SAUGUS — Swampscott punched its ticket to the District 16 championship game with a 1-0 win over Wyoma on Tuesday evening.
The two teams met earlier in the 12-year-old All-Stars District 16 tournament, when Wyoma came out on top in another 1-0 battle.
This time, Swampscott came through in the clutch.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, with the bases loaded, Harry Fitzgerald delivered an RBI single to right field to score the game-winning run.
“Jax Dudevoir was on third base, Archie Packer was at second and Owen Jordan was on first — and all three of those runners got on from walks,” said Swampscott manager Mike Rossi. “They worked the count, and then Harry came up and hit one right down the right-field line.”
It was a defensive battle, and Rossi credited both his pitcher and Wyoma’s Anthony Owumi for their strong outings.
“It went how I called it. It was going to be a really tight game, and I think their pitcher played great,” Rossi said. “Danny Hall on our side pitched an absolute gem. When you get a performance like that, awesome things happen.”
Owumi finished with six strikeouts and allowed just three hits. Hall struck out eight to earn the win, which Rossi called his best showing of the tournament.
“In this tournament, this is definitely his best performance,” Rossi said. “He stepped it up. On probably one of our bigger stages so far, he stepped up and delivered. It was a one-hitter — and that one hit came pretty late in the game. He was able to keep his pitch count low too, which was great. It was another hot game, and I feel like he’s conditioned to pitch in this weather. He did great today.”
Although one win away from the championship game, Wyoma manager Tom Dobbins praised his team and credited Swampscott for the win.
“The kids competed hard through the entire game, and we are proud of the way they played the whole tournament,” Dobbins said. “Swampscott played well, and their pitcher was excellent tonight.”
Despite falling short of the final, Wyoma’s tournament run was still one to remember.
“It’s a little painful to see it end, as this is a good group and they were one win away from reaching the District final, which Wyoma hasn’t done in a while,” Dobbins said. “But the run we made will make for great memories for them going forward.”
Swampscott will face Peabody in the championship game Thursday in Salem, with first pitch scheduled for 5:45 p.m.
