George P. Gibbs Jr. Little League

We are dedicated to providing a fun, safe, and competitive environment for boys and girls of Sterling, MA to learn the fundamentals of baseball, the greatest game in the world.

June 28, 2009: It took 9 innings, but the Sterling All-Stars walked off with the win, 1 - 0 over a tough Paxton team, to get their tournament off to a fantastic start. 

Starting pitchers Matt Maypother (Sterling) and Sam Stratton (Paxton) kept offense to a minimum in this one.  Neither team could break through during the first 6 innings, so the game went into extras.  Relievers Connor Gill (Sterling) and Cristian McDonald (Paxton) continued the pitcher's duel as the game headed into the 7th, and then the 8th, and into the 9th.  Finally Sterling was able to stage a rally.

AJ Papandrea, Sterling's hard nosed catcher, led off the 9th with a walk.  Maypother bunted him over to second to set up the dramatic finish.  Gill, Sterling's clean-up hitter, came to the plate with the winning run in scoring position.  Gill took a McDonald fastball and belted it into centerfield, sending Papandrea around 3rd.  The throw from center was a good one, but Papandrea slid and just beat the tag.  Sterling's bench erupted in a euphoric celebration on the field.  

Neither side deserved to lose this game.  Congratulations to both teams.  

(CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES)

Sterling's next game will be on Thursday, July 2nd, at 5:30 PM at Joe Schwartz field in Worcester.  The field is located behind the Norton / St. Gobain facilities, just off the Ararat Street exit from Rt. 190.  Please spread the word and come out to support the team.

June 25, 2009: The Diamond Jaxx capped off a tremendous season with a thrilling 8 – 6 win over the Princeton Dunkin’ Dudes, and thus claimed the AAA Championship.  

(COMPLETE STORY AND MORE PICTURES IN LEAGUE NEWS SECTION)

Starting pitcher Kevin O’Callahan and reliever Matt Crevedi pitched well for the Jaxx, striking out a total of 7 batters during the first 3 innings.  However, the Dudes jumped out to an early 2 – 0 lead, and later led 5 – 1 as the D-Jaxx struggled to find the magic that they used to win 11 games against only 2 losses (including the playoffs) heading into the contest. 

That magic, however, would soon be provided by Ryan Sorenson, who smacked a triple over the center fielder's head to lead off the 3rd.  The blast ignited the crowd and the Diamond Jaxx bench, and sparked a rally that plated 2 runs in the inning to make the score 5 – 3.

Brian Quinn took the ball in the 4th for the D-Jaxx and held the Dudes scoreless on an array of fastballs with perfect location.  In the bottom half of the inning his team kept chipping away at the lead.  Drew Garry and Sorenson both had great at-bats, earning walks after running the count full.  Once on base, their aggressive base running resulted in two more runs as the D-Jaxx tied the game and set the stage for a dramatic finish.   In the top of the 5th, Quinn once again shut down the potent Dudes' offense and gave his team a chance to take the lead.  The D-Jaxx offense did not disappoint. 

In the bottom of the 5th, the D-Jaxx continued to put the pressure on by putting men on base, resulting in three more runs to take an 8 – 5 lead heading into the final frame.  The big hits in the inning proved to be an RBI single by Mikey Kohnke and a line drive, RBI double to left center by O’Callahan.

With the championship now within reach, Quinn took the mound for his 3rd inning of relief.  After retiring the first batter with a strike out he recorded the 2nd out with a superb defensive play, snatching a hard hit grounder to his left and making the throw to first.  Down to their last out, however, the Dudes would not go quietly.  They rallied to score a run and then put a man on second with tying run at bat.  With the count full and all the pressure on, Quinn fired what turned out to be his best pitch of the game – a blistering fastball on the outside corner at the knees.  The un-hittable pitch was called a strike, and the title was theirs.  

The Diamond Jaxx are your 2009 AAA Champs!  ConJaxxulations!

Congratulations to the 2009 Major League Champs - The Crushers 

June 20, 2009: The Crushers won the Sterling Major League Championship with a dramatic, 4 - 3 win over the Lasers on a walk off single by Connor Bernard.  Down 3 - 2 heading into the bottom of the 6th, the Crushers put men on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out to set up Bernard's game winning hit.  Congratulations to the Crushers, and to the Lasers who had a tremendous season of their own. 

Sterling's 2009 Major League District Team is Announced!

Congratulations to the following players who have been selected to represent Sterling in the District Tournament! These young ball players represent the best of what Sterling Little League has to offer.  All are fantastic players, but more importantly they respect the game, show good sportsmanship, and always give 100% effort for their team.  Here is this year's squad:

Christopher Santiago, Kenan Kolanda, Camran Gow, Connor Gill, AJ Papandrea, Daniel Pingeton, Connor Bernard, Patrick Goodman, Erik Nugent, Drew DiPilla, Elliott Moore, Jake Brassard, Matt Maypother, Alex Despres, Marc Happy, and Logan Manner.

Major League Playoff Summaries

June 20, 2009: The Crushers won the Sterling Major League Championship with a dramatic, 4 - 3 win on a walk off single by Connor Bernard.  Down 3 - 2 heading into the bottom of the 6th, the Crushers put men on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out to set up Bernard's game winning hit.  Congratulations to the Crushers, and to the Lasers who had a tremendous season of their own. 

June 19, 2009: The Lasers defeated the Slammers 4-2 to advance to the Major League finals.   

