Little League News

There's lots of news on and off the field from NRLL this week.

• The NRLL Majors Angels announced they are dedicating their season in memory of Tim Chaloux, a North Reading resident and former North Reading Little League player. Chaloux was a standout shortstop and power hitter for the Angels, playing an important role in the team’s run through the Majors playoffs in 2007.

His tragic death this spring has hit North Reading hard, and to honor what he meant to NRLL and the community, the team has decided to play this season in his memory.

“Although our players didn’t know Tim directly, they have learned from the coaches the legacy that Tim established as a player and leader, and due to that example, they have dedicated their efforts to Tim’s memory,” said Angels head coach Mark Schille. The team will don “T.C.” patches starting next week.

• North Reading Little League is holding its 1st annual Sponsor Appreciation Weekend this Saturday (8 a.m. – 1 p.m.) and Sunday (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.) at Benevento Fields. Companies that are sponsoring teams and signs this spring are invited to visit the fields, promote their businesses, and meet with players, coaches, and fans.

• On Wednesday, May 8, from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m., there will be an NRLL Fundraiser at Mike’s Famous Roast Beef and Pizza (6 Washington Street, Centre Plaza). NRLL will receive 20 percent of the proceeds on all orders when the purchaser says they are supporting North Reading Little League.

• Also, the purists will be smiling. Starting on Saturday, May 4, the 10 NRLL Majors teams will be using wooden bats for three games as part of "Wooden Bat Week."

Highlights from selected Majors games this week:

Blue Jays 10, Angels 3

The Blue Jays utilized solid pitching, timely hitting, and smart base running to defeat the league-leading Angels on Wednesday night.

Alex Suny put the Jays on the board early with an impressive two-run home run and the team tacked on one more before the Angels came to the plate. Derek Reilly delivered a solid outing for the winners, allowing three runs over 4.2 innings while striking out 11.  

With the score still a tight 5-1, the Jays added four critical runs in the forth, creating a little breathing room against the high-powered Angels.

Mitch McKay did his job as lead-off batter by drawing three free passes and scoring two runs, and Trevor Wilson and Sean McCullough had two hits each, including an extra-base hit and a run scored. Suny closed out the game by striking out the side in the sixth.

The Angels "big three" of Jay Schille, Thomas MacEacheron, and Chewy Capozzoli accounted for four of the team's six hits and scored all of their runs. MacEacheron struck out 11 in 3+ innings of work. Joey DeSanto was impressive over the final 2.2 innings, quieting the Blue Jays' bats.

Giants 12, Pirates 6

Mario Perrone banged out two hits and drove in four runs, and Matt Pasquale added a pair of hits of his own, lifting the Giants to their seventh victory of the spring.

Perrone brought home two runs with a third-inning single and plated two more with his double in the fifth. Pasquale also drove home a pair with his double to deep center during a fifth-inning uprising.

Dylan Babcock started on the mound for the winners and went effective three innings, striking out three and not issuing any walks. He was followed by Ryan Landers, Andrew DeBenedetto, and Zach Sampson. Sampson closed out the game with a perfect sixth, striking out the three batters he faced. The Giants also turned a pair of double plays to end scoring threats.

For the Pirates, Ben Tayas started on the mound and also slugged a pair of base hits. Sean Haynes had a two-RBI double in the third inning, and Ben Tenney singled and scored twice. 

In recent Minors games:

Sea Dogs 14, Thunder 10 

On a cool brisk night,  the Sea Dog’s bats came alive to warm things up, scoring 13 runs over the first three innings on their way to victory over the Thunder.

Starting pitcher Anthony Diozzi had an impressive outing for the winners, going three innings and giving up no runs while striking out nine batters. He also helped himself at the plate with a bases-clearing triple in the second inning.  Other Sea Dogs with hot bats were Nick Shea, Joey Caviasca, James Brooks and Ryan Caviasca, who all had multi-hit and multi-RBI games. Also for the Sea Dogs, Cole Lopalito recorded his first base hit of the year.
 
For the Thunder, Aaron Brayden pitched three innings recorded nine K's of his own. Michael Dee, Storm Davis  each had triples, while Jonathan Patch and Brayden had multi-hit games for the home team.

Bulls 15, Mudcats 6 

Jake Needham of the Bulls and Devin Ouk of the Mudcats treated fans at Benevento Field to a pitcher's duel through the first two innings, matching each other pitch for pitch and combining for nine strik outs between them, holding the game scoreless.

Needham changed that in the third and helped his own cause when he ripped a homer with two men on to make it 3-0 for the visitors. It looked like the Bulls were going to get another big extra base hit on Andrew Daley's shot to center field, but the bid was was nicely snagged by Ryan MacGuire to end the threat.

In the top of the fourth, Will O'Leary hit a two-run homer for the Bulls and Needham smacked a three-run triple to extend the Bulls lead. Needham finished the day 3-of-3 at the plate with 6 RBI.

Making clutch defensive stops for the Bulls were Daley at first and Ryan Baker, who made a nice play at second and then caught a blazing shot to the mound by Michael Accolla that ended the game.

In addition to Ouk's strong pitching performance for the Mudcats, Sarah Potter caught a great game behind the plate as well as being a constant threat with her speed on the base paths.