Newtown’s 11-year-old Babe Ruth All Stars captured the Al Leonard Bethel Baseball Tournament this past Sunday with a 3-2 victory over South Meriden.

Newtown, made up mostly of players from last year’s state-championship 10-year-old team, entered the day needing to win just one game in the double elimination tourney. However, South Meriden took game one, 6-3, setting up the exciting afternoon finale.

In the final game, Newtown scored two runs in the third inning on back-to-back triples off the bats of Brian Cullinan and Joe Bowen. In the fourth, Brian Shimko tripled and scored on Cullinan’s RBI single.

South Meriden scored its first run in the fifth inning on a triple and an error and added a second run in the sixth on another Newtown error. However, Steve Marks, who dominated on the mound throughout the tournament, shut the door with two strikeouts.

Mike Tibbitts pitched three scoreless innings to earn the victory and center fielder Joe DeVellis killed two South Meriden rallies with outstanding catches.

When it was over, the talented Newtown club celebrated the victory with coaches Keith Suhoza, Ed Marks and Matt McGrath.

Newtown entered Sunday’s double header with South Meriden sporting a 4-0 record and hoped to go hope early with the title. However, South Meriden, which beat New Canaan in the loser’s bracket game, scored four first-inning runs thanks to several Newtown errors.

Newtown rallied to make it 4-3 on hits by Tibbetts and Cullinan and a Scott Suhoza bunt, but South Meriden sealed it with two more runs in the fifth inning.

Newtown put itself in the driver’s seat June 29 with an exciting 3-2 victory over South Meriden. Marks started the game and pitched five innings of shutout ball, striking out seven and walking none. Suhoza started things off in the first inning with a single then stole home later in the inning for Newtown’s first run. In the second, Shimko singled and scored on a double by Tom Gaborioult. Suhoza then singled in Gaborioult to give Newtown a 3-0 lead.

Marks received some help from infielders Bowen (3B), Tibbetts (SS), Aron Fay (2B) and Ryan McGrath (1B).

South Meriden scored two runs in the sixth inning before McGrath picked up a big strikeout to end the game.