BRENDAN GRANT FOUNDATION
MEMORIAL DAY BASEBALL TOURNAMENT A BIG SUCCESS

Second Annual Tournament Held
Saturday and Sunday, 27 & 28 May 2006 in Belmont, MA


Taking advantage of the sunshine in what has otherwise been a rainy spring, the Second Annual “Brendan Grant Memorial Day Baseball Tournament” was held under fair skies and warm temperatures at the Brendan Grant Memorial Field on Saturday and Sunday 27 & 28 May 2006. It was another great weekend of top quality high school baseball, following last year's inaugural tournament that was likewise a big success.

This year’s tournament was full of great baseball, and it makes excellent use of Belmont’s wonderful new varsity baseball facility. The field is in the final stages of completion and looked fantastic. The four participating teams were the varsity baseball programs at Bedford, Belmont, Lynnfield and Winchester. Belmont and Lynnfield made it to the final championship game with Lynnfield taking the crown once again. 

The first day (Saturday 27 May 2006) of the tourney featured two very close and exciting games. In the first game that started at 10:00 am, Lynnfield came from a 5 to 2 deficit to score four runs in the final inning for a thrilling come from behind 6 to 5 victory. Both starting pitchers did an excellent job, with Phil Perriello of Lynnfield getting the win, while Bedford's David Ahern had the loss despite an excellent performance before Lynnfield came back in the final inning with two outs. Shortstop Nate Bankoff of Lynnfield had a home run on his way to another multi-hit game to add to his already impressive statistics.06_memorial_day_tourn2.jpg (48229 bytes)

Likewise, the Saturday 1:00 pm contest between Belmont and Winchester was also a nail-biter, with a two-all tie game finally broken in the sixth inning with a single run when Martin Connolly (2 for 3) came around to score the winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning on a Zach Rubin double. Both teams played solid, fundamental baseball in this tournament game, and one of the stars was Matt Ruane who pitched another gem and got the win. Ruane went the distance, scattering five hits, and walked just 
three and struck out 10 Sachem batters. On the hill for Winchester was Chris Michienzi, who likewise went the distance and had an excellent performance, but unfortunately had the loss. Julian Lewis had a hand in the offense, belting a solo home run early in the game, and Andrew Diozzi also chipped in with two hits for the Marauders. This particular game was an official Middlesex League game that counted in the overall league standings, and helped establish home field advantage in the upcoming Middlesex League playoffs.

The final two games of the tournament were played on Sunday (28 May 06) and in the consolation game at 1:00 pm Winchester came out on top of Bedford in a 14 to 8 slugfest. Ryan McHugh started on the mound for Winchester, and was relieved by Matt Pisani who earned the win. Mike Guanci was the starting pitcher for Bedford 06_memorial_day_tourn3.jpg (47865 bytes) followed by Anthony D'Alleva who came on in relief. This game had a lot of hits, including 5 home runs, two by Winchester catcher Mark Annese (3 for 4), and the other three by Bedford's catcher Sam Grainger, center fielder Steven Baker and right fielder Michael Ferro.


In the 3:30 pm Championship Game, the Belmont Marauders were pitted against Cape Ann League power Lynnfield. This game was all Lynnfield's, and the Marauders were beaten up by the Pioneers, 11-3. Ryan McNeill went the distance on the mound for Lynnfield and earned the win. The Pioneer's scattered 14 hits throughout the game, including a solo home run by third baseman Kyle McLaud and a three-run blast by first baseman Rick Vail. Zack Rubin, Bryan Watkins and Anthony DeStefano all pitched for the Marauders in this one. Five of the Lynnfield runs scored were unearned, and offensively Belmont left a total of 10 runners on base. Martin Connolly, Peter DiSalvio, Julian Lewis, Jon Smart, John Sodini and Bryan Watkins all contributed hits for Belmont. 

Once again, Lynnfield took home the championship trophy, and have won the tournament both years.   Click here for all the details on last year's contest.  Despite the loss, the Belmont Marauders finished the regular season with an overall record of 14-6 overall and 14-4 in the Middlesex League, good for second place. This was the most wins Belmont baseball has had in a long time. 
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Numerous volunteers were instrumental in putting the tournament together, helping with refreshments, team support, and making sure the field and facility were in fantastic shape so that the entire event ran smoothly.  Special thanks go to Pete Noone for helping to organize the event and championing the event behind the scene.

Most heartfelt thanks have to be given to the following individuals and companies who, without their generosity, this tournament could not have taken place: (1) Lynnfield Athletic Director (and former BHS Baseball Coach) Steve McBride and Reebok for donations of baseball hats and T-shirts for all the players and support staff; (2) Larry Scafidi at Embassy Trophy on Maple Street in Waltham for his donation of all the trophies and plaques given to the players; (3) Rich Khouri at Bagels by Us on Mass. Ave. in Arlington who donated money to help defray the costs of the tournament; and (4) Marc Anderson and Littlefield Management (which operates Salsa's Mexican Grill in South Boston and Hingham, “The Sausage Guy” on Lansdowne Street at Red Sox games, and a catering service for special events) who saved thousands of dollars in food costs by personally donating hundreds of sausages and other foods items. 

As those who attended will tell you, the second annual Brendan Grant Memorial Day Baseball Tournament provided some top quality good old fashioned high school baseball. Again, our heartfelt thanks go out to all who helped make the event a success. We hope to see you at next year’s tournament!