Mack travel team wins NE crown

It took the Waltham Connie Mack travel team four games and three days before it faced its first major test in this weekend's New England Championships in Blackstone and Upton.

Just like everything else this weekend, Waltham took care of that in short order as well.

After rolling through its first two games of the double-elimination tournament, and winning a tough, 4-2 victory on Saturday to advance to the championship round, Waltham found itself down, 5-4, in the fifth inning yesterday against the Warwick (R.I.) Flood. Waltham responded with five runs in the fifth for a 9-6 victory and ticket to the North Atlantic Regionals in Troy, N.Y. for the fourth straight year.

``Overall, we played as a team and did what we had to do to win it,'' said Waltham coach Brooks Cranmer. ``I'm pleased with the pitching and the hitting. We performed the way we could.''

Chaz Agrilo, Phil Terrasi and John McGrath singled in the big fifth before Will Whittemore plated two with a pinch-hit single. Cameron Owens walked with the bases loaded to complete the frame.

Roy Desrochers then earned the victory in relief as he allowed one run on four hits over 2-plus innings for his second win of the tourney.

Waltham began the tourney with an 11-3, mercy-rule victory over South Hadley that went six innings on Friday. Steve Hopkins went the distance with eight strikeouts and also went 3-for-4 at the plate with a two-run home run.

Chaz Argrillo went 3-for-4 with a homer in the game, while Keith Roop (3-for-4), Terrasi (2-for-3) and Nick Cranmer (2-for-3) helped the attack.

The second game on Saturday was a waltz as Deroschers gave up only three hits over five innings of a 15-1, mercy-rule victory. Agrillo went 4-for-4, John McGrath was 3-for-3, Hopkins was 3-for-4 and both Ivan Colon and Cranmer were 2-for-3.

In the 4-2 victory over the Warwick (R.I.) Llamas later Saturday, Agrillo again was the offensive star as his triple powered a two-run third.

``I'm telling you,'' Cranmer said. ``He had a bunch of hits that must have gone 300-plus feet. We were playing in some pretty big fields and he hit some bombs. He really crushed the ball.''

Cranmer estimated Agrillo hit about .750 for the tourney.

McGrath had a second three-hit game against the Llamas, while Agrillo and Hopkins both went 2-for-3 and Owens and Steve Cobb both had strong games at third base.

Whittemore earned the win with nine strikeouts over seven innings.

Waltham is slated to leave for Troy, N.Y. on Wednesday morning and will play the opening game in that double-elimination tourney either Wednesday or Thursday.