Bridgewater wins Massachusetts Little League state crown. Next up: Regionals

ANDOVER — For the first time in program history, Bridgewater American’s 12u Little League team can call itself state champions.

Bridgewater outlasted Acton-Boxboro, 3-1, at Deyermond Park to earn the right to represent Massachusetts in the New England Regional tournament in Bristol, Connecticut.

State champ has a nice ring to it, but after recording the final out, the players started realizing they’re about to experience something else that is pretty cool, too.

“We’re going to be on ESPN,” Bryson Buker exclaimed with a big smile.

Buker was the star for Bridgewater American on Sunday, putting on a SportsCenter-worthy performance. He pitched 4 innings for Bridgewater, only allowing 1 run, which came in the top of the first.

Acton Boxboro had an early 1-0 lead, but Buker made sure that did not last long. In the bottom of the first, he crushed a solo home run to tie the game. Though it evened things up, it did more than that for the team, as coach Rich Florence said it loosened the dugout up for the rest of the game.

More: Next stop, state championship: Bridgewater Little League wins Section 2 title

In the second, Logan Brady (2-for-2 with two singles) reached on a single and advanced due to errors. Brendan Moyer then drove Brady in with an RBI single, which put Bridgewater up for good. The next at-bat, Micah Poulter grounded out to first but allowed Moyer to score from third to make it 3-1.

Buker's big day

Just when it seemed like he couldn’t have a better game, Buker made a diving catch in center field for the second out of the sixth inning, which set up the final out the next at-bat.

“I said to his dad, ‘That was the greatest all-around performance,’” Bridgewater 12u coach Rich Florence said. “He looked like Superman.”

Buker credited his stellar performance to his dad, Robert, who he said fired him up to play on the drive over to the park.

“My dad gave me a lot of motivation on the car ride here,” Buker said with a laugh. “He said a lot of words of motivation, and I think that’s what got me ready for this tournament.”

Another web gem

In a game where Bridgewater played great defense, it was only fitting that the last out came from one of the best defensive plays of the day.

With two outs in the top of the sixth, second baseman Hunter McHargue made a diving stop on a ground ball to his right. He then twisted his body toward first base and fired a throw from a position where he was nearly lying down on his back.

The ball hit the back of first baseman Luke Fantasia’s glove, who stretched off the base with his right leg to catch the throw, sealing the team’s historic win.

Gloves were tossed and screams of pure thrill and happiness ensued as players and coaches circled around each other on the infield. Florence ran straight to McHargue, picking him up and lifting him into the air as McHargue smiled with both fists raised.

Comeback kids, again

For the second straight tournament in a row, Bridgewater came back to beat the team it lost to in round-robin play to win a title. On July 20, Bridgewater beat Braintree to win the Section 2 title after losing to the same opponent in its first game of the bracket.

This time, Acton Boxboro won handedly against Bridgewater, 13-5 on Friday, putting Bridgewater on the brink of elimination. The team took care of business on Saturday however, coasting to a 10-2 victory over Melrose before getting its revenge for the state title on Sunday.

Despite facing elimination multiple times over the last two weeks, Bridgewater seems to play better with its back against the wall.

“I think it takes a little pressure off the kids actually,” Florence said, talking about the team playing following a loss. “They don’t feel like they have to win but they know they can win. When they play loose, they play great.”

After the loss on Friday, the team went back to its hotel, and came across a red stuffed animal monkey that one of the player’s brothers had brought along with him for the trip. It was something fun to take their minds off the loss, and they drew a liking to it. Suddenly, the red monkey appeared in the dugout the next day.

On Sunday, it was seen again hanging on the fence in the dugout.

Red monkey, 2. Teams playing against Bridgewater with the red monkey, 0.

“They thought it was funny in the hotel and next thing you know he’s in the dugout, and I’m just like, ‘Let it go,’ Florence said laughing while throwing his hands up.

Though it was a low-scoring affair, Bridgewater got contributions from up and down its lineup. Jake Florence and Jake Tayag both recorded hits, leadoff man Landon O’Hearn reached base twice, and Jeremiah Gonzalez drew a walk. Cam Goodwin and Mason Genatossio were also key in the defensive effort of their team.

Micah Poulter came in to relieve Buker in the fifth, pitching two scoreless innings. Poulter saved the game for Bridgewater by getting a ground out to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the fifth inning.

Next up for Bridgewater is a date with Vermont champion Burlington American on Saturday, Aug. 3, at Breen Field in Bristol, Connecticut, where it will play in a double-elimination tournament for a chance to play in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Bridgewater wins Massachusetts Little League state crown. Next up: Regionals