The Metrowest Orioles (formerly Framingham Orioles) added another piece of hardware to their extensive trophy collection this past weekend, defeating the Douglas Tigers two games to none in the best-of-three MetroWest Championship Series.

The O's captured their second MetroWest Division title since joining the Boston Metro Baseball League in 2015, and their record fourteenth title overall as a franchise.

Their latest championship marks the O's first title since 2017, despite reaching the postseason finals in four straight seasons. "We added the right players this year and finally got over the hump", said O's longtime manager Chris Currie. "That was the biggest difference for us this season".

Currie was referring to the addition of Pete John (18-25, .720 Avg.), Brian Ferrucci (23-41, .561 Avg.), and Rob Santilli (20-58, .345 Avg.), who the O's acquired in the offseason to help bolster their already potent lineup.

The 2022 revamped offense went on to set a new MetroWest single-season record in batting average (.411) and runs scored (222), while also leading the league in doubles (52), triples (7), and home runs (10).

Five different players batted .500 or higher on the regular season, including Paul Goodwin (25-50, .500 Avg.), who took home MVP honors for a second straight season with a league-leading 25 hits and 26 RBIs.

On the defensive side, the O's pitching staff produced a division-best 2.47 ERA, led by staff ace Brian Lindsey (11-0, 2.37 ERA), who tied the MetroWest single-season record for wins after assembling an undefeated 11-0 record on the hill.

The veteran right-hander finished second in the Cy Young Award voting behind the Royals' Chris Dion, who won the top pitching award for the third time in the last three seasons.

The O's finished the 2022 regular season atop the MetroWest standings for a fifth straight year, with a club-record 17 wins and just 1 loss, earning Currie his first-ever Manager of the Year Award.

The top-seeded O's kicked off their postseason with a best-of-three semifinal bout versus the No. 4-seeded Northborough Cardinals (9-9), who reached the semis after defeating the No. 5-seeded Marlborough Red Sox (8-10) by a score of 4-3 in a single-elimination Wild Card game.

The Cardinals continued their winning ways in the semis, upsetting the Orioles with a 6-4 victory in Game 1. Andrew Quinn (7 IP, 11 H, 4 ER, K, BB) tossed a complete-game eleven-hitter, holding the O's offense to just four runs while also going 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs scored.

Down 1-0 in the series with their backs against the wall, the O's would battle back to win the next two games behind the arm of Brian Lindsey, who tossed back-to-back complete games.

The O's combined to outscore the Cardinals 21-to-7 (13-5, 8-2) in Games 2 and 3, punching their ticket to the postseason finals for the fifth time in six years.

This set the stage for a best-of-three championship series between the No. 1-seeded Metrowest Orioles (17-1) and the No. 3-seeded Douglas Tigers (12-6).

For the Tigers, this marked their first finals appearance in the franchise's four-year history, while the much more experienced Orioles were making their record-setting 20th finals appearance.

The 13-time MetroWest champs would use that experience to their advantage, upending the Tigers in both games of their finals doubleheader by scores of 11-0 and 7-2.

Brian Lindsey (8 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, K) and Steve Cadoret (5 IP, 4 H, 6 K, 0 ER) combined to hold the Tigers to just two runs in the series, while the offense exploded for 18 runs on 15 hits en route to their 14th MetroWest title.

Congratulations to the Metrowest Orioles on capturing the 2022 MetroWest Division championship and the franchise's 14th overall title. A tip of the cap to the Douglas Tigers on a great season and their first finals appearance.

There's no doubt that Matt DiTullio is looking down with a big smile on his face and a glass of champagne in his hand.