Jeff Fields threw a two-hit shutout as Pittsfield South defeated Peabody West 8-0 in the championship game of the 2001 Massachusetts state tournament at Reinfuss Field in Lynn. Pittsfield, which lost its second game of the state tournament to Peabody, rallied for three consecutive wins to claim the state title out of the loser's bracket for the second consecutive year.

Pittsfield manager Al Bianchi shuffled his batting order for the title game in the hopes of shaking up his offense, which had scored only five runs in its last three games. The Little Red Machine responded with a pair of runs in the top of the first and second innings. Fields, moved up from third to the leadoff position in the order, slapped the first pitch of the game off the base of the center field fence for a double. He scored on Steve DeMastrie's one-out single to center field, and DeMastrie then scored when Jesse Rose -- moved up from fifth to fourth in the order -- ripped a double to right field.

Pittsfield added two more in the second, when Aaron Ricci drilled a homer to center, and Scott Jamula singled and eventually scored on a double steal.

Peabody responded to Pittsfield's early offense with a pair of baserunners in each of the first two innings, but was unable to score. The turning point in the game came in the bottom of the second, when Fields faced Peabody slugger Rob Noe with two runners on and two outs. In the winner's bracket finals, Noe faced Fields and hit a two-out, three-run homer to lift the Tanner City league to a 3-1 victory and into the championship game. This time, Fields induced a pop out to end the threat. The confrontation began a string in which Fields retired thirteen of the final fifteen batters he faced, as Peabody didn't threaten again. Pittsfield added two runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth to clinch their second consecutive title.

Pittsfield South lived on the edge after Noe's homer in the winner's bracket finals forced the Little Red Machine into the loser's bracket. The Berkshire County team won a pair of games in their final at-bat to force the tournament to the 'if' game. Tournament MVP Ryan LaRochelle allowed only two hits and took a shutout into extra innings, and Ricci ripped a two-run homer with two outs in the eight to boost Pittsfield past Norwood American 2-1. The next evening, DeMastrie turned in the pitching gem, surrendering only four hits as Pittsfield edged Peabody West 2-1 to force a final meeting between the two clubs.

After three scoreless innings in the first championship meeting, Fields singled and later scored on DeMastrie's single to give Pittsfield a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Peabody tied the game in the fifth, when DeMastrie walked the bases loaded and Noe scored on a fielding error by the Pittsfield shortstop. DeMastrie evaded further trouble in the fifth, and stymied a Peabody rally in the sixth by inducing an inning ending groundout with two runners on base.

Pittsfield South then won it in the sixth. Fields was hit by a pitch, and moved to third on DeMastrie's second base hit of the game. DeMastrie advanced to second on Andrew Doerr's sacrifice bunt, and both runners held on Rose's groundout. With extra innings looming, lefty Ben Joslyn dumped a 2-2 pitch into left field for a single that scored Fields with the deciding run, and set the stage for Pittsfield's tournament-clinching victory the following evening.

Pittsfield opened the tournament with a 6-2 win over Sandwich. The District 1 champions took advantage of three Sandwich errors to score four unearned runs, and pulled away from an early 2-2 tie. DeMastrie singled to open the third inning, and eventually scored the go-ahead run on Doerr's bunt single. Ricci's RBI single in the fifth padded the lead, and Pittsfield added two more on an error and a wild pitch in the sixth. DeMastrie, the winning pitcher, settled down after a rough start to retire twelve of the final fourteen batters he faced.

Noe led Peabody to a win in its opener, an 8-5 decision over Norwood American. Peabody's top hitter, whose clutch two-out home run in the sixth inning of the Section 4 championship game forced extra innings before Peabody overcame Haverhill National 6-5, hit a pair of home runs against Norwood, including a grand slam. The next day, Noe's three-run homer off of Fields in the fifth inning broke a scoreless tie and pushed Peabody West to a 3-1 win. Eleven-year-old Kevin Johnson took a shutout into the sixth before Noe came on in relief and stifled a bases-loaded, nobody out threat to preserve Peabody's victory.

Pittsfield South, which also won back-to-back state titles in 1976 and 1977, has now won four state championships. Only four other Massachusetts leagues have won back-to-back titles: Winchester (1955-1956), Swampscott (1978-1979), Westfield South (1989-1990), and West Roxbury Parkway National (1995-1996). Pittsfield advanced to the New England Region Tournament in Bristol, Connecticut, and reached the semifinal round before falling to eventual champion Lincoln (Rhode Island) 5-4 in extra innings.