In a back-and-forth battle worthy of a championship stage, Lowell Red edged Chelmsford White 8-5 to capture the MVC 7 & 8-year-old Youth Baseball title.

Chelmsford White, the #4 seed and underdog finalist after a semifinal upset over top-seeded Tyngsboro, came out swinging. Charlie Ravanis and Joseph O’Brien singled in the top of the first, with Laila Dodge and Victor Rosado each knocking in a run to give Chelmsford a quick 2-0 lead.

But the #2 seed Lowell Red responded immediately. Henry Poulin and Benny Esquilin ripped back-to-back doubles to highlight a three-run bottom half, grabbing a 3-2 lead.

The fireworks continued in the second as Chelmsford reclaimed the lead with a three-hit, two-run rally powered by Ravanis, Dodge, and O’Brien. Dodge’s two-run double capped the inning, putting Chelmsford ahead 4-3.

Lowell wasted no time swinging the momentum back. Lukas Torres and Trevor Snow got things going before Brogan Sheehan and Jackson Sorbi crushed consecutive doubles, driving in three more to make it 6-4 — a lead they would never give up.

The game’s turning point came in the fourth, with Chelmsford threatening. With runners on first and third and no outs, Sorbi struck out two batters before Owen Kazanjian made a highlight-reel diving catch on a foul popup to escape the jam.

Chelmsford added one in the fifth on Aidan Publico’s RBI single, but Lowell answered with two more in the bottom of the inning thanks to a key single by Jacky Vaughn.

Down 8-5, Chelmsford brought the tying run to the plate in the sixth, but Vaughn shut the door with a clutch strikeout to seal the championship for Lowell.

On the mound, Lowell’s trio of Poulin (4 Ks), Sorbi (5 Ks), and Vaughn (6 Ks) combined for a dominant performance. Chelmsford’s Charlie Ravanis was equally impressive, striking out 7 in 2 1/3 innings.

Thank you to Coach Chris Snow for writing this article (and for being the Senior (13-16) & GLSBL Commissioner for Lowell Youth Baseball & Softball League).

A special Thank You to all the families who supported their young athletes and their teammates this summer.