Courtesy photo The Diamondbacks celebrate their Nashua Cal Ripken Triple A championship win over the Tigers.

The Nashua Cal Ripken Baseball League ended its summer-fall season last week as the Red Sox captured the Majors championship and the Diamondbacks took the Triple A title.

In addition, longtime Cal Ripken coach David Drescher was celebrated by the league for his 54-year coaching career supporting Nashua youth baseball. Drescher has coached youth baseball since 1967, has been the head coach of the Giants since 1975 and is a 2013 inductee into the New Hampshire Sports Hall of Fame.

Here are the playoff results:

—

MAJORS FINALS

Courtesy photo The Red Sox show off their hardware after winning the Nashua Cal Ripken Majors Division championship.

RED SOX 6, GIANTS 4

Led by home runs from league MVP Josh Alvarez, Taylor Joyal, three RBIs from Sammy Woodward and clutch pitching from Jacoby Caissie, the top-seeded Red Sox battled back from two early deficits

The Giants led off the scoring in the top of the first as Jack Ninteau laced a base hit to left field to start. An error in the outfield off the bat of Ayden Clough allowed the runners to advance to second and third, but Red Sox pitcher Michael Witkowski escaped the 1-out jam allowing only one run off an RBI ground out from Jordan Delude.

Down a run, Alvarez responded immediately, leading off with a home run on his first swing of the game. After the Sox loaded the bases with two walks and an error, Caissie scampered home on a passed ball to give the Red Sox a 2-1 lead.

After a pair of walks, the Sox survived a scare in the third when a pair of sloppy throws provided a chance for a quick run but Jace Dillon backing up in left field threw out Jordan Delude on a close play at the plate. However, Jacob Hutchins single to deep center scored Kyle Emmons to tie the game.

The Giants looked to open up a lead off the Red Sox bullpen in the fourth. After two walks to open the inning, Jayden Beaulieu and Clough lined RBI singles off Caissie to give the Giants momentum and a 4-2 lead.

However, as they had done all season long, the Red Sox immediately responded. Joyal, leading off the bottom of the fourth, launched her first career home run onto Amherst Street to pull the Sox within a run.

After a single by Ian Blake and a walk to Dillon, Woodward drove a double into right center, scoring two and giving the Red Sox the lead heading into the late innings.

Caissie retired the final seven Giants batters in order for the win.

The Red Sox roster included Kelvin Agyeman, Josh Alvarez, Ian Blake, Jacoby Caissie, Logan Coleman, Jace Dillon, AJ Holmes, Taylor Joyal, Sam Levine, Daymien Roy, Michael Witkowski and Sam Woodward.

The runner-up Giants roster included Jayden Beaulieu, Ayden Clough, Jacob Daley, Jordan Delude, Max Demers, Kyle Emmons, Jacoby Gorman, Johnny Graven, Jake Hutchins, Harrison Joshi, Jack Ninteau, and Sam Nordstrom.

Prior to the game, the league awarded Alvarez with the MVP award and Cole Patno with the Sportsmanship award.

“I’m really proud of the maturity these kids showed throughout the season,” Red Sox coach Andrew Witkowski said. ” Any time there was a chance to meltdown, they picked each other up so one error didn’t turn into five. That’s rare from this age group.

“The calmness under adverse conditions won them the title, but, more importantly, it will benefit them throughout life.”

—

TRIPLE A FINALS

DIAMONDBACKS 16,TIGERS 5

In a rematch of an exciting extra innings playoff game that took place four days prior, the Diamondbacks squared off against the Tigers under the lights at Jackson Field.

Mason Townsend, who led the way for Diamondbacks pitchers all season long, started on the mound and encountered a feisty Tigers team looking to carry the momentum from a semi-final win the night before.

The Tigers came out swinging, scoring a run in the first inning on hits by Cole Brandt and Brendan Butler.

The Diamondbacks, however, answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning on three straight singles by Jaxson Rogers (2 for 3, two singles, walk, two RBIs, run), Miles Demers (3 for 3, three singles, four RBIs, three runs) and Gates Kelly (3 for 3, three singles, four RBIs, two runs) and an RBI groundout by Luke Graven (1 for 4, single, three RBIs).

The relentless Tigers added four more runs in the second inning on walks by Aivan Garcia and Ian Portes and hits by Anthony Samarel, Krish Suresh and Drew Homsy.

However, down 5-2 in the bottom of the second inning, the Diamondbacks responded. Curtis Sullivan (two walks, three runs) and A.J. Sekula (three walks, three runs) led the inning off with walks before they’d come around to score on a two-run single by Miles Demers (who would later score), tying the game at 5.

Gates Kelly – who was the winning pitcher with two innings of no hit ball, two walks, five strikeouts – would come in to relieve Townsend (2 innings pitched, three Ks) in the top of the third inning.

The Diamondbacks were just getting started offensively. After four consecutive walks by Niko Stefiuk (two walks, two runs), Curtis Sullivan, AJ Sekula and Gabe Gotham (two RBIs, two walks, 2 runs), singles by Jaxson Rogers and Gates Kelly would clear the bases to give the Diamondbacks a 10-5 lead.

The bottom of the fourth inning looked a lot like the third inning for the Diamondbacks, with Niko Stefiuk, Curtis Sullivan, AJ Sekula and Gabe Gotham all reaching base before an out was recorded.

They would all come around to score on singles by Miles Demers and Gates Kelly, giving the Diamondbacks a 14-5 lead. With Demers and Kelly on second and third base and one out, Luke Graven would step up to the plate and walk it off with a two-run single to end the game and secure the championship for the Diamondbacks.

Newsletter