Seacoast Pirates 17U team plays marathon day of baseball to win New England title

Read Time:2 Minute, 19 Second

The Seacoast Pirates had to win four games in one day June 29 to win the 2022 age 17-and-under World Wood Bat Assocation’s New England championship.

The Pirate defeated GBG Northeast, 2-1, on Wednesday at the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough, Massachusetts.

“It’s an awesome accomplishment for our team and our program,” Seacoast coach Eric Wells said. “It’s the first time WWBA has ran in New England and around the Northborough and Boston area. There were some really big New England teams that came to the tournament that don’t normally come to the smaller tournaments that Northborough hosts.”

Wells is also the baseball head coach at Marshwood High School in South Berwick.

In the prior three games that day, the Pirates first beat the NEB Americans, 4-1, then beat All Access Black Knights, 4-1 and then defeated Nxtlvl Beast, 3-1.

“Our preparation with the team is win every pitch and staying focused,” Wells said. “When you play in these tournaments, it’s not like high school where you throw everything into seven innings. Here, you throw everything into seven innings, and then you have to re-focus for another seven.”

More: Seacoast Pirates win two New Balance Select Elite baseball titles

Wells added, “What it showed is what our whole program is about, which is why I was so happy to win that fourth game. … Watching the kids do it shows the mental toughness that we’ve been working on for the last decade.”

Charlie Winter, who pitches at Marshwood High School, was named the Pitcher of the Tournament.

“I’m really proud of (Winter), I’ve had Charlie for three years, and he’s really worked on his craft,” Wells said. “I’m extremely proud of the hard work that he’s put into it and he was touching some of his highest velo’s and was commanding the zone with his breaking ball.”

Other standout performances Wells mentioned came from Winnacunnet High School pitcher Jason Pinsonnault, who delivered a complete game with 10 strikeouts against All Access.

Seacoast first started with pool play which the Pirates posted a 3-0-1 record to qualify for Wednesday’s games.

Seacoast news and sports: Download the Seacoastonline mobile app and the Fosters.com mobile app to stay connected.

On Sunday, Seacoast defeated the Nokona Braves, 7-6. and tied with the New England Scorpions, 3-3.

The Pirates blanked the East Coast Sandhogs, 4-0 on Monday, followed by a 3-1 win over Antonelli on Tuesday.

Exeter’s Nathan Leighton, Portsmouth’s Matthew Minckler and Elliot Miles, Spaulding’s Josh Scamman, Marshwood’s Noah Fitzgerald, Dover’s Brett Davis and Winnacunnet’s Owen Bateman, Ethan Nowak and Jake Fredericks were all on the Seacoast Pirates team.