Another year older and still on a roll.

Last year, the Babe Ruth 10-year-old All Stars captured a state championship. Now those kids are 11 years old and they are heading back to the state tournament after a thrilling, 2-1, win over Danbury in the finals of the District 4 Tournament.

Mike Tibbetts, Sean Ryan and Stephen Marks combined on a three-hitter (each allowed just one hit) with no walks and 10 strikeouts to lead Newtown to the victory. Tibbetts worked two scoreless innings, striking out five, and Ryan came on to tease Danbury with his sinker and slider combination, whiffing four batters in three innings of work. Marks closed out the game in the sixth, striking out one.

The 11s rolled through the tournament, beating Brookfield (4-2) and Danbury (5-3) in the early rounds.

In the 2-1 tournament final over Danbury, Newtown scored its two runs largely because Brian Cullinan didn’t mind taking a hit for the team. Cullinan was plunked twice by Danbury pitchers – once in the second and again in the fourth – and both times came around to score.

In the second inning, Cullinan was pushed to third by a Brian Shimko double and then scored on a passed ball. In the fourth inning, Cullinan was driven home by another Shinko double. For the game, the 11s also got hits from Joe DeVellis and Ryan McGrath.

Danbury’s only run came in the fifth inning. A double and Newtown error led to the run.

DeVellis made another amazing catch in centerfield to lead the defense.

Early in the tournament, Tucker Kass and McGrath got Newtown off to a proper start in a 4-2 win over Brookfield in Game 1. With two outs in the first inning, Kass doubled, stole third, and scored on an overthrow. McGrath quickly followed with a solo home run to put Newtown ahead 2-0.

In the third inning, Kass and McGrath smacked back-to-back doubles to put Newtown on top, 3-0.

Brookfield inched close in the top of the fifth when pitchers McGrath and Ryan each plunked a batter while the bases were full. But in the bottom of the fifth, Kass singled and Ryan drilled a shot past the second baseman to give Newtown an insurance run.

Kass was 3-for-3 on the day while McGrath was 2-for-3. Shimko and Cullinan also had hits. Tibbetts led the mound work, pitching 21/3 innings of scoreless ball. McGrath and Ryan were both solid on the mound through the middle innings while Marks came and closed out the win with two strikeouts in the sixth.

Shimko turned in the defensive play of the game, gunning down a batter at first on a hit to right field.

In Game 2, two first-inning runs again proved to be the difference in a 5-3 win over Danbury. Kass doubled in Scott Suhoza with the first run and then Cullinan’s fielder’s choice grounder drove in Joey DeVellis with the second run.

Danbury took the lead in the top of the third, 3-2, with the aid of a bases-loaded hit batsmen and subsequent two-run single.

But in the bottom of the third, Newtown scored three runs of its own to take a 5-3 lead. McGrath doubled and Marks reached on an error. Cullinan then roped a nasty curve for the first run-scoring hit of the inning. Tibbetts singled in Marks and Joe Bowen singled in Shimko for the final run.

Tibbetts, who has quietly become Newtown’s most consistent pitcher, tossed two scoreless innings. McGrath and Ryan saw limited duty on the mound, giving way to Marks, who pitched the final 31/3  innings, allowing three hits while striking out four batters.

The defensive play of the game was turned in by Bowen, who caught a line drive at second base and then doubled up the runner on first.