Finally! Generals break though, take first ITL crown since 1991
By Matt Williams | Asst. Sports Editor
Believe it or not, only three players on the current Hamilton
Intertown Twilight League baseball team were alive the last time the
Generals won the championship in 1991.
That is until this past Saturday, when 25 baseball loving boys from Hamilton stamped out that 31-year championship drought.
The
Generals battered defending champion Manchester, 11-1, in Game 4 of the
best-of-five set Saturday at Memorial Field in Essex to clinch the ITL
championship. The victory capped off a remarkable run through the
postseason in which the second-seeded Gens outscored their opponents
47-21 with an incredible 39 runs in the championship series alone.
“It
felt incredible to finally break through. These guys worked so hard,”
said longtime player/manager Brian Nicoll, who shared the in-game
decision making with fellow player/manager Larry Sageese. “We built up a
lot of good young players and they’re home grown; 22 of our 25 active
guys are Hamilton-Wenham grads and 17 graduated in 2018 or later.”
Looking
to avoid a loss and a potential Sunday Game 5, Hamilton jumped ahead
2-0 in the first inning on Saturday thanks to a Harrison O’Brien RBI
single and a Hunter Wilichoski steal of home. Manchester got one back in
the bottom half on an E.J. Field single but Ryan Hutchinson put out
that fire and didn’t allow another run over six solid innings while his
Generals added to the lead.
Carter Coffey (RBI) had two hits and
scored twice while O’Brien finished 2-for-4 with a pair of runs. Catcher
Nick Freni had a hit and scored, Tobin Clark Goldfield and Will Frain
both collected two RBI and scored, Aidan Cann had a pair of hits and
scored and Jake Lanciani collected two RBI and a run scored.
Hamilton
ballooned the lead to 5-1 after three and then pulled away with three
runs each in the fifth and sixth innings, outhitting the Mariners 9-5.
The championship was a longtime coming for a core group of Generals
that have come close several times. The ITL traces its roots back to the
turn of the century and the Generals’ first recognized title was back
in 1932 ... the modern squad sees Chris Huggett, Neil Simons and Luke
Painchaud as the only players even alive last time Hamilton won the
playoff crown in ‘91.
“The players who came before certainly paved
the way,” said Nicoll. “Guys like Mark Ruggerio, Reggie Maidment and
our longtime skipper and bona fide leader Bryan Vitale.”
Harry
Painter and Field combined for four of Manchester’s five hits on
Saturday with Dylan Wilson getting the other. Painter threw four innings
with five K’s and three earned allowed before Hamilton pulled away.
Lanciani,
the top pitcher with a 1.70 ERA, and slugging catcher Keegan O’Shea
were tremendous on-field leaders for this year’s Generals. Hutchinson
was the champs’ MVP, blasting three homers with a 2-0 record and three
saves plus a 1.70 ERA of his own.
Cann, Hamilton native who played
at Governor’s and now slugs for UMass, had a monster season with a .448
average and a team-leading 17 RBI. St. John’s Prep grad Will Frain tied
for the team lead in runs with 16 and posted a solid .751 OPS; Coffey, a
solid two-way player, helped out with the bat by hitting .318 in
addition to his pitching work. Paul Horgan was also one of the squad’s
top two-way guys, doing damage with the bat and nearly tying with Coffey
for the team lead in innings pitched.
Defensively, O’Brien played
at a gold glove level at third while also batting .385. Clark Goldfield
was excellent at shortstop, Cam Vautour chipped in at almost every
position and Mark Roselli has a solid pitching season with a pair of
victories.
It all added up to a satisfying, championship formula
for the Generals, who went 20-6 for the summer and 5-1 in the playoffs
after sweeping Rockport in the semifinals and then slaying the Mariners
for all the marbles.
