Boylston players win Burncoat title.

Byline: Bill Marsh

BOYLSTON - The Babe Ruth 13-year-olds team, which includes players from both Boylston and West Boylston, won the recent Burncoat League championship.

In a rags-to-riches story, the local Babe Ruth team, which was sponsored by Clinton Savings Bank, went from worst to first in the league. The 13-year-olds were the last place team during the league's regular season, but when it came to the playoffs, things changed.

In the double-elimination playoffs, the Clinton Savings Bank (CSB) team faced Corvette City in the first round. However, Corvette City was unable to field a team, so CSB won that game by forfeit.

Up next was Allegro and CSB beat them 9-7. That set the stage for the championship round against Corvette City, which this time had a full compliment of players.

CSB, undefeated in the playoffs, needed to win just one game to be crowned champions. And win they did. In a real nail-biter, they beat Corvette City 10-9 to take the title.

"They (Corvette City) didn't see us coming," CSB coach Kevin O'Brien said. "We got lucky with the forfeit, but we made the plays when we needed them and we won.

"Our kids believed in themselves and they weren't intimidated," he said.

Alex Hughson pitched four innings in the championship game, while Chris Grieman hurled the final three frames.

With Corvette City leading 2-0 in the first inning, CSB scored a run in the home half of the frame. Hughson walked and then he stole both second and third base. He scored on a passed ball.

Trailing 4-1 in the second, CSB scored four runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 5-4 lead. With two runners on, Cam Gaskins ripped an RBI single. A hit batsman, a walk and a Hughson single accounted for three more runs.

CSB added a solo run in the third on singles by Grieman, Nick Keddy, and Gaskins. They led 6-4.

In the top of the fourth, Corvette City scored three times to retake the lead.

With the score 7-6, CSB scored four runs in the bottom of the fourth that won the game. Hughson led off the frame with a single. The next two batters walked to load the bases. Hughson scored on a passed ball to tie the game.

Grieman hit an RBI single and Conor O'Brien followed with a two RBI single.

Defensively, Brad Wyatt made all the plays in right field and O'Brien did the job behind the plate.

"He (Wyatt) played very strong defense," Kevin O'Brien said. "He made some web gems in right."

"Conor (O'Brien) threw out three runners in the championship game," he said. "We played steady defense and we got the hits when we needed them. It was great."

The members of the CSB Babe Ruth team were Alex Hughson, Conor O'Brien, Jaime DeSanti, Nick Hayden, Mike Sizemore, Brad Wyatt, Spencer Casella, Cam Gaskins, Nick Keddy, Alex Wilhelmy, Gurtaj Khatra, and Chris Grieman.

The coaches were Kevin O'Brien, Rich Wilhelmy, and Steve Hughson.

ART: PHOTO

CUTLINE: The CSB Base Ruth team are (laying down) Alex Hughson; (kneeling, from left) Conor O'Brien, Jaime DeSanti, Nick Hayden and Mike Sizemore; (standing, from left) Brad Wyatt, Spencer Casella, Cam Gaskins, Nick Keddy, Alex Wilhelmy, Chris Grieman, Manager Kevin O'Brien and assistant coaches Rich Wilhelmy and Steve Hughson; not pictured Gurtaj Khatra.

PHOTOG: Photo for The Item