WESTFIELD — The Greater Lynn Babe Ruth 15/16U Navy All-Stars made a deep run in the New England regional tournament, but Tuesday marked the end. In a championship game showdown against Greater Sanford (Maine), Greater Lynn fell in a 1-0 final.
It was a hard-fought final, with pitching and defense taking center stage. Despite a strong effort on the mound from Braeden Ohannesian and Mark Walsh, Greater Lynn’s offense couldn’t break through against a stingy Greater Sanford pitching core.
Lynn managed just two hits in the loss.
Greater Sanford scored the game’s only run early and made it stand, as Lynn couldn’t cash in on the few opportunities it had at the plate.
Still, it was a strong showing from the All-Stars, who impressed throughout the week and remained unbeaten until the final. Greater Lynn had rolled through pool play with a perfect 3-0 record, picking up wins against Westfield, Belmont (N.H.), and Bethel (Conn.).
Behind timely hitting, solid pitching, and steady defense, the team looked poised for a title run and carried that momentum into the knockout rounds. In Tuesday morning’s semifinal matchup, Greater Lynn took on Franklin County (Vt.) and struck early en route to a 5-1 victory.
The offense got going in the second inning when Kalen Huddle delivered an RBI double to score Jackson Barrett, giving Lynn a 1-0 lead. The team added insurance in the fifth when Trent Cahill lined a single down the middle, scoring Jack Spates to make it 2-0.
The All-Stars broke it open in the sixth. James Pasquale came through with a clutch, two-run single up the middle to extend the lead to 4-0. Later in the inning, Collin Hart scored on an error to cap a three-run frame (5-0).
Franklin County scored a run in the seventh, but it wasn’t enough as Greater Lynn closed out in style.
While the team fell short of a title, you could say the stretch will be remembered as one of the program’s best in recent years.
