MIAA Baseball State Championships: Chelmsford, Pioneer Valley Wins Extra Special ... Walpole Makes History ... North Reading, Millbury Buzzing

For the third consecutive year, Polar Park in Worcester was the site of the 2025 MIAA Baseball Championships. In the five-game slate across Friday, June 13 and Saturday, June 14, the home of the Worcester Red Sox featured a pair of extra inning thrillers, three one-run finishes, and championship memories to last a lifetime.

Here is a look at the action:

Division 1

Senior Matt Stuart pitched a complete game and No. 14 seed Chelmsford High School broke it open with six runs in the top of the ninth inning for an 8-2 victory over Braintree High School.

The state championship was the first in the MIAA era for the Chelmsford program, which had won its only previous championship in 1966.

Freshman Aidan Brackett’s second hit of the game with the bases loaded broke the 2-2 tie in the top of the ninth for the Lions. Freshman Matt Hall added a sacrifice fly and senior John Latham a two-run single during the rally.
Stuart finished it from there, allowing just two runs and striking out six. Stuart also had three hits, as did Latham, who added a pair of doubles.

No. 8 seed Braintree, which was seeking its first championship since back-to-back Division 1A titles in 2015 and 2016, got three hits from senior Peter Brooks. Senior Matt Rogers added two hits, including an RBI in the bottom of the sixth that forced extra innings. Sophomore Luke Joyce allowed two runs over 6⅔ innings for the Wamps.

Division 2

Down to its final six outs and little to show for it, No. 4 seed Walpole High School erupted for seven runs over the final two innings and then held off a last-ditch rally by Reading Memorial High School for a 7-6 victory.

After falling to Plymouth North in last year’s final, things looked bleak again for the Timberwolves, who trailed 4-0 entering the sixth. But they put together a four-run rally against the Reading bullpen sparked by an RBI single from Richie Hayes and Shane Harrington’s tying sacrifice fly.

No. 2 seed Reading did respond to take a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single from junior Nate Vitarisi. But Walpole wouldn’t be denied as senior Paul Whelan delivered a clutch two-run single and junior Cole Pileski followed with an RBI hit.

Reading managed one final run in the seventh but sophomore Luca DiGiulio closed it out, pitching the final three innings for the Timberwolves.

Junior Sam Clark had a pair of RBI hits and sophomore Kamden Greatorex an RBI single for Reading, which scored a run in the first and three more in the second.

Division 3

No. 9 seed North Reading High School took control early with five runs in the first inning, then steadily pulled away late for a 10-3 victory over Arlington Catholic High School.

The Hornets won their fifth state championship in program history, but first since 2012.

Junior Nick Torra’s two-run single capped the five-run burst in the first inning. Sophomore Christian Lava and senior Max Forristall also had RBI hits, and junior Gavin Brady a run-scoring groundout for the Hornets.

Torra was 3 for 4 with three RBI, including a two-run double during North Reading’s four-run sixth inning to seal the win. Junior Matt Mancinelli (2 for 3, two RBI) and Lava (2 for 4, three RBI) also had big games.

No. 11 seed Arlington Catholic pushed back from the early deficit, scoring single runs in the next three innings. Junior Connor Fleming-Benison had an RBI double in the second, junior Tyler Valente an RBI single in the third, and senior Trey Flaherty’s single cut it to 5-3 in the fourth. Flaherty had a pair of hits for AC, which was seeking its first state title.

North Reading junior Dylan Matthews and AC senior Patrick Clair both battled into the later innings on the mound.

Division 4

No. 5 seed Millbury Memorial High School did all of its damage in the top of the first inning, then turned it over to freshman Ryan Nikiforow to finish the job as the Woolies won their first state championship since 1984, holding off Lynnfield High School, 3-2.

The championship also was the first for veteran coach Ron Silvestri, who has more than 600 career victories.

Nikiforow struck out five in his complete game and got stellar defense, including a spectacilar diving catch from senior left fielder Chris Havalotti to end the sixth inning.

Millbury had only four hits against Lynnfield junior starter Luke DiSilvio, all in the first. Junior Nolan Orzechowski had an RBI single and senior Alex Havalotti followed with a two-run double for a 3-0 lead.

No. 2 seed Lynnfield responded immediately on RBI hits from senior Madux Iovinelli and DiSilvio, but Nikiforow limited the damage before settling in the rest of the way.

DiSilvio struck out nine for the Pioneers, who were seeking their first MIAA state title and first of any kind since 1961.

Division 5

No. 1 seed Pioneer Valley Regional School capped a perfect season, but it took late rallies in both the seventh and eighth innings to pull out a 6-5 victory over defending champion English High School.

Trailing 5-4 entering the bottom of the eighth, the Panthers tied it on an RBI single from sophomore Jack Glazier. Then with the bases loaded and one out, an infield error led to Glazier scoring the winning run. It was the first walkoff win in an MIAA state championship since 2016, and Pioneer’s first state title in three tries.

Glazier also pitched the final innings for Pioneer, but No. 2 seed English scored three times in the seventh to take a 4-3 lead. Junior Matthew Guerrero tied it with a two-strike safety squeeze and freshman Yeduardy Soto drew a bases-loaded walk.

Pioneer tied it 4-4 in the bottom of the seventh as senior Jackson Campbell scored from second on senior Ethan Mauthe’s two-out infield hit. The Blue and Blue reclaimed the lead, 5-4, in the top of the eighth on an infield hit from sophomore Anyer Gomez.

Senior Ethan Quinn had two doubles and two runs, including one in the sixth inning as Pioneer scored twice to take a 3-1 lead. Campbell and Mauthe also had two hits each and senior Braeden Tsipenyuk drove in a pair of runs.