The New England Ruffnecks hosted the Fourth Annual Boston Invitational July 18-21 at a variety of college venues in the Boston area.  The event has grown from a three team round robin in 2007 to a 15 team showcase tournament this year.   Many of the top travel and college prospect programs from the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast attended.  Numerous college recruiters from Division I, II, and III schools throughout the New England and Mid Atlantic area found time to attend.  Games were held at Babson College, Bentley University, Brandeis University, and Tufts University.  The event hopes to attract even more attention in 2011.

Adam Ravenelle

The Ruffnecks took first place in a challenging pool play round by defeating the Jacksonville (FL) Warriors 3-2 Saturday morning in a gut wrenching game.  The first place pool finish was among one of the most competitive pools at the tournament.  The only loss came at the hands of the 2004 tournament champions Houston Kyle Chapman.  The Ruffnecks advanced to the Final 16 by virtue of a total team effort.  On Saturday  Jordan Cote stepped to the mound for the Ruffnecks for the second time in the tournament and again showed tremendous poise and talent.  Pitching 6 innings and supported by an offense sparked by AJ Zarosny, Cote helped carry the Ruffnecks to a 3-2 victory.  Three year Ruffnecks veteran David St. Lawrence got the call in the final inning to close the game and delivered a scoreless 7th.  The Ruffnecks moved on to win a late Saturday afternoon playoff game by a decisive 9-1 score.  Matt Luppi was ready to deliver, as he pitched a very effective start for the Ruffnecks.  Offense was not a problem to support Luppi as Carl Anderson, Ben Smith, David St. Lawrence, Adam Ravenelle among others swung the bats with success.  Ben Smith made the catch of the tournament, crashing into a brick wall.  He was fine, but the effort defined the way the team played all week long.

Ruffnecks Battle All American Prospects to 2-1 Decision

The game of the tournament took place in front of a large crowd at the East Cobb Baseball Complex between the All American Prospects from Miami, FL and the Ruffnecks from Boston, Massachusetts.  Starter John Gorman battled in a complete game effort against a formidable lineup.  The All American Prospects staff had not given up a single run the entire week outscoring their opponents 30-0 in Pool Play.  Gorman, along with his Ruffnecks teammates, created a buzz around the complex as they engaged in a wicked battle of pitch-by-pitch and out-by-out baseball.  Despite coming up on the short end of the decision, Gorman finished with 5 Ks and one walk.  The Ruffnecks managed six hits and a run against a strong All American Prospect pitching staff.  They loaded the bases and had some chances to win the game, but the effort fell short by a run.  Not only did the Ruffnecks draw the  attention and respect of the national baseball community, they distinguished themselves by going deeper in this marquee tournament than any team has ever gone from New England.  Coach Dan Brookes and his staff have much to be proud of as the Ruffnecks program is coming of age in a big way.  Already there is talk about a talented Ruffnecks class of 2012, as college recruiters and scouts look forward to the next group of players coming through the program.