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Rediscovering the cruelty of tournament baseball is becoming an annual tradition for the Newburyport baseball team. It's much like Memorial Day in that it occurs at the end of May and marks the unofficial start of summer.

From top to bottom, the Newburyport baseball team is capable of stealing bases as is evidenced by its team-record 65 swipes.

Leading off, Tyler Stotz has stolen 10 bases. Batting behind him, Richie Burke led the Cape Ann League with 21 stolen bases. Joe Clancy in the 3-hole has five stolen bases, followed by perhaps the CAL's fastest player, Kyle LeBlanc, who won the indoor CAL championship for the 55-meter dash,and his 12 stolen bases. Protecting LeBlanc was Kevin Holmes and his deceptive eight swipes.

 Newburyport baseball coach Bill Pettingell may enjoy this Cape Ann League title more than any of his previous 18.

The Clippers clinched a CAL title yesterday for the 19th time in Pettingell's 37 seasons as the school's coach. Newburyport's 7-3 victory over Amesbury paired with Masconomet's 7-6 win over North Andover assures the Clippers of at least a share of the title. The Clippers (12-7 overall, 10-3 CAL) are currently in a three-way tie for first with Wilmington (12-5, 10-3) and Masconomet (14-3, 10-3). Those three teams have completed their CAL schedules. North Andover (13-4, 9-3) could make it a four-way tie with a win over Pentucket on Thursday.

In his 35-plus years of experience, Newburyport baseball coach Bill Pettingell has never seen anything like what could play out in the CAL in the final week this year.

If North Andover loses either of its two remaining CAL league games to Pentucket or Masconomet, then Wilmington, North Andover, Masconomet, and Newburyport could share the CAL title four ways with a 10-3 CAL record.

For now, call the Triton baseball team the giant killers.

In a few weeks, the Vikings may be known as the double-digit seed in the Division 2 North Tournament that no high seed wants to draw in the first round.

Similar to the Nike ad campaign "Witness" that launched the career of LeBron James, fans of Newburyport athletics have witnessed the launching stardom of local three-sport standout Kevin Holmes.

Mike McCormack will likely be the next product out of the Newburyport coaching factory.

But first, the Worcester State College senior and 2004 Newburyport High graduate will compete in the NCAA Division 3 Regionals next Wednesday. The McCormack-captained Worcester State club recently captured the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference title with a two-game sweep of No. 1 seed Westfield.

There is no negating the fact that Bill Pettingell and his Clipper baseball team are in the hunt.

Newburyport's chances were brightened even further when the Ipswich Tigers, a team that presented the Clippers with their first loss in the season opener, prowled into town looking for another easy meal.

When a talented North Reading squad came to town yesterday, the Newburyport baseball team had its eyes set on a few goals: Boosting its record, extending its two-game winning streak, and handing a Hornets club its second loss of the season.

In more than 30 years and 750 career games coaching from the dugout, Newburyport coach Bill Pettingell has seen his pitchers throw only three or four no-hitters in that time span.

Against one of the Cape Ann League's hottest hitting teams yesterday, Kyle McElroy added one more to that total, no-hitting Georgetown in a thrilling win, 10-0.