But none of that would matter yet to the Needham Rockets, who still had to get past a plucky Sharon team bent on spoiling a Rockets semifinal bid.
The first break would go to Sharon, who took two out of three in rock-paper-scissors to claim home field advantage. Needham was to bat first.
The Rockets would get one on in the top of the first, Tom Berkley, who singled and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Berkley took third on a passed ball, but he would be stranded there.
William Popper got the nod to start this one for the Rockets, and his fastball was surgical. He got two to ground to second and another by way of the K. No score after one.
Popper put himself on in the top of the second with a single, promptly stole second, and advanced to third on a passed ball. Joe Dateo walked, took off for second, drew the throw, and Popper booked it home. Dateo was safe at second, Popper was safe at the plate. Well-executed all around. 1-0, Rockets. Will Dorion singled, moving Dateo over to third, but the Rockets rally would run out of steam there.
Popper retired the side in order, and the Rockets held their slim one-run advantage through two.
Top of the third... Drew Siegenthaler, fresh off his walk-off RBI single the night before, singled on a hard ground ball past the shortstop. Sean Greene walked, and Eric Gage loaded the bases with a shot to center field. Still nobody out. Tom Berkley reached on error, bringing in Siegenthaler. Gage scored on a single by Jeffrey Hohler, and Steven Donovan singled to left, bringing in another to make it 3-0, Rockets.
William Popper, solidly in a groove, stuck out the side, one swinging and two looking. Through three innings he had allowed only one base runner on a walk.
The Rockets were set to do more damage in the fourth. Joe Dateo doubled on a shot to left field and came around to score when Aidan McGaugh knocked the 0-2 fastball into center field for a single. 4-0, Rockets. Sean Greene brought in McGaugh with a single, and Drew Siegenthaler crossed the plate on a passed ball. 6-0, Rockets.
William Popper returned to the hill and put up a fourth straight zero.
The Rockets were firmly in control, going into what would be the final inning by mercy rule. Jeffrey Hohler doubled on a rocket to deep center field, Steven Donovan sent one into right field for a single, Matthew Dougherty singled to left, Popper reached on fielder's choice, Will Dorion walked, Aidan McGaugh doubled to left, and Drew Siegenthaler doubled. In all, this assembly line produced 7 runs, and the game ended 13-0, Rockets.
With three wins in their pool, the Rockets advanced to the semifinals where they were set to face a tough Dighton squad. Not much down time between games in this double-header that the Rockets would like to stretch into a triple-header. Just enough time for the grounds crew to do their thing--drag, line, mow, hose it down, and play ball!
Top of the first... Will Dorion took the hill for the Rockets and displayed his usual smoldering stuff. A relentless Dighton lineup was able to notch two, though, and take an early lead.
It wouldn't last long. Sean Greene led off with a single, Drew Siegenthal was hit by a pitch, and Will Dorion set the table with a single into left field. Still nobody out. Two passed balls brought in Greene and Siegenthaler. A single into right field off the bat of Steven Donovan drove in another, and just like that the Rockets jumped ahead 3-2. Joe Dateo doubled next on a shot to right, Donovan to third. Aidan McGaugh drove one to right field, Donovan tagged and scored to make it 4-2 Rockets after one.
Dorion returned for the top of the second and fanned the first two batters he faced. He got another to ground to third where Aidan McGaugh picked it and fired across for the out. Textbook play at the hot corner.
An Eric Gage single and a Tom Berkley walk put two steaks on the grill for the Rockets in the bottom of the second. But Needham was not able to plate 'em, and it would remain a 4-2 ballgame.
Dighton came roaring back in the top of the third, putting up three runs and reclaiming the lead. 5-4, Dighton.
Calm and cool, though, in the Rockets' dugout. They know the damage their lineup can do. They know they are never out of a game. Good things will happen, bad things will happen, just play good baseball.
A Drew Siegenthaler single and a Steven Donovan single had two on for the Rockets in the bottom of the third. But tough Dighton pitching and solid defensive play stranded both. Still 5-4, Dighton after three.
Matthew Dougherty spun a desperately needed shut-out fourth on the bump for the Rockets and paved the way for big bottom half. Jack Morgan singled to get things started, Matthew Dougherty reached on error, Jeffrey Hohler walked, Morgan scored to tie it up at 5. Tom Berkley singled, and Dougherty came around to score and put the Rockets back on top, this time for good. Needham would notch two more in a huge 4-run bottom of the fourth. 8-4, Rockets.
