PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Quentin Christopher and Jack Abel each had three hits Friday to lead the Pittsfield Babe Ruth 15-year-old All-Stars to a 14-1 win over Lyndon, Vt., in the opening game of the New England Regional Championship at Deming Park.

 

It was a red-letter day for the Pittsfield Babe Ruth program, as its three all-star teams went 3-0 in regional competitions across New England.

 

Both singled in seven-run first inning for Pittsfield, which also saw the team get hits from Ethan O’Donnell and Jack Farkas.

 

Christopher, Abel and Gavin O’Donnell hit three straight singles in a four-run rally in the third to help put the game out of reach.

 

Jay Codey went the distance on the bump for Pittsfield, striking out three and scattering four hits in a game that ended in the fifth inning via the run rule.

 

Pittsfield opens pool play with a record of 1-0.

 

On Saturday evening at Wahconah Park, it will face Eastern Massachusetts Champion Braintree, a 3-0 loser to Norwalk, Conn., on Friday.

 

Photos from this game here.

 

14-Year-Olds

NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Pittsfield cruised to a 3-0 record in its four-team pool with an 11-1 win over Rhode Island State Champion Cranston on Friday.

 

Now, the Pittsfield 14s get to enjoy a day off before playing in the New England semi-finals on Sunday afternoon.

 

Jackson Almeida went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs on Friday to highlight a 15-hit attack for Pittsfield.

 

Brendan Socie was 3-for-3 with a triple.

 

Morrie Fried (2-for-3) and Andrew Hammill each hit a double.

 

Eddie Ferris earned the win on the mound, striking out five in four innings.

 

Fried struck out one in a scoreless fifth to finish the game, ended early by the run rule.

 

Pittsfield Sunday at 1 p.m. will face the winner of Saturday’s game between Cranston and either Eastern Mass Champion Braintree or North Providence, who played a game in the other pool on Friday at 7 p.m.

 

13-Year-Olds

ROCHESTER, N.H. – White their older counterparts were making fast work of the competition on Friday, the Pittsfield 13s had to go to extra innings.

 

But the outcome was the same.

 

Eli Kristen drove in the winning run in the top of the eighth inning to give Pittsfield a 3-2 win over Maine State Champion Franklin County in their pool play opener.

 

Jason Fields started the eighth with a leadoff single to left field.

 

He moved up on Mason Daley’s sacrifice bunt.

 

Then Kristensen took a 1-0 pitch into right field to drive in Fields.

 

In the bottom of the eighth, Fields pitched around a leadoff single and a walk by returning the next three hitters to preserve the win.

 

Franklin County had scored a run in the bottom of the sixth to erase a 2-1 lead Pittsfield held since the top of the second.

 

In the first, Robby Bazinet singled to drive in Sam Gyurjan.

 

In the second, Brenden Merwin singled to start the inning and ended up scoring on an RBI groundout from Fields.

 

Bazinet got the start on the mound and allowed one run on four hits in 4 and one-third innings.

 

Sebastian Herrera gave up an unearned run and struck out three in 1 and two-thirds.

 

Pittsfield (1-0) continues pool play on Saturday morning against New Hampshire State Champion Keene.