Waterford — Waterford’s Babe Ruth 14-year-old state championship winning celebration was on the subdued side after recording the final out on Friday.

Probably because Waterford drained all the drama out of the title game early on and clinched the title in the fifth inning due to the mercy rule.

Next stop: The New England Regionals starting Friday in Newtown.

Waterford pounced on Nonnewaug, scoring six runs in the first inning on the way to a convincing 12-2 victory.

It was a complete team effort.

“We’ve been working hard all year,” manager Trevor Yeomans said. “I think we have the four best pitchers in the tournament. This was, by far, our best hitting game. One-through-10, we just swung it well.”

As Yeomans finished his sentence, his players doused him with the water bucket.

Yeomans now knows how winning a Babe Ruth state tournament feels as a manager and a player. Ten years ago, Yeomans was on Waterford’s 13-year-old Babe Ruth team that won the New England Regionals, also held in Newtown that year.

Beating Nonnewaug, the team that eliminated Waterford last year in the losers’ bracket final, made the victory a bit sweeter on Friday.

“We knew they were a scrappy team,” Yeomans said. “They made it all the way out of the losers’ bracket last year. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Our guys just came fired up today. This team has got grit.”

Waterford reached the championship round out of the winners’ bracket, so it needed to win only one game to advance to the New Englands.

It never gave Nonnewaug a chance.

Taking advantage of four walks in the first inning, Waterford surged in front, sending 11 players to the plate.

Luke Wilson’s run-scoring single and Brooks Lane’s two-run base hit represented Waterford’s only hits in a six-run outburst. Brennan Devine and Mason Huoppi drew bases-loaded walks and Jamison Waggoner added an RBI groundout.

That’s really all starting pitcher Jameson Barlow needed. Barlow allowed just two hits while striking out five and walking four. He escaped a two-on, one-out jam in the first.

Barlow also chipped in two hits, including an RBI double in a four-run third inning.

“He was fantastic,” Yeomans said.

Lane sparked the offensive attack, going 3-for-3 with four RBI. Wilson added two hits while Quin Robinson and Waggoner each had a hit and an RBI.

“We were all calm,” Lane said. “We were just happy to be here. We just went out and played our best.”

Yeomans gave an assist to the Waterford Babe Ruth grounds crew for getting the field ready for the game after an afternoon shower rolled through the area.

“They put so much work into the tournament this week for us,” Yeomans said. “Shout out to them. Without them, none of this would have been possible.”

g.keefe@theday.com