The long trip proved worthwhile for the Marblehead 14-year-old Babe Ruth All-Stars on Monday as they rallied to defeat Norwood, 5-3, at Adams Field in Quincy.
The victory advances Marblehead into tonight?s Eastern Mass. title game back at Adams at 5:30 againstQuincy with the winner moving on to the New England regionals.
?This team just finds a way to win,” Marblehead manager Greg Dombal said. “Most of them have been playing together since they were 8 and they all know their jobs and roles.”
Marblehead jumped out to a 2-0 lead on RBI singles from Jake Miller and Ryan Dombal in the second and third innings. Norwood, which had to win a game earlier on Monday to stay alive in the tournament, responded with three runs in the bottom of the third to take the lead.
It stayed 3-2 until the top of the fifth when Hayden Roush was hit by a pitch. Eli Cohen, who picked up the win on the mound, doubled with one out before Chris Gally scored both on a double to make it 4-3. Max Friedman followed with a single to score Gally.
Norwood got the tying run to the plate in each of the final two innings but Cohen was able to hold down the fort.
?Norwood had a lot of heart and they battled us all the way,” Dombal said.
Babe Ruth 15s
Plymouth 2, Saugus 1
The District 1 champions battled tough but came up short, ending their summer of baseball.
?I was really happy with how our team played and with the intensity they brought,” Saugus manager Mike Mabee said. “They came out in a big game and played well.”