DOVER, New Hampshire – Maybe it was the novenas from Monsignor McGrath 15 minutes before the game.

Maybe it was the limousine ride to the ball field.

Maybe it was the coin flip for home field advantage.

Or maybe it simply was talent, talent, talent (just loads of it) that propelled the Newtown Babe Ruth Baseball 11-year-old All Star team to a New England Regional Championship last weekend with a convincing 13-3 win over West Warwick, Rhode Island.

“We could tell things were going to be a little different,” said head coach Matt McGrath.

It started with the call coach McGrath received from his 85-year-old uncle, a retired Roman Catholic priest, 15 minutes before the team left the Portsmouth Hampton Inn in New Hampshire. Despite the fact that cell reception had been poor all week, Monsignor McGrath – who was just calling to see how things were going – was able to get through.

Of course, he was dispatched to say a couple of novenas.

Then the team was transported to the Dover field via limousine. It seems that Joe Fedak’s grandmother had traveled from Shelton to see the game, but because her car had broken down she made the trip in a limo.

The limo was dispatched for the team.

And, finally, the coin flip for home field. Employing a strategy that worked all week long for the locals – who went through the tournament undefeated – coach McGrath convinced the West Warwick coach to make the call in the air.

It came up – Newtown.

So it goes.

But all the omens aside, the 11s still had to defeat a tough West Warwick squad.

“West Warwick is a team built on speed and defense,” said coach McGrath, “They challenge you to beat them by playing their infield up on the grass and their outfield not far behind the infield dirt. On offense, they put the ball in play and will take an extra base on any miscue.”

The team was in for a rude awakening.

Newtown had the power turned on.

In the bottom of the first, Tyler Edwards roped a shot to the right field fence for a triple. Fedak then drove the run home with a sacrifice fly to deep left field. After Ralph Sergiovanni singled, Nick Nazer blasted a shot that hit the top of the right field fence (missing a home run by five inches) and turned into a run-scoring triple.

West Warwick took the cue and moved its outfielders back.

In the bottom of the second, Keith McGrath walked and advanced on a single by Robbie Blanc. Edwards once again sent a shot to the fence … this time to center field for a double. Sergiovanni cleared the bases when the left fielder dropped a long fly ball. George Zaruba then drove him in with a shot down the left field line that snuck past a drawn in third baseman.

Newtown had six runs in the book.

In the third, McGrath was back up and was issued another walk. Edwards reached on a fielder’s choice and then Fedak singled. Sergiovanni once again cleared the bases … this time with a mammoth home run to right center.

And the locals led 9-3.

“The (West Warwick) coach jokingly asked his outfielders to either climb the fences or sit on top of the flagpoles in the outfield,” said coach McGrath. “Then he asked what we were feeding them.”

But the rout didn’t end there.

In the fourth inning, Kyle Kromberg clobbered a one-out homer (his first of the year) into the trees in centerfield to give Newtown a 10-3 lead. After Jeff DiNicola and Anthony Gruce were issued back-to-back free passes, Edwards drove in a run with a double to the gap in right-center.

The game ended in the fifth … thanks to the mercy rule. Sergiovanni doubled, Kromberg reached on an error (scoring Sergiovanni) and then scored the final run on a single by DiNicola.

In the midst of all these fireworks, the Newtown pitching staff had another solid outing. Fedak, Michael Coates and Sergiovanni combined on a four-hitter, striking out seven batters and allowing no earned runs (the three West Warwick runs were all unearned).

What a fine finish.

In the semi-finals …

The locals advanced to the New England Regional Championship with a 6-2 win over Brunswick, Maine in the semi-finals.

In the second inning, Sergiovanni tripled and stole home on a passed ball. In the third, Zaruba belted his second home run of the tournament … that was followed by a single by Sergiovanni and walks to Nazer and Kyle O’Connor. Coates lofted a sacrifice fly, scoring Sergiovanni. In the fifth, Nazer and Kromberg singled. Coates laid down a perfect bunt, which resulted in an overthrow and Nazer and Kromberg scoring. Blanc drove Coates in with a fielder’s choice grounder.

On the hill, Fedak, Coates, and Sergiovanni combined on a five-hitter with nine strikeouts.

NOTES: Throughout the New England Regional Tournament, the locals won five games by a combined score of 52-11. The locals collected nine doubles, six triples and six home runs in those five games.