LYNN — The Wyoma Phillies (12U) squared off against the Wyoma Yankees Friday evening for a spot in the Lynn City Series championship. The Phillies earned a 3-0 win and booked their spot in next week’s title game.
It was a well-balanced win for the Phillies, who struck first in the bottom of the fourth inning. A leadoff single from Bryson Jones got the team going. Marco Owumi followed with a double to move Jones to third, putting two runners on with no outs.
On a passed ball, Jones was quick to react and stole home to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead.
“He got a good jump on it. I said to him in the dugout that having guys on second and third with no outs, I’m not sure that’s a high-percentage move. But in a 0-0 game, he was trying to make a play to get us a run and it worked out,” said Phillies’ assistant coach Jeff Newhall, filling in as head coach for the evening. “He did a great job getting on to start the inning, and then Marco Owumi did a great job to set us up.”
David Alva then hit a ball deep into the outfield – far enough to score Owumi from second and extend the lead to 2-0.
Newhall described Alva’s RBI as a “big hit” for the team.
The Phillies added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth. Anthony Owumi hit a deep pop-up to right field that was dropped. He took advantage of the error, rounding second and heading for third. The throw to third was overthrown, allowing him to come all the way home for a 3-0 lead.
Taking a commanding lead into the final inning, Anthony Owumi returned to the mound and continued to impress. He finished with nine strikeouts, allowing just two hits and two walks across six innings.
“Anthony was dominant – as he has been pretty much the whole year,” Newhall said. “He’s a dynamic player and was the MVP when he was 10, 11, and now he’s 12. He threw a perfect game at the start of the season, and today, he was dominant, commanding the strike zone and his pitch count was low. I don’t think he threw 60 pitches.”
The Yankees nearly had a baserunner in the sixth inning, but Jacob Schipilliti made a highlight-reel catch in the outfield.
“I thought Jacob Schipilliti had a great catch in the sixth inning,” Newhall said.
The win moved the Phillies into the championship game. The Yankees, however, aren’t done yet as they enter the losers’ bracket with a chance to fight their way back to the title game.
“They were the team that beat us,” said Newhall, whose team is 13-1. “I thought all the kids played great tonight. Defensively, we played a very clean game.”
