Middleton’s 11-year-old Little League all-stars capped off a tremendous summer by rallying to top Ipswich, 12-11, in the championship game recently.
Down to their last strike and trailing by two runs, Middleton saw Vincent Ortins foul off a few tough pitches and then deliver the game-tying double. Hunter Katz then walked it off with an RBI single.
Among the wins this summer for the 11’s were a 6-1 victory over Amesbury that saw clutch play by Finn Buser and Sam Lovett with great pitching by Noah Alexander. Middleton also topped Beverly, 17-0, with big hits from Liam Foley, Nick Casamassima, Joey Esposito and a nice double play turned by Owen Learmond-Criqui.
The run also included a 15-1 win over Danvers American as Hayden Tsurmski and mason Tirrell chipped in some timely hits. The semifinals saw Middleton top Hamilton-Wenham, 1-0, with a 2-hit shutout tossed by Alexander (8 strikeouts). Lovett’s triple scored the game’s only run and Buser made a spectacular catch in center field in the sixth.