The Hudson HitDawgs had a busy week this week, wrapping up their summer tournament season with six games amongst the three age groups, with 8U going 1-1 and finishing second in the 603 Classic, 9U going 0-1 and finishing fourth in the Conway Classic, and 10U going a perfect 3-0 and winning the Conway Classic.
8U began their week on Tuesday evening, taking on Hollis-Brookline in the semifinals of the 603 Classic in Londonderry, beating a tired team on their second game of the evening 12-2 in five innings via the mercy rule after Hollis-Brookline had beaten Dover 8-7 in their first game immediately prior. They fell behind 2-0 early on after the Jr. Cavaliers put up a pair in the first inning with a pair of RBI groundouts, the first by Greyson H and the second off the bat of Bren B. Hudson then responded with a five-spot in the second inning on an inning that saw four hits and four walks with Hudson not recording an out and the inning ending on a five-run scoring cap. RBI in the inning were credited to Hunter S (2), Lucas F, Chase S, and Andrew B. The 8U HitDawgs added another run in the third on a bases-loaded hit by pitch that gave Nick Pinsonnault an RBI, as well as four in the fourth on three bases-loaded walks by Nicholas C, Chase S, and Nathan L and an RBI single by Cam Hughes to make it 10-2. They put the nail in the coffin for the game in the bottom of the fifth inning when a two-RBI single by PJ J put them ahead by 10 in the home half of the fifth, inflicting the mercy rule.
Hudson then played Londonderry in the 603 Classic 8U Championship on Wednesday. The HitDawgs season didn’t end the way they had hoped, falling 10-9 to Londonderry in the finals in a game that seemed like they were destined to emerge victorious. Hudson had a 9-2 lead over the Jr. Lancers heading into the bottom of the third inning, but Londonderry chipped away, cutting the deficit to 9-5 going into the fourth and then hung a five-spot on Hudson in the home half of the fourth to take the lead 10-9, never turning back and sending the HitDawgs home with a second-place finish in the tournament.
The 9U squad came into the week having wrapped up their 603 Classic run, but still having a legitimate shot at the Conway Classic crown. They took on Salem Blue in the tournament semifinals on Thursday, unfortunately falling just short in extra innings, losing 10-9 to a tough Salem team that would finish as the runners-up in the tournament. Hudson struck first in the second inning when Landon Horman stole home, giving the HitDawgs a 1-0 lead. Salem would respond in the bottom of the third, scoring a run on a wild pitch to tie the game at 1-1. Hudson got two back in the top of the fourth, as Landon Camire and Wesley Michelides picked up RBI singles for Hudson. The HitDawgs then extended their lead even further when Horman doubled in the fifth, scoring two more runs, and Luke Martel scored on a wild pitch before AJ Slazenik grounded out, scoring Horman on the play.
Hudson’s 7-1 lead would be cut to 7-4 by the end of the fifth, but they still held the lead while being three defensive outs away from the finals. Salem, however, battled back, putting up three runs in their half of the sixth, two of them coming with two outs. Hudson then got two runs in the top of the eighth, after a scoreless seventh, when Luke Martel and Logan Martineau scored on an error, once again putting the HitDawgs three outs away from a trip to the finals. Salem had other ideas, however, as they put up three in the eighth to win the ballgame 10-9 and send the Blue Devils to the finals.
Like 9U, Hudson’s 10U team concluded its 603 Classic tournament over the weekend and just had the Conway Classic left to play. In Tuesday’s game, 10U beat a tough Methuen squad 5-4 in the quarterfinals. Hudson scored all five of their runs in the first two innings with runs scoring on an RBI double by Timmy Flemming, an RBI single by Chase Olsen, and an RBI groundout by JT McGrail that put them up 3-0 through an inning and then a two-RBI single by Andrew in the second to give the HitDawgs a commanding 5-0 lead that they would never look back on. Methuen would score a run in the fifth off JT McGrail and then three more in the sixth, while getting the tying run as close as third base before Chase Olsen and JT McGrail managed to combine to catch the runner coming home to end the ballgame.
The HitDawgs took on Reading in the semifinals on Thursday in the late-night 7:30 PM time slot. Hudson took care of business over Reading with ease, winning 12-1 in four innings after scoring four runs in each of the second, third, and fourth innings on nine hits all told with the help of six walks. JT McGrail led the way for Hudson, picking up four RBI and scoring another run. He was also 2-2 with two doubles and a walk on the night.
In the finals, Hudson took on the host Tewksbury, and the HitDawgs continued to ride their momentum, winning 7-2 and wrapping up their season winning five of their final six games. The 10U HitDawgs took a 3-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a pair of RBI singles by Carter M and Cam Warrick, and a Jackson Dupont RBI walk. Hudson added another run in the fourth when Carter walked again, then two more in the fifth on a Gabe Aguilar two-RBI triple and a passed ball that Aguilar came in to score on to make it 7-0. Chase Olsen was also excellent on the mound, throwing 85 pitches through five innings, allowing two runs on four hits while also scattering three walks and striking out five. William Dauer came in to finish off the ballgame, pitching a perfect sixth inning on 10 pitches, getting three groundouts to seal the championship for Hudson.
All in all, the HitDawgs picked up a pair of championships this summer, with 11U winning the 603 Classic in Londonderry last week and 10U winning the Conway Classic. The HitDawgs also finished second in two tournaments, with 9U finishing second in the SVI tournament and 8U finishing second in the 603 Classic. Hudson also sent three teams to States this year with 11U finishing third in States, 9U finishing seventh, and 8U finishing tenth.
