PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- Coaches always tell players to practice like they play.

 

B.J. Jefferson is glad things did not work out quite that way.

 

"The last practice we had, 10 players in a row missed the bunt," Jefferson said after the Pittsfield Little League American Division 10-year-old All-Stars defeated Holden, 10-0, in five innings on Friday.

 

"Couldn't get a bunt down to safe our life. And all of a sudden ... thank God they're game players and not practice players."

 

Bunts were critical to the Americans in opening the double-elimination Section 1 tournament with a victory at Deming Park.

 

In the second inning, Jacob Welch and Jacob Knauth laid down back-to-back sacrifice bunts in a four-run rally. In the third, Kydd Kearns bunted for an RBI and a base hit in the middle of another four-run rally. In the fifth, Jack Wendling sacrificed to move Cooper Brown into scoring position with the run that eventually ended the game on Ryan Albuquerque's walkoff basehit.

 

Small ball was a big reason Pittsfield is advancing in the winner's bracket to play at District 2 champion Longmeadow on Saturday morning.

 

Another big reason, the pitching of Cooper Reed and Jack Wendling, who combined on the shutout.

 

Reed overcame a rough start in the first inning, when the District 4 champs from Central Mass rattled off three straight hits with one out to load the bases.

 

Reed got the next batter to ground out to the right side of the infield. The throw home was off line, but Pittsfield catcher Aiden Arseneau chased it to the backstop and raced back home to tag out the Holden runner, who had overrun the plate.

 

"That was a heads-up play by Aiden Arseneau to go and tag that kid out," Jefferson said. "That was a momentum changer there. That was bases loaded with one out. If that run scored, who knows what happens after that. Momentum totally swung in our favor."

 

Reed allowed just one more hit in his next two innings of work before turning the ball over Wendling, who threw two hitless innings.

 

The pair combined to strike out seven while walking just one.

 

Meanwhile, Pittsfield's offense came alive in the bottom of the second, batting around while taking a 4-0 lead.

 

Matthew Keegan and Oren Lewis got things started with back-to-back walks to start the inning. Welch then bunted them both over to put two in scoring position with one out.

 

Knauth followed with a sacrifice bunt, and an errant throw allowed both runners to score and Knauth to reach. After a groundball out, Wendling (2-for-2, two RBIs, three stolen bases) singled to left, and an error put runners at second and third.

 

Knauth and Wendling both ended up scoring on pitches to the backstop to make it 4-0.

 

Pittsfield doubled its lead one inning later, using RBIs by Kearns and Wendling.

 

In the fourth, Keegan walked, moved up on a single by Lewis, stole third and scored on a passed ball to make it 9-0.

 

11-Year-Old Tournament

Rutland 12, Great Barrington 2

The District 1 Champion Great Barrington All-Stars took an early lead but could not maintain it on the road in the opener of their sectional tournament.

 

Great Barrington will be home on Sunday at Olympian Meadows against the loser of Saturday's game between Rutland and Easthampton.