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.

The 16U Ruffnecks “Blue” squad took the championship game in the Seadogs Select Six Tournament with a convincing 5-0 victory in the finals.  The team was led in the final game by an outstanding pitching performance from John Nicklas.  The four day tournament tested the team’s depth in the pitching department.  Dan Dymecki, Max Tishman, Eric Oberg, Trevor Holmes, and Tom Crispi all contributed strong outings during the hot weather. The 16s head to Philadelphia next week to participate in a tournament at Temple University, and then travel to the site of the former USA Baseball Training Complex outside of Memphis, Tennessee for the 17U CABA Wood Bat World Series.

13U Ruffnecks Reach Finals in Connecticut

Davis Wall makes a play

Meanwhile the 13U Ruffnecks found their way to their first tournament championship game with a strong three day effort at the Connecticut Bombers Invitational over the July 4th holiday weekend.  Although the team fell short by an 8-5 score in the trophy game, the journey to the finals was marked by some outstanding play by a team that has improved over 45 games.  Once again a strong pitching start by Derek Grubis in Game 1 set the tone.  The victory was an exciting 6-5 win punctuated by a game-ending double play with the infield in and the tying run on third.  A hard ground ball to Christian Reenstierna was cooly played into an out at first and a bang-bang throw from first baseman Mike Greco to catcher John Simourian who blocked the plate and put the tag on the runner from third.  Simourian had a very strong tournament at the plate with a triple and three doubles.  Mike Greco and Davis Wall also had a strong offensive tourney.  Reenstierna also pitched four strong innings for a 3-2 win in Game four.  The team looks to continue its winning ways in the final two tournaments of the year, in Fall River, Mass and Indianapolis, Indiana.