Minors All-Stars put on a show
Published August 28, 2020
Majors
Red Sox 7 White Sox 1
Wednesday Aug. 19, Lewis Monk Field
Round 1 of the MLL Major League Playoffs
The Red Sox beat the White Sox 7-1 in the first game of the MLL Major League playoffs behind a strong starting effort by Thomas Santoriello and good hitting throughout the Red Sox lineup.
The Red Sox scored four in the 1st and never looked back. Anthony Kiatos led off with a single to center followed by walks by Justin Santoriello and Cavan O’Leary to load the bases. Kiatos and Santoriello scored on a single by Max Lanciani. O’Leary would scored on a sacrifice fly by Brendan Sestito and Lanciani scored on a passed ball.
The White Sox answered with a run in the 3rd as Mike O’Bremski singled and scored on a single by Colton Sullivan. The Red Sox plated one in the 4th with a two out rally started by a Wes Cunningham single. Cunningham would come across to score off a single by Cole Mathews.
The Red Sox kept the pressure on by scoring two more in the 5th with Kiatos and Justin Santoriello again scoring a single by Lanciani to end the scoring.
The White Sox got solid starting pitching by Tyler Garipay who also hammered a double to left in the 4th inning. C.J. Cook pitched the final two innings for the White Sox. In the field ,White Sox got contributions from Bryan Capodilupo, Jack Ludlow, Cian Sullivan, Will Kennedy, Shane Pitcher, Nicholas Bianco, and Michael Fix.
Cavan O’Leary came in to close out the game in the 6th inning relieving Thomas Santoriello, who pitched five strong innings with nine strikeouts and only one walk. O’Leary stuck out two in the 5th and both pitchers were backed by strong defense by Rickey Texiera and Tanner Kovacs.
Athletics 5 Cardinals 4
Monday Aug. 24, Conant Field
Melrose Little League – Playoffs Round 2 – Winners Bracket
Michael Martin and the hard-charging Athletics took on the undefeated Cardinals Monday night at Conant Field in Melrose. This game was a match-up of the two first-round winning teams in the 2020 Melrose Little League Majors Playoffs, with a slot in the Championship Game for the winner.
The Athletics scored three in the 1st inning on walks to Nathan Sullivan and Jack Thompson, a hit by Brody MacMaster, and a fielder’s choice by Jay Dennison. Cadel Mckeown then doubled in three runners giving the Athletics an early 3-0 lead.
The Cardinals struck back in the bottom of the 1st with hits by Brady Yee and starting pitcher Nate Geer. A fielder’s choice hit by Wes Rosell drove in Yee from third to close the Red Birds to within two runs.
Despite yielding a fence clanging triple to Nick Berry to start the 2nd inning, Geer settled down and kept the Athletics scoreless in the 2nd. The Athletics responded better in the 3rd with Brody MacMaster starting the inning by getting on base and later scoring on a single by Jay Dennison to left. Cadel Mckeown followed this up with a solo shot to right center field, clearing the outfield fence in Conant, enabling the Athletics to go up 5-1.
Michael Martin pitched a perfect 2nd and 3rd inning, aided by a nice running catch by Nick Berry in center field to rob Nate Geer of extra bases. After a scoreless 4th by both teams, the Cardinals proved why they were unbeaten this season, scoring three runs in the bottom of the 5th. An infield single by Chris Repici, a walk by Ben Dugan set the stage for a triple to right field by Jack Sarazen. Sarazen came in to score on a well-hit single to left by William Beach to get the Cardinals within one run, 5-4.
Chris Repici retired the Athletics in order in the top of the 6th, setting the stage for another Cardinals miracle comeback. The comeback was not to be tonight as Michael Martin retired the Cardinals 1-2-3 in the bottom 6th with the final two outs coming via strikeout.
The Athletics infield consisting of Nick Picariello at shortstop and Boden Dormer at second base fielded every ground ball hit in their vicinity. Joseph Fauci and Dylan Mestfen played strong outfield defense for the Athletics. Brayden Pesce made several good plays in the field, and John Strong, Alec Truesdale, Cam Orlandella, and Nolan Clark contributed to the Cardinals top-ranked defense.
Minors:
National League 18 American League 7
Monday, Aug. 24, Lewis Monk Field
The Melrose Little League Minor League All Star Game was held Aug. 24 at Lewis Monk Field. Winds, torrential rain, and power outages the night before threatened the game but the All-Star crew at the DPW were able to get the field ready by 5:30 p.m. the next day. These games always showcase great local talent, and this game did not disappoint. In a high scoring affair, the National League outscored the American League 18-7.
The National League jumped out to an early five-run lead in the 1st inning. Jed Drogan struck out the first three batters he faced and then hit a double with the bases loaded to bring home Charlie Recinito, Luke Greenberg, and Logan Bradley. The team scored two more runs with timely hitting from Cooper Anderson, Simon O’Carroll, and Zack Zino.
Great defense and pitching from National League hurler Christian Fogerty kept the American league to two runs until the 4th inning when Ray Willis, Dylan Smith, Jack Skinner, Dhewa Tenzin, and Luke McAndrew all crossed the plate. Ned Giamanco, Brendan Burke, Koji Bachner all had timely hits to help close the gap. Campbell Cunningham and Brandon Victoria were both solid at the catcher position and Alex Delahaij reached base twice. Jake Costello pitched well for a very good American League team.
The National League defense was anchored by catchers Drew Annese and Max Ryan. Thomas Keefe flashed some great leather at first and pitcher Blake Ward closed the game out for the National League.
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