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Braintree American will open its Little League World Series campaign against South Carolina on Thursday afternoon.
Braintree American Little League manager Frank Fasoli acknowledged that he and his son, Frankie, have yet to bask in the moment.
With last Thursday’s New England championship game knotted at 2 in the bottom of the eighth inning, a wild pitch escaped the Bedford (N.H.) catcher. Frankie started dashing down the third base line but slammed on the brakes.
The throw to the plate eluded three players, and Frankie reversed course, sliding home safely. Pandemonium broke out behind the plate, in the stands, and across taverns and living rooms in Braintree and beyond.
Frankie Fasoli’s heads-up base running created a highlight for life.
“He’s an 85-pound kid that plays like he’s 6-foot-5,” said Braintree American Little League president Nick DiMartino. “He’s one of the smartest 12-year-old baseball players I’ve ever seen in my life.”
After the walkoff win, assistant coach PJ Kippenhan stayed awake until 2:30 a.m., responding to 440 text messages. Videos from Jake and Joe’s, The Tree, and Braintree Brewhouse erupting in celebration poured in. Frank Fasoli had 288 text messages of his own, from friends, co-workers, and former college roommates.
In 72 years, Braintree American had never won a state title. Now, it is at the pinnacle of the sport, serving as the heartbeat of a proud baseball town.
Representing New England, Braintree American will open its Little League World Series campaign against Irmo, S.C., the Southeast champion, on Thursday at 3 p.m., on ESPN.
“This is the biggest story in town ever,” said DiMartino. “This is the biggest baseball story in the history of Braintree.”
Braintree American owns a spotless record, undefeated in its march to Williamsport, Pa. The adversity of years prior shaped this team.
Tee ball in Braintree begins at 6 years old. The first year of baseball is at 8, which consists strictly of league play. This group was the first 8U team in Braintree American history to win the Friendship League.
The same coaching staff of Frank Fasoli, Kippenhan, and Shaun Needle has been with this group from the beginning. In the age of AAU baseball and privatization of youth sports, this group has stuck together to compete every summer.
“They’re like my own family,” said Frank Fasoli.
At 10 years old, they were in the mix but fell short to Norwell in District 8. Last summer, the 11U Braintree American team lost in the district championship, again to Norwell.
Kippenhan instructed the players to remember the feeling of watching Norwell celebrate on their field.
Fast forward a summer, and Braintree American dances on as one of the final 10 teams out of 6,000 in the country.
“This year, we caught lightning in a bottle,” said Kippenhan. “There’s something special about this group.”
Pitching and defense carry the team. Colman Gouthro, Frankie Fasoli, and Henry Kuka serve as the team’s aces. Gouthro lights up the radar gun in the low 70s, while Fasoli and Kuka can fire in the high 60s.
Gouthro swings a powerful bat, launching home runs throughout the summer. He left the park in the District 8 final, a 9-3 victory over Hingham, and in the sectional final, a 3-1 victory against Bridgewater. In the Braintree American home run derby, he sent a dizzying 25 balls over the fence.
“I’ve never been so happy to have a net in front of me,” quipped Kippenhan, when pitching to Gouthro in the batting cages.
Sam Trotta, the only addition to the team this summer, slugged a solo home run, which amounted to the difference in a 1-0 victory over Walpole in the state championship.
“If this kid can bring us one big hit, make a difference — he’s a kid that could do that,” said Frank Fasoli. “There couldn’t have been a bigger spot to do it.”
The team’s success has captivated the town.
Members of the Braintree High School baseball team, which reached the Division 1 state championship game, help throw batting practice to alleviate the aching shoulders of the coaching staff. The varsity team drove two hours to Bristol, Conn., then chanted the players’ names in the left field bleachers during regionals.
SouthSide Tavern offered a special sandwich every day, named after a different player.
“These kids are living the dream,” said Frank Fasoli.
Early in the summer, parents debated signing up for the players to compete in a tournament in Cooperstown. The coaches quipped that they’d rather be in Williamsport.
Now the coaches watch their players sit next to compatriots from Japan, Czechia, and Pennsylvania, and trade pins.
“It’s amazing to watch them do this,” said Frank Fasoli. “The way that they are fitting in and evolving and growing, they don’t even know it.”
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