The Rumford 12U District 2 All-Stars lost a nail biter to Barrington on Sunday in a 1-0 contest that went right down to the wire.

After going a perfect 4-0 in pool play and securing the top seed in the single-elimination bracket, Rumford was looking like the team to beat all throughout the tournament, and had home-field advantage throughout.

On Sunday, the team hit a brick wall in the form of Barrington’s Andrew Knychalski, who tossed an absolute gem and made it through 5 2/3 innings with a no-hitter in tact.

Tegan Smith, likewise, pitched a beauty, striking out six over six innings with four hits, one walk, and only the lone run earned. But it turned out to be all Barrington needed in the end. Smith was aided by incredible fielding from her Rumford teammates, including a diving grab by Joey Houlihan off a liner hit on the very first pitch of the first inning, and efforts at shortstop by Vincent Fisher.

Rumford got close to scoring in the fourth, when Jaxon Poissant reached base on a passed ball following a strikeout. He would move over to third on a nice bunt by Kasen Barros, but was ultimately unable to cross the plate.

Despite the unhappy ending to a dominant season, Rumford Little League President and 12U All-Stars coach, Mike Fisher, had nothing but good things to say about the team.

“We’ve been together since these kids were 7 or 8 years old. We’ve won together and lost together but we’ve always stayed together and done it as a team,” he said. “This team had a ton of potential and proved to everyone how great they are together on the baseball field. However, it didn’t show that they are greater together off of it. One of the proudest accomplishments of my life has been coaching these kids, and I love everyone of them. The future is bright for all of them in whatever they choose to do.”