In a rivalry bout with the Western Massachusetts Suburban Baseball League 14U championship on the line, it was Northampton that struck early and never looked back – earning a wire-to-wire 6-1 victory over Amherst on Saturday to claim the title.

A single off the bat of Bradyn Rios put the Blue Devils on the board in the bottom of the first inning, and they didn’t surrender their early lead the rest of the way. Three more runs in the third inning made it 4-0 in favor of Northampton.

That cushion was plenty enough for lefty ace Maceo Nteta, who got the start and delivered a gem on the mound. Nteta gave up three hits and one walk over three innings, but didn’t allow any runs and added two strikeouts to preserve the Blue Devils’ advantage.

In relief, Dylan Lawrence-Riddell was equally as impressive. He allowed four hits and one run over four innings, striking out four and walking just one.

Northampton’s offense erupted for 10 hits in the game. Nteta and Rios were a force together in the lineup, as they each collected two hits for the Blue Devils hitting back-to-back at the top of the lineup. Lawrence-Riddell, Iggy Piotrowski, Tait Kennedy, Elias Almeida, Alex Visentin Laing and Layne Nagle each hit safely for Northampton as well. Visentin Laing, Oliver Yau and Rios tallied an RBI apiece for the Blue Devils, while Laing stole two bases.

For Amherst, Daniel Lebron got the start on the hill, and he pitched three innings. Lebron gave up five hits and two walks while fanning a pair of Blue Devils batters. Offensively, the Hurricanes collected seven hits on the day. Lebron led Amherst with two hits in three at bats from the leadoff position.

Cyrus Arwade went 1-for-3 at the plate and batted in one run. Agho Mankin, Tristan Feeley, Jonah Sommers and Oliver Howard each had one hit for Amherst.

The Blue Devils began their season with a 2-1, low-scoring loss to Amherst in the opener. After that, they were the most dominant team in the area. Northampton won its next 16 games en route to the WMSBL 14U crown.