The Everett Little League All-Star 12-year-old team stormed out of the loser’s bracket, but there was one giant hurdle remaining in the District 12 championship game: undefeated Melrose. Propelled by the excellent pitching of starting right-hander Nick Young and southpaw reliever Caden Foley, Everett edged Melrose, 2-1, at the Dorchester Little League field to claim the title. Young struck out 11 batters and yielded only two hits in a superb performance.
“I’ve known Nick since he was six years old, and I’ve seen him pitch a lot of games, but this was the best game he’s ever pitched,” said Everett coach Brian Savi. “This was a huge upset against a powerful Melrose team.” Coach Savi also lauded Foley for his masterful effort in relief. “Caden pitched in high-profile situations for the first time, and he had nerves of steel. He was amazing. He gave us three big outs against Melrose and struck out the batter who had hit a home run earlier in the game. He delivered six straight outs against Charlestown (in a 4-2 victory). Luke Wood was the winning pitcher against Charlestown. In the thriller against Melrose, Everett scored their two runs in the fourth inning on a passed ball, with Young (walk) racing home on the play and Nick Savi (single) also scoring on an errant throw back to the pitcher. Savi executed an excellent slide at home plate to beat the return throw to the catcher. Troy Coke also had a basehit in the game. Everett also eliminated Malden and Dorchester in the tournament. Nicky Savi’s dash from first to home on a clutch single by Luke Wood had lifted Everett over Dorchester, 4-3, in eight innings. Everett Little League won its first District 12 title since 2014. Everett advances to the regional Sweet 16 round-robin tournament at Parkway Little League Field in West Roxbury. The winning team moves on to Oxford for the Massachusetts Final Four Tournament.