Big rally propels Shrewsbury past Millbury for D5 Little League title

NORTHBOROUGH — As Shrewsbury was clinging to a one-run lead with the bases loaded and one out in the top of the sixth, Tyler Griffin was just looking for a good pitch to hit.

“I just wanted to hit a line drive and make contact,” Griffin said. “Just trying to put the ball in play.”

He ended up doing just that, ripping a two-run double to the fence giving his team some breathing room as Shrewsbury pulled away for a 9-2 win over Millbury to win the District 5 12U Championship on Friday, July 18 at Casey Field. 

“We know that we are a great hitting team and we knew that it was only a matter of time,” Shrewsbury head coach Andrew Coletti said. “There was a great hit by Tyler Griffin that broke the game open and from there, we got a few more key hits to give us a little bit more of a cushion.” 

Joey Murgo followed up Griffin’s double with an RBI single, driving in Griffin and then Kyle Busenburg ripped an RBI triple to score Murgo as Shrewsbury scored six runs in the sixth inning to break the game open. 

That cushion was plenty as Shrewsbury pitcher Wes Duerden fanned the final batter to clinch Shrewsbury’s second 12U District 5 title in three years. 

“It feels amazing,” Duerden said. “We’ve played together for five years and this is our year.”

The win puts Shrewsbury into the Section 2 state tournament, which features fellow champions Taunton East (D6), Bridgewater (D7) and Hingham (D8). Shrewsbury will play at Bridgewater on Tuesday, July 21 before hosting Hingham on Wednesday, July 22 and then finishing round robin play at Taunton East on Thursday, July 23. All game times will be determined.

The final will be on Saturday, July 25 at the site of the highest seed. The champion will advance to the state tournament, which will be hosted by Holden Little League at CRA Field from July 30-August 2.

Duerden was nearly lights out on the mound as he pitched a complete game, giving up two runs (no earned) on just three hits, two walks while striking out nine. 

“We knew what we were getting out of him tonight,” Coletti said. “He even exceeded our expectations… He was phenomenal tonight.” 

 Millbury finally broke through offensively in the fourth inning after being no-hit for the first 3⅓ innings of the game. A couple runners reached base via an error and then Biagio Cesaitis broke up the no-hit bid with a single to load the bases with one out. Cam Curran then roped a two-run single to tie the ballgame at two. Unphased, Duerden struck out the next two batters (after an intentional walk) to get out of the inning.

“When he got out of those final two outs with the bases loaded after the game was tied, it was just enormous,” Coletti said. “It was an enormous lift for us and fortunately we were able to get the bats going again … Nothing phases him.” 

Duerden helped out his own cause in the fifth, giving his team back the lead with a RBI single that drove in Charlie Anderson to give Shrewsbury a 3-2 lead. 

“I just had a lot of confidence,” Duerden said. “I knew that I could do it, so I just showed up and played my game.

“I knew that we were the better team,” he added. “I knew that we could break through and do it, so I just locked in and did good.”

Now Shrewsbury turns its attention to the next round and a way to keep the momentum rolling on a spectacular summer.

“A lot of these kids have been together for five years now, it’s been five years in the making,” Coletti said. “It’s been a culmination of a lot of hard work, a lot of practice time, it’s nice to see them reap the reward.”

‒Contact Ethan Winter at sports@telegram.com.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Big rally propels Shrewsbury past Millbury for D5 Little League title