The Westbrook Little League all-star team was having little luck generating any offense against Old Town's pitchers in the championship game of the 2002 Maine state tournament.

So Mike Haskell took matters into his own hands.

With Haskell on second base and Westbrook down to its last strike in the bottom of the sixth inning of a tie game, the Westbrook baserunner suddenly sprinted to third base as Old Town's catcher returned the ball to his batterymate following a pitch. The subsequent throw to third sailed wide, and Haskell raced home with the winning run as Westbrook edged Old Town 4-3 to win the state championship at the East Biddeford Little League Field.

"It was a good strategy," said Old Town manager Bob Grenier after the game. "They caught us napping . . . They found a way to win, and that's what it takes."

"We weren't hitting like we would like to hit today, and we tried to make things happen," said Westbrook manager Al McAlpine.

Westbrook prevailed in the title game despite striking out fourteen times and being outhit 10-2. The District 6 champions capitalized on nine walks issued by Old Town pitchers, and scored all of their runs on passed balls and throwing errors.

"We ran into a wall today, but we fought and fought, and we pulled it out," said Al McAlpine.

After Old Town opened the scoring on Dana Leland's RBI single to center in the top of the first, Westbrook tied the game when Shawn McAlpine walked, moved to third on a pair of wild pitches, and scored on a passed ball.

Westbrook took a 3-1 lead in the third when Steve Lebel and Joel Chadbourne both scored on a throwing error following Zack Johnson's two-out, bases-loaded tapper between the mound and third base.

Old Town cut into the lead on Mike Michaud's RBI double in the fourth, and tied the game in the fifth when Leland doubled and scored on a throwing error.

Westbrook won its first state title since 1985, and its third overall. Al McAlpine and coach Rick Knight, working together for the third time as all-star coaches, had previously piloted Westbrook's 1985 state championship team and the 1987 squad that won the league's only other district title since 1982.

The title game was Westbrook's second bottom-of-the-sixth inning win over Old Town in the tournament. In the opening round, Lebel's one out line single to left scored Johnson to push the District 6 champions to a 3-2 win. Pitcher Shawn McAlpine tossed a complete game, striking out six and walking three.

Westbrook then downed its next two opponents to reach the title game. Westbrook had just tied the score and was in the early stages of a rally against Coastal when the game was suspended due to darkness in the bottom of the fifth. When play resumed the next day, Westbrook tacked on five more runs to claim an 11-6 victory. Later that day, Lebel scattered six hits on the mound and hit a three-run homer in the third as Westbrook rolled past Waldo County 13-3 in four innings. Ross Fletcher had a two-run triple, and Shawn McAlpine and Matt Foye added two hits apiece as Westbrook marched into the championship game.

The title game marked the fifth time in Old Town's six state tournament games in which the winning run scored in the final inning. Old Town rebounded from its opening round loss by winning four consecutive games, eliminating every other team in the tournament in the process.

Adam Fournier kick-started Old Town's climb to the title game with a two-out, walk-off home run in the bottom of the eleventh inning as Old Town outlasted Gardiner 3-2. The District 3 champions then rallied from an early 3-0 deficit and scored in the bottom of the sixth inning to edge York 4-3. Leland, whose leadoff home run in the third inning began Old Town's comeback, had four hits in the game, and also pitched four shutout innings in relief of Old Town's starter.

Old Town eliminated Coastal 16-8 and then staged another last-gasp rally to defeat Waldo County 9-8 and reach the state championship game for the first time since 1987. Old Town trailed 8-5 with nobody on base, two outs and two strikes on Matt Jones in the top of the sixth inning when their final rally began. Jones, Evan Paradis, and Leland all walked, and Tyler Honey and Cory Grenier then delivered back-to-back two-run singles to push Old Town in front. Leland's third inning grand slam and Honey's solo homer in the fourth provided the rest of Old Town's offense, while Tyler Miles hit a two-run homer for Waldo County.

"Old Town is a sensational team," observed Al McAlpine after the tournament. "To lose the first game in the tournament and come back and win four games is top class."

Westbrook's state championship gave the Portland-area league a berth in the New England Region tournament in Bristol, Connecticut. The Maine titleholders finished their four game pool schedule in the region tournament with a 1-3 record.