PEABODY — The Peabody 12-year-old Little League softball all-stars will be playing for a second straight state championship later this month.
In a dominating performance, the District 16 champion Tanners left nothing to chance Sunday afternoon at Lt. Ross Park, defeating District 13 champion Woburn 10-0 to win the Section 2 championship by mercy rule in four innings.
With the win, the Tanners advance to the state championship tournament July 14-15 at Gonsalves Field in Woburn where they will take on the Section 1 champion (either District 4 champion Joe Schwartz or District 2 champion Westfield) in a best-of-three series with a doubleheader Sunday, July 14 and an “if necessary” game the following day.
Against Woburn, Avery Grieco dazzled in the circle, pitching a no-hitter with five strikeouts and two walks. The only other Woburn batter to touch first base reached on a harmless infield error in the final inning.
Lizzie Bettencourt had a tremendous day at the plate, going 3-for-3 with three RBI, three stolen bases and two runs scored.
“Avery did what Avery does, and that’s throw strikes and make them hit her,” said Peabody manager Mark Bettencourt. “The couple of times she walked people she was able to work around those walks and when we did make an error she worked around that. She just didn’t allow them to have a big inning like we did to them.
“Lizzie hit the ball hard in all three at bats. She may have been the only one today who was able to drive the ball the way most of them can. I don’t think today was one of our better offensive games, but for the most part we were hitting the ball to places they (the other Tanners) weren’t.”
The home-town Tanners used a combination of small ball, aggressive baserunning and timely hitting to jump out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
Shortstop Logan Lomasney and catcher Kiely Doolin led off with back-to-back infield singles. Both runners scored on first baseman Lizzie Bettencourt’s 2-run single.
The Tanners broke the game open with seven runs in the third.
Doolin reached on an error, stole second and scored on Bettencourt’s line-drive single. Bettencourt stole second and scored on Jaelyn Emerson’s single through the right side to make it 4-0. With two outs, Christina Izaguirre walked, then Ava DiVola reached on an infield error. No. 9 hitter Jessica Steed brought both runners home with a 2-run single through the right side. Lomasney capped the inning with a 2-run double, scoring Alanna Sweeney (on base with a fielder’s choice) and Steed to make it a 9-0 game.
Bettencourt led off the fourth with her third base hit of the day. She stole second and scored on Emerson’s single.
“They (Woburn) kind of helped us a little bit as they didn’t play the best defense in the world and that helped us but good teams take advantage of that,” said Mark Bettencourt. “We put the ball in play and made them make plays.”
For the Bettencourt family, next weekend will be a juggling act at best. Bettencourt coaches two other Little League teams who are still alive; the Peabody Tanners Softball Junior All-Star team (with daughters Isabel and Abby) and the Peabody West 10-year-old all-stars (with son Mark Bettencourt). The juniors will play a doubleheader in the state championship series July 13 and follow with an “If” game July 15.
The West 10’s, which defeated Winthrop Friday night to capture the District 16 title, will open the Section 4 tournament Friday night against Billerica (TBD).
“I may have four games potentially in one day this weekend with softball doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday’s and Mark’s games as well,” said Bettencourt. “But I am so lucky to have great coaches on all three teams who know what we are trying to do and I have total confidence in them.”
