Towne Club Outlook for 2020
/0 Comments/in News/by Alex VendittiIn 2019, Towne Club had some standout moments despite being eliminated from playoff contention by a strong TJO team. In the 2020 season, Towne aims to win the championship.
With a loyal returning core, Towne expects to be an offensive force. Some of Towne’s returning veterans include Dana Dresser (formerly of Northeastern University), and Brett Emmertz (formerly of Colby Sawyer College). Dana will be returning for his 12th season in the Park League. Towne is excited to have its scrappiest veteran return. Brett Emmertz, also known as the Human Lightning Bolt, will be returning this season. We are expecting big things from Brett the Bolt.
A few other veterans returning to Towne Club in the 2020 season include Jim Perron (formerly of Florida Southern College), Alex Venditti (formerly of Worcester Polytechnic Institute), and Chris Hoyt (formerly of Stonehill College). In the 2019 season, Jim Perron (MVP) hit a staggering .462 and had a total of 43 hits including 3 home runs. Towne is expecting Jim to have another great season. Former Park League MVPs and All-Stars Alex Venditti and Chris Hoyt also hope to have great offensive years.
We are especially excited to announce a new addition to the pitching staff CJ Doskocil (formerly of Worcester Polytechnic Institute). We are lucky to have another southpaw on our staff and are looking forward to seeing what he can do.
Returning pitchers this season include Townes Ace James Bussiere (formerly of Bentley College), as well as Kyle Zembsch (formerly of Greensboro College), Dillon Dresser (formerly of Bates College), Zach Jacobson (formerly of Babson College), and Patrick Carbone (currently of Colby College). We hope to add a few more to the staff before the season starts.
In other news, Towne Club’s manager, Grant Bowen, is stepping down this season due to baby on the way. We wish him well and look forward to seeing him come to a few a games with his new baby girl.
All in all, the 2020 season is looking bright for Towne Club and the players are excited to get going.
Boston Athletics Outlook for 2020
/0 Comments/in News/by John KostasThe Boston Athletics Baseball Club proudly enter their third season in the BPL with high expectations. Having made the postseason in its first two seasons, the A’s look to make another playoff push in 2020.
Change is in the air for the Athletics. A new manager in Nate Laliberte and a merger with the reigning Yawkey League champion Revere Rockies highlighted the offseason making a strong veteran roster even better and incredibly deep. With two core groups of players teaming up to form one veteran super core the A’s have depth all over the field
The regular season lineup has been impressive for BABC in its first two years in the Park League finishing atop the league in hitting in 2018 and 2019. The playoffs have been a different story. With runs hard to come by the A’s were bounced in the first round both seasons.
Key additions for 2020:
The Revere Rockies are coming off a monster Yawkey League season. The Rocks, managed by Nate Laliberte, led the league in hitting, they went 29-2 in the regular season finishing in first place and then capped it off with a finals series victory in 6 games on a walk off home run.
The other key addition for the Club will be the guy filling out the lineup card. Franchise co-owner John Kostas is stepping aside as the on field manager, hiring a familiar face, Nate Laliberte. Nate has served as an assistant for the past 2 seasons for the A’s club while also filling in part time on the field.
Key loss:
John Kostas has been managing the A’s core for eight seasons dating back to its Yawkey League days. He will slide into a bench player and assistant role during games, but continue his work off the field as a general manager and club owner.
The Athletics also take pride in supporting the league and Boston baseball community off the field. The club is littered with guys that played or currently play college baseball, coach, train and mentor younger players and athletes. For any more information about joining or sponsoring BABC or you can follow the club on Instagram @bostonathleticsbaseballclub or email bostonathleticsbaseballclub@gmail.com.
Boston Athletic’s Baseball Club
2018 record- 26-6 (1st)
2019 record 19-11 (3rd)
Home field: Casey Towne field (Dorchester MA)
Club owners: John Kostas and Steve Lambert
Manager: Nate Laliberte
Palmer Club Outlook for 2020
/0 Comments/in News/by Chris Anderson(Phote: Palmer Club pitcher Nick Cordopatri looks to build on his strong performance in 2019.)
After missing out on the Boston Park League playoffs in 2019 by just 3 games at 12-17, Palmer Club is looking to build on last years improvement and make the 4 team playoff for the first time since 2015. The team saw major turnover at the beginning of the 2016 season but has since built a strong core of veterans and young players. Along with the returners Palmer Club has also added multiple rookies to bolster the lineup and pitching staff.