Dougherty continued his fine work on the mound in the fifth, putting up another zero, and carrying his team one step closer to the tournament championship game.
The Rockets' fifth would prove to be another monster inning, this time to the tune of 7 runs. Dorion, Donovan, and Dateo each singled to jack the bases with nobody out. A pair of passed balls and a Jack Morgan double to center field would bring them all in. 11-4, Rockets. William Popper would bring Morgan in with a double of his own, a laser to left field. Jeffrey Hohler roped one to left for a double, and Tom Berkley singled on a shot to right. 15-5, Rockets, when the dust finally cleared.
Joe Dateo would seal it up for the Rockets with a scoreless sixth, and for the second time in two weeks the Needham Rockets would find themselves playing for a tournament championship. This time they would face a top-seeded team from Dedham--the same Region 3 rivals that the Rockets will face this coming Thursday in SYBL action.
But would the rain creeping northward threaten the championship game? A glance at the radar suggested the we had better get this game started as soon as possible. The grounds crew was in and out. Both teams were ready to play what would be the third game of a triple-header.
A Will Dorion single on a line to center field was all the fireworks in the top of the first.
Starter Jack Morgan came out pounding the zone, but the top of a punishing Dedham order was able to produce two to take an early lead.
The Rockets would get them right back in the top of the second. William Popper singled, and Joe Dateo was hit by a pitch to put two on with one out for Aidan McGaugh. McGaugh launched a long fly ball to right field--deep enough to score Popper, who tagged at third and came in to put the Rockets on the board, 2-1. Dateo would also score from third on a passed ball to even it up at 2.
A 1-2-3 bottom of the second orchestrated by Jack Morgan kept it that way. Morgan had some excellent support at first base from Jeffrey Hohler, who backhanded one, scooped another, and brought them both to bag himself to nail down the second.
Tie ball game going into the third. Jeffrey Hohler worked a walk to lead it off. Tom Berkley moved him over with a ground ball up the middle, Eric Gage brought him in with a single into left field, and the Rockets took the lead for the first time in the game. Drew Siegenthaler singled and Gage came around to give his Rockets a 2-run lead. 4-2, Rockets after two and a half.
But still a lot of baseball to play. The Dedham lineup could do their share of damage as well. In a wild bottom half of the third, Dedham notched 5 runs to take a 7-4 lead into the fourth.
Were the Rockets sweating it? Not in the least. They stayed loose. They stayed calm. They had a giant stuffed banana named Buster in their dugout.
And that's exactly how William Popper approached his next at bat. Leading off the fourth, Popper took a big cut at 0-0, a more controlled cut at 0-1, and then took three balls to load up the count. Ball four looked juicy, but it wasn't his, and he wisely laid off. One on, nobody out. Joe Dateo walked, Aidan McGaugh singled, and just like that, the bases were loaded. Jeffrey Hohler got all of an 0-1 fastball and sent it on a stiff rope to center field. Popper scored. Dateo scored. McGaugh scored on an errant throw. When all the yelling stopped, we were knotted up at 7.
Matthew Dougherty came out to relieve Morgan in the bottom of the fourth. This would be a huge hold for Dougherty and the Rockets if he could keep Dedham off the board. Dougherty took no time to find his groove. He got one to tap it back to the mound, another to pop up to first, and out number three on two hops to third. Done and delivered. Still 7-7, with the Rockets ready to wreak some havoc in the fifth.
Sean Greene reached on error, Drew Siegenthaler was hit by a pitch, and Will Dorion cranked one to right to score Greene. The Rockets' dugout erupted. 8-7, Rockets, and still more work to do in the fifth. Steven Donovan shot a hot ground ball right up the gut into center field. Siegenthaler scored. Dorion scored. 10-7, Rockets. Jack Morgan sent one over the shortstop into left field, and Donovan scored. 11-7, Rockets. Morgan came around to score on a wild pitch, and the Rockets had blown it wide open, 12-7.
But Dedham refused to quit. They notched another two in the bottom of the fifth to bring it back within reach, 12-9.
The Rockets, looking for some insurance, found none in the top of the sixth and would go into the final half inning with a 3-run lead. No lead feels big enough in the final inning of a championship game. Dougherty stayed cool, though, and remained in his zone. He got one to ground to second. He fanned another. The third popped it up to short. Steven Donovan lined it up and hauled it in to claim the Atlleboro Tournament Championship for the Needham Rockets.
A tremendous effort from all 12 players through five games in two days, and the Needham Rockets return home champions once again.
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