June 19, 2009: The Crushers fight their way into the finals with a 9 -2 win over the Heat.  Daniel Pingeton was superb on the mound, going 5 scoreless innings for the win.

June 17, 2009: The Slammers shut-out the Legion, 7 - 0.  The brilliant pitching of Connor Gill (79 pitches) quieted the dangerous Legion attack, and helped the Slammers advance to the Semi-Finals, where they will take on the Lasers.

June 16, 2009: The Princeton Heat squeaked by the Oilers, 6 - 5, to advance to the semi-finals.  Nick Wiles (82 pitches) and Graham Gates (41 pitches) were able to keep the powerful Oilers in check. They will now face the Crushers.

June 16, 2009: In Major League Playoff action, the Lasers defeated the Eagles 10 - 0.  The game got started on June 15th but was suspended due to rain, and continued the following day.  Cam Gow (39 pitches), Marc Happy (19 pitches), and Zack Maciel (24 pitches) combined for the shutout.

June 15, 2009: The Crushers got off to a fast start in the playoffs as they crushed the Patriots, 16 - 1.  The Crushers got great pitching performances from Erik Nugent (38 pitches), Dan Pingeton (33 pitches), and Connor Bernard (16 pitches). 

AAA Playoff Summaries

June 25, 2009: The Diamond Jaxx defeated the Dunkin' Dudes, 8 - 6, to win the AAA Championship.  Read more - click here. 

June 23, 2009: The Diamond Jaxx fought off a tough Lookouts team enroute to a 6 - 3 win, and thus earned a spot in the AAA Championship game.  The D-Jaxx got outstanding pitching performances from Kevin O'Callahan (4 Ks, no hits), Matt Crevedi (3 Ks), and Brian Quinn (4 Ks), each of whom pitched 2 innings.  Quinn swung a big stick as well, going 2 for 2, with a Home Run and a double, and 3 runs scored.  Danny Murphy also had a good night with a hit, 2 walks, and a run scored.  The Lookouts got contributions from Paul Bartlett (1 for 2 with a run scored and a great defensive play in left field), and Nolan Toohey (1 for 2 with a stolen base and a run scored).  Justin Harris was his usual dominant self on the mound.  Harris pitched 3 innings, allowed only 1 run, and struck out 9.  The D-Jaxx will go for the title on Thursday against the Dunkin Dudes of Princeton.  Congratulations to the Lookouts on a great season.   

June 20, 2009: The Dunkin Dudes reserved their spot in the AAA Championship game with a 9 - 2 win over the Blue Devils.  The Blue Devils had a terrific season, but unfortunately many of their players were ill for this game and the team came up short.  The Dudes played a complete game with great pitching, hitting, and defense.  They will play the winner of the D-Jaxx / Lookouts game for the title.  Congratulations to both teams. 

June 20, 2009: The Lookouts defeated the Red Wings, 6 - 2, in their first round playoff game.  For the first 4 innings it was a pitcher's duel with Benjamin Gillon (7 K's) for the Lookouts going frame for frame with the Red Wing's Nick Galle (5 K's).  After 4 innings, it was a 2 - 2 game until the Looks broke it open in the 5th with 4 runs.  Gillon had the game winning RBI single, which came with 2 outs in the inning.  After that, Justin Harris tripled home 2 more.  Also for the Looks, Mitch Bussiere had 2 hits and a walk and scored 2.  Matthew Rainsford had 2 hits for the Wings.  The Looks will face the Diamond Jaxx on Tuesday for the right to play for the championship.

June 19, 2009: The Grays gave the Diamond Jaxx all they could handle, but the regular season champs used a balanced attack to beat them 16 - 9, and advance to the semi-finals.  Solid starting pitching by Kevin O'Callahan followed by Matt Cravedi and a lights-out performance by Danny Murphy in the closers role helped the D-Jaxx in this first round playoff game. Strong hitting helped the offense as well with Brian Quinn (2 for 3 with 3 runs scored), Peter Bloemer (1 for 2 with 2 walks and 3 runs), Murphy (3 for 3 with a double and 4 runs scored), and O'Callahan (1 for 2 with a triple) leading the way. The Grays fought hard and stayed in the game scoring 1 run in the first, 4 in the second and 4 in the 4th to make it a nailbiter until Murphy closed the door striking out 6 batters in the last 2 innings. They will face the Lookouts in the semi-finals.

June 17, 2009:  The Dunkin Dudes defeated the Scrappers in an epic, extra inning game.  The Dudes won the game with a steal of home on a wild pitch to walk off with the win.  The Dudes got great pitching performances from 2 of their pitchers (Ben - #22 and Jacob E. - #26) who threw a lot of pitches to get their team through the 8 innings of baseball.  The Dudes will next play the Blue Devils. 

June 17, 2009: The Blue Devils defeated the Express, 11- 9, in a back and forth, see-saw battle.  The Blue Devils got outstanding efforts from Ben Burrows (2 for 2) and Robbie Connolly (great defensive play).  The Express rallied in the last inning, thanks much in part to a triple by Ryan Campbell.  But the Blue Devils pitching shut the door to preserve the win.  The Blue Devils face off against the Dunkin Dudes.

June 16, 2009: In a slugfest, the Grays defeated the Timber Rattlers 21 - 18.  The Grays were trailing by one run heading into the last inning.  But they scored 6 in the inning on a barrage of base hits, and then hung on for dear life as the Rattlers had the tying run at the plate when the game ended.  The Grays will now face off against the Diamond Jaxx.