Pitching was an area of strength for the team in 2019 and will continue to be in 2020. Last year the staff finished third in the league with a 3.19 ERA. Veterans Tony Trafecanty (3-1, 1.25 ERA, 33 2/3 Innings, 36 K’s, .832 WHIP) Chris Anderson (2-0, 3 Saves, 0.71 ERA, 20 Innings, 22 K’s, 2 BB) Ray Gomez (1-2, 3.50 ERA,14 Innings, 11 K’s) and Nick Cordopatri (2-3, 3.19 ERA, 26.1 Innings,12 K’s) all return and hope to build on the success of prior year. The staff will add Sean Russell, who almost exclusively hit for the team last year, after he completes his freshman year pitching for Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. Also joining the staff is Matt Donato, a Walpole High graduate beginning his freshman season at Tufts University this spring. Gabe Sanders, Zach Sylvia and knuckle ball specialist JP Songin are all expected to contribute on the mound as well.
Palmer Club’s line up will be anchored by a mix of veterans and young players. Returning veterans include Palmer Club manager and future Park League Hall of Famer JP Songin (.390 BA, .471 OBP) Jose Toledano (.379 BA, .423 OBP) and Tony Trafecanty (.360 BA, .407 OBP.) Second year players Gabe Sanders (.362 BA, .444 OBP, .934 OPS) Zach Sylvia (.346 BA, .397 OBP) and Andrew Brooks (.339 BA, .471 OBP) look to build upon their strong first year. Palmer Club looks forward to the contributions newcomer Matt Falvey, Walpole High ’19, Roger Williams University ’23 will make at the plate. Despite quality individual performances the team will need to find a way to score more runs in 2020 as Palmer finished 7th of 8 teams in runs scored in 2019.
In the field, the outfield will be manned in Left by Rob Zarther, Center by Matt Falvey and Right by Sean Russell. JP Songin and Mike Comeau will also play the outfield. Comeau who missed in the 2019 season with injuries, will be back on the field for Palmer after finishing his Junior season at UMass Boston. In the infield Gabe Sanders will play 3rd, Zach Sylvia will play Short, Andrew Brooks will play second, and First will be a platoon of Jose Toledano and Mike Comeau. Catching for Palmer Club will be Cam Plank and Frank Aten.
Palmer Club looks forward to taking the field once again at Kelly Field where they won Park League Championships as recently as 2014 and 15.
Park League wins first EMABC game
/0 Comments/in News/by adminBy Bruce Hack, ICL correspondent
The Boston Park League All-Stars won its first ever EMABC game with a 2-1 victory over the host Intercity League in the opening game of the 2019 Eastern Mass Amateur Baseball Classic.
On a beautiful day for baseball, one that would have Ernie Banks happy, the Park League won its first ever game in the eighth year of the Classic and did so in historic fashion. The Park League lost the championship game 5-4 to the Yawkey League later in the day.
The opening game was scoreless through the first four and a half innings until the ICL scored a run in the bottom of the fifth.
Teddy Dziuba (Alibrandis) started off the rally with a walk. Wakefield’s Jon Luders went into run for Dziuba. A single by Bobby Losanno (Wakefield) put runners on first and second with no outs. Until Dzuibas’ walk, Park League pitchers had retired 11 straight ICL batters from the first through fourth innings.
Andrew Caulfield (Chiefs) popped up a bunt attempt for the first out. Lexington’s Josue Feliciano reached on a fielder’s choice, but shortstop Jhonny Felix (Boston Padres) errant throw allowed Luders to score for a 1-0 lead.
The Park League responded in the top of the sixth. Maynel Fuentes (Boston Padres) and Jose Toledano (Palmer Club) reached on singles off of the Merchants’ James McNamara to begin the inning. After a fly out, Joe Stackhouse (Mass Envelope) reached on a bunt single that hugged the third base line and just stayed fair, to load the bases. Jorge Geronimo (Boston Padres) hit a slow roller towards McNamara, who scooped the ball and threw home in one motion, but his throw was late and Fuentes slid home to tie the game at 1-1. Tim Noone (TJO Sports) hit a sacrifice fly to center to bring home Toledano with the go-ahead run for a 2-1 lead.
