Middleboro baseball beats Apponequet to win state championship
Middleboro players and coaches rush the field as the team clinched a state championship win at Polar Park on Saturday, June 13. Photos by Grace Roche
This year's Division 3 champions hold up their trophy and a banner after their win. 
Cheering erupted as ecstatic fans greeted Middleboro baseball. 
Sean Lundrigan celebrates his double. 
Middleboro and Apponequet shake hands after the game. 
Middleboro fans make their way out of the park. 
Middleboro fans look on as the victorious team makes its way off the field. 
Middleboro players embrace as they celebrate their win. 
Ryan Tullish looks for a hit. 
Sean Lundrigan slides onto second base. 
Shannon Sylvia reaches for a ball.
Peit Kanakis winds up for a pitch. 
Fans snap a photo after the Middleboro win. 
Center fielder Jayden Murphy stands at the plate. 
Middleboro players hold up their trophy. 
Some fans wore body paint in support of their team.
Middleboro players and coaches rush the field as the team clinched a state championship win at Polar Park on Saturday, June 13. Photos by Grace Roche
This year's Division 3 champions hold up their trophy and a banner after their win.
Cheering erupted as ecstatic fans greeted Middleboro baseball.
Sean Lundrigan celebrates his double.
Middleboro and Apponequet shake hands after the game.
Middleboro fans make their way out of the park.
Middleboro fans look on as the victorious team makes its way off the field.
Middleboro players embrace as they celebrate their win.
Ryan Tullish looks for a hit.
Sean Lundrigan slides onto second base.
Shannon Sylvia reaches for a ball.
Peit Kanakis winds up for a pitch.
Fans snap a photo after the Middleboro win.
Center fielder Jayden Murphy stands at the plate.
Middleboro players hold up their trophy.
Some fans wore body paint in support of their team.
WORCESTER — After holding on to a 2-1 lead against the Apponequet Lakers, the Middleboro Sachems won this year’s Division 3 baseball state championship.
The Sachems defeated their rivals to the cheers of classmates, parents and friends across the Polar Park Stadium at the championship game Saturday, June 13.
Lakeville scored an early point in the second inning, but couldn’t pull ahead after Middleboro scored a 2-run single at the end of the third inning.
Middleboro coach Jeff Sylvia said he “absolutely” knew he had a championship-winning team on his hands, and after a winning streak early in the season “we knew we had something special.”
“What a great feeling,” he said after the win. “These guys have worked hard all year, and it's just — I'm so happy, and so proud of them.”
He said his players deserve to be celebrated for their win, which is the result of months of training and hard work.
“They've never wavered, they've been confident, they played hard, they played as a family, and that's what it's all about,” Sylvia said. “I couldn't be more proud as the coach.”
Pitcher EJ Wanke praised the Middleboro defense, and said allowing only four runs in five playoff games is "ridiculous."
Wanke said it was a team effort to win the game, and is proud to see him and his teammates make it into the school’s history books.
“Last year we came up short, but this year we looked at the guys around us, we're a tiny knit group,” he said. “We knew we would get the job done, no question about it.”
Despite seeing the Lakers lose the game, Coach Jim Cabucio said he was proud of his players for making it to the first championship game in the program’s history.
He said his team “rose to the occasion” and played hard against another great team. Cabucio said Apponequet has a lot of respect for its rival.
While the team didn’t win the game, he said it took a lot of work to make it so far. He credited rigorous summer training and sacrifices throughout the season to get to the championship.
“We just went up against another very good team, and it was a very good game,” Cabucio said. “I'm extremely proud of our kids in our senior class. We just don't want it to end because it's been such a great run.”
