Rutland Little League holds off Holden to win its fourth straight District 4 championship

WORCESTER — Logan Tessier didn’t want to talk about his injury.

After breaking his right wrist in a friendly kickball game on June 21, the 12-year-old from Rutland was bummed he had to miss most of his Little League baseball season as he sported a red cast over his arm for 21 straight days.

“It was very hush, hush,” said his mother, Cassie.

Still, Tessier showed up for every game, practice and team-wide cookout during the time he was sidelined. And Wednesday night, a day after his cast was removed, Tessier showed up in the biggest of spots for his baseball team.

Tessier delivered an RBI single in the second inning to help Rutland defeat Holden, 1-0, in the District 4 championship game on Wednesday at Joe Schwartz Little League Field.

“I always say, ‘Every kid needs a 12-year-old baseball moment,’ and I'm pretty sure that was Logan’s,” Rutland manager Brian Ferguson said. “It’s baseball, and there’s (a lot of romantic stuff) with it, and it’s just one of those stories.”

With the victory, Rutland claims its fourth straight District championship and advances to the Section 1 tournament on Tuesday, when it plays at the winner of District 3 as part of a double-elimination tournament (along with the winners of District 1 and District 2).

Following that sectional, other sectional winners will play in the state semifinals and final, with a chance to move on and represent Massachusetts in the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

“This is just the beginning for us,” Ferguson said. “We have a long road, and we want to go the whole way.”

Another chapter in a friendly rivalry

On Wednesday, the road traveled by Rutland pitcher Dean Bennett was paved with strikeouts. The right-hander struck out 12 and allowed just three hits across five innings.

“I just tried to lead the team to battle,” he said.

After Rutland wrapped up the top half of the second inning with a well-executed run down of a Holden runner between home plate and third base, Mason Ramos led off the bottom half with a single. Two batters later, Jacory Acker reached on an error, and Petey Sinclair came aboard via a walk.

Following a strikeout by Holden pitcher Grant Barnes, Tessier made his way to the plate with the bases loaded, two out and wasted no time in his return to the diamond by roping an RBI single to right field to give Rutland a 1-0 lead.

“I was nervous,” Tessier said. “But it was fun at the same time because I hadn’t played in a while.”

“There’s one kid I'm more proud of than anyone: Logan Tessier,” said Rutland shortstop Nathan Ferguson, who is also the son of the manager.

Still, the final result was far from over.

Holden threatened to score with runners on second and third in the fourth, before Bennett got out of the jam, and again an inning later with a runner on second base before Rutland catcher Declan O’Conner threw him out at third.

“It could’ve swung either way at any time,” Holden manager Artie Barnes said. “One swing of the bat could’ve changed the outcome of the game in a game like that.”

O’Connor, along with Ferguson, plays on the same club baseball team with three Holden players in Artie Barnes IV, Ryder Lorusso and William Sturrock. The baseball players from the towns have developed quite the relationship over the past few years.

“I love going against our rivals,” said O’Connor, who won a district championship last summer as an 11-year-old on the U12 team. “We’re friends in the beginning and we just go against each other and after we’re just friends.”

In the top of the sixth, Brian Ferguson called on his most experienced pitcher — his son — to come in to pitch after Bennett surpassed the limit of 85 pitches in a game. Despite allowing a single and a walk, Nathan Ferguson closed the door with a swing and a miss on a 3-2 count to get the final out.

“I was just like ‘Please, please throw a strike’ because I didn’t want to see (a) run go through,' ” O’Connor said.

“I was just trying to keep my calm and knowing that I've been in scenarios like this before, it was really fun,” Ferguson said.

While the game was thrilling, it was a disappointing end to Holden's season.

“They battled all season, and right to the end, and they came out a little short,” Barnes said. “It’s a matter of a couple of plays, and that’s the difference in the game.”

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A special moment for Rutland Little League

Following the final out, the father-son duo from Rutland shared a hug on the field before the dad kissed his son on his head and whispered: “I love you buddy.”

Once Rutland received its championship banner and circled the Little League field in Worcester in celebration, Brian Ferguson posed for a picture with his wife Heather, daughter Charlotte and sons Nathan and Connor.

“It’s a special moment for us,” Brian Ferguson said.

A sentiment shared by many playing and rooting for the Rutland Little League team this summer.

“Storybook ending,” Cassie Tessier said. “I can’t wait to see what happens next.”

— Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @tommycassell44.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Rutland Little League defeats Holden in District 4 baseball final