Nick Cordapatri (Palmer Club) and Bobby Tramondozzi ((ADSL), and also the closer the UMass-Boston, a NCAA Division 3 World Series team, set down the ICL in the final two innings. Lexington’s Ross Curley doubled with one out in the sixth, but was stranded at third. Tramondozzi pitched a 1-2-3 7th for the save and the Park League had its first win.
The game was the lowest scoring game in Classic history and had the fewest runs scored by a winning team. The previous lowest score was a pair of four run games. A 4-0 win by the Cranberry League over the Yawkey League in the 2014 championship game. The other four run game was a 3-1 Cranberry victory over the Yawkies in a 2016 first round game played at Morelli Field in Melrose. In three games the winning team had scored three runs. The previous mentioned Cranberry League win. Also a pair of 3-2 wins. The first in 2013 by the Cranberry League over the Park League and the second an ICL victory over the Yawkey League in 2018.
Despite giving up the only ICL run, Garrett Siegell (Boston Athletics) earned the win for the Park League. The Merchants McNamara took the loss for the ICL.
The Park League pitchers held the ICL to two hits. Losanno’s single in the fifth and Curley’s double in the sixth. The two hits is the fewest by a team, breaking the previous low of four hits by the Yawkey League in a 2016 game against the Cranberry League.
In the second game of the day the Yawkey scored six runs in the sixth and seventh innings to win 7-4 over the Cranberry League.
The Yawkey’s took advantage of wild pitching from the Cranberries as they walked five and hit three Yawkey batters in the final two innings. Liam Moreno (Brighton Braves) doubled to score Colin Rooney (Al Thomas A’s) and give the Yawkey League the 5-4 lead. Raul Martinez (East Boston Knights) earned the win with two solid innings of work. He struck out five, including the last four Cranberry batters he faced.
Plymouth Brewer Mitch Lundholm drove in two runs, the first and third, for the Cranberry League and scored the fourth run.
The Yawkey League was powered to the championship in a 5-4 win over the Park League as Liam Moreno hit a Classic-game record two home runs and drove in all five runs, also a record, to give the Yawkey League its third EMABC title. Moreno hit a three-run shot to center in the second for a 3-1 Yawkey lead. He added a two-run blast to left center in the sixth for a 5-1 lead. His two-run home run was big as the Park League rallied for three runs in the seventh only to fall short.
Jhonny Felix singled to start off the seventh. After two Park League batters reach on errors, Kyle Boudrais (ADSL) drove in both runners with a single to center to cut the lead to 5-4. Garrett Siegell (Boston Athletics) pinch ran for Boudrais, but was stranded at first as Eric Mah flied out to Moreno in center for the last out of the day and securing the championship for the Yawkey League.
Moreno was named MVP of the tournament for his record –setting day.
New Walt Mortimer Logo Unveiled
/2 Comments/in News/by adminWalt Mortimer has been with the Boston Park League for 65 years, from the league’s greatest player, to a star league administrator. And now his likeness has been recreated in an alternate Boston Park League logo. Read more
The President’s Award – Walt Mortimer
/1 Comment/in News/by adminTonight, we will honor Walt Mortimer, who is retiring after 65 years of service to the Boston Park League with both the Red Johnson Alumni Award and the President’s Award. The key word in the 1st award is ‘Alumni’, and no one has done more for the Boston Park League than Walt Mortimer since he hung up his spikes 50 years ago. Read more
2018 BPL Championship Game 7: TJO Sports vs. ADSL
/0 Comments/in Frontpage Article, News/by adminWatch as the 2018 ADSL squad takes home their first Boston Park League Championship since 2001, defeating TJO by a score of 3-2 in exciting Game 7. Read more
7th Annual Eastern Massachusetts Amateur Baseball Classic
/0 Comments/in News/by adminThe 7th Annual Eastern Massachusetts Amateur Baseball Classic was played Saturday, July 14th at Monan Park at UMass Boston. This event featured All Star teams from each of the 4 amateur baseball leagues in the Boston area: Boston Park League, Cranberry League, Intercity League, Yawkey League.
Blast From the Past – Remembering Tom Bilodeau Jr.
/1 Comment/in Frontpage Article, News/by adminTom Bilodeau Jr. passed away in October of 2017. Tommy had joined the Boston Park League Hall of Fame in 1988. Read more
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