Williamsport Results
Cohasset Williamsport Team Rolls On with 5-0 Shutout of Canton
Cohasset's Little League Williamsport team remained undefeated in Little League's annual Williamsport Tournament with a 5-0 win against previously undefeated Canton on Saturday afternoon.
Jack Kuppens hurled a masterpiece, as he shut down a Canton squad that had scored 15 runs in its first two games. Kuppens went five innings for the Boys in Blue, scattering three hits, striking out five, and walking only two.
Kuppens escaped his only scare in the first inning. Cohasset's big right-hander walked the first Canton batter, and hit the second. A passed ball placed runners on second and third with no outs. With the Canton faithful on their feet, a Kuppens' fastball bounced to the backstop....Cohasset's catcher Max Montgomery scooted after the ball, and threw a strike to the charging Kuppens, as he beat the Canton runner to the plate...sliding tag - Out! Kuppens then wheeled, and fired a laser to Tommy Ryan at third, nailing the Canton runner trying to advance from second - Out! Double play! ....Two down, no one on...and like that, the game turned.
Kuppens settled into his rhythm, and never allowed the Canton Green back in it....and the Cohasset bats did their part.....in the bottom of the first, Terrence Doonan led off with a walk, and Brendan O'Connell followed with a line single up the middle. First and second, no outs. After Canton recorded an out, Doonan and O'Connell advanced on a wild pitch. Liam Burke then lined a single to plate the two, and Cohasset grabbed an early 2-0 lead.
In the bottom of the second, Cohasset scored a third run, keyed by hits from Tommy Powers, Tommy O'Brien, and Doonan, O'Connell and Burke again.
Both teams went down without a score in the third, with Canton's centerfielder robbing Cohasset's Chris Cohen of an extra base hit. But in the fourth, after Kuppens retired Canton without a run, Cohasset rallied for two more runs, as O'Brien lined his second hit of the day, Doonan and O'Connell drew walks, Kuppens got an RBI the hard way - plunked in the side - and Mickey Barry lined a base hit for an RBI. Into the fifth, Cohasset led 5-0.
Kuppens retired the Canton nine in the fifth, completing his masterpiece with strike outs of the last two batters he faced. Tom Gilliatt took the hill in the sixth, and made like Cohasset's own Pappy, as he slammed the door on Canton, with the help of a nice scoop and throw by Tommy Ryan at third.
Cohasset now sits as one of only four undefeateds in District play, and moves on to face Milton American on Tuesday evening, July 8th, at 6 pm in Stoughton.
Cohasset Williamsport Team Starts Tourney With Blast(s)!Cohasset's Little League Williamsport team opened play in Little League's annual Williamsport Tournament in Sharon on Sunday night. Matched against a tough squad from Rockland, the Cohasset boys in blue opened the tournament in grand style, with a five inning 12-2 slaughter rule victory!
Rockland took an early 1-0 lead in the first, but Cohasset Ace Mickey Barry shut the door with the help of a great stab of a hard grounder at first by Liam Burke, and a throw home to Max Montgomery at the plate, whose sweeping tag nailed a sliding Rockland runner. Cohasset answered in the bottom of the first with a run of its own, keyed by Jack Kuppens line double down the third base line. After one, the score stood at 1-1.
Barry retired the Rockland hitters in the top of the second, and the Cohasset bats came alive in the bottom of the frame. With two outs, Tommy O'Brien took one for the team, hit in the back by Rockland's big hard throwing ace. Ryan McKeon followed with a great hustle play, as he legged out an infield hit, with O'Brien sliding into second just ahead of the throw. Two on, two out. Terrence Doonan followed with a hard grounder that was too hot for the Rockland infield to handle - O'Brien scored, and McKeon moved to third. Brendan O'Connell then delivered with a huge three run dinger over the center field fence. After two, Cohasset led 5-1.
Rockland scratched out a run in the top of the third to narrow Cohasset's lead to 5-2, but Tommy Ryan's stab and throw from third got Cohasset out of the inning with no further damage. In the bottom of the third, Burke lead off with a blast over the centerfield fence to put Cohasset up 6-2, and chase the Rockland starter. After three, Cohasset led 6-2.
In the fourth, Barry retired the Rockland side with no score, and Cohasset blew the game wide open in the bottom of the frame. With one out, Cohasset's Doonan, O'Connell, Kuppens and Burke smacked back to back to back to back singles to plate one run. Barry then strode to the plate with the bases loaded, and after falling behind 0-2, blasted a grand slam to left to plate four, and expanded Cohasset's lead to 11-2. Cohasset nearly plated another run, as Max Montgomery doubled off the centerfield fence, Tommy Powers worked a walk to keep the rally alive, and Chris Cohen and Chris Haggerty both laced liners just foul...Rockland escaped the frame with Cohasset up by nine.
In the fifth, Barry again retired the side without a score, keyed by Doonan's stab of a hard shot at short, and gun from deep in the hole to nail the Rockland runner at first. In the bottom of the fifth, Doonan led off, and blasted Cohasset's fourth home run, and the boys in blue were slaughter rule winners, 12-2!
A terrific team effort all the way around. Cohasset next plays Canton, this Saturday, July 5th, at noon in Stoughton.