchers. We’ve played all three facets of the game pretty well.”
It also helps that playing against talented teams in District 16 has given Peabody a good idea of what it’ll face moving forward. The variety of pitchers and batters that Peabody matched up against has prepared the all-stars for all possibilities.
“The kids have seen a lot of different styles of pitchers and batters,” Powers said. “We’ve gone up against some tough lineups. Our team has seen a little bit of everything. They’ve been through a lot of different styles of games. Hopefully we’re ready for anything.”
Peabody will look to maintain a gameplan similar to the one that worked throughout the district round. Powers has preached the importance of jumping out to a quick lead, holding down the fort in the middle innings and finishing on a high note.
“We got through District 16 playing the same way every game,” Powers said. “We start fast, grind through the middle innings and finish strong. That’s what we preach.
“We’re tough to pitch to and we can run the bases,” Powers added. “Our defense has been great. Everything the other team hits ends up in our gloves. If we keep doing that, we’ll be okay.”
The one area Powers would like to see his team improve on is reducing the amount of runners it leaves on the bases.
“The one thing we need to work on is we need to stop stranding baserunners,” Powers said. “The left on base number is a little too high to get by against better teams.”
Powers also noted that he and his players have been appreciate of the support they’ve received from their fans. Peabody has drawn strong crowds in its games, a benefit that has served to fuel the players on the team.
“The last game we played against Peabody West, that was some atmosphere,” Powers said. “You looked out and you have the whole Peabody West crowd bouncing up and down when they tied the game. When we scored the game-winner it was the exact opposite, all our fans were going bananas. That fuels the kids. The whole Peabody Little League community has come out and supported us and the kids definitely appreciate it.”
First pitch for Wednesday’s game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Peabody then clashes against Andover National and Reading on Thursday and Friday night, respectively. All games are at Wyoma.
