QUINCY, Mass. — The Mount Vernon 14-year-old Babe Ruth baseball team’s World Series experience came to an end Wednesday with a 12-0 loss to New England Regional champion Norwalk (Conn.) in what turned out to be a loser-out contest.
Norwalk pounded out 17 hits against three Mount Vernon pitchers, scoring in every inning except the first.
Vince Mata had a double, one of four hits for Mount Vernon in the game, which was shortened to five innings by the 10-run rule. Mata’s was the only hit to go for extra bases.
Mount Vernon finished 1-3 in pool play, good for fourth in the pool. Norwalk, Nederland (Texas) and Youngstown (Ohio) finished in a three-way tie for first at 3-1 to earn the three berths into the championship bracket.
The Bulldogs qualified for the tournament by winning their state and regional tournaments this summer. They lost to Nederland 10-1 and Youngstown 4-1 before beating Cambridge (Mass.) 7-3 on Tuesday to keep their title hopes alive.
With a win, Mount Vernon would have moved on to the single-elimination bracket portion of the competition. Instead the Bulldogs finish tied for seventh in the nation.
