SOLID CROWDS ONCE AGAIN ATTEND
BRENDAN GRANT MEMORIAL BASEBALL TOURNAMENT

Fourth Annual Tournament Held
Friday and Saturday, 23 & 24 May 2008 in Belmont, MA
 
Partly sunny and blustery weather greeted the participants at the Fourth Annual “Brendan Grant Memorial Day Baseball Tournament” held at the Brendan Grant Memorial Field on Friday and Saturday 22 & 24 May 2008. It was another good showing of top quality high school baseball, following the successful tournaments held in previous year's.
 
This year’s tournament had plenty of excellent baseball.  The four participating teams were the varsity baseball programs at Austin Prep, Belmont, Lynnfield and Winchester. Similar to last year's tournament, Austin Prep played Belmont in the championship game, with Belmont taking the crown for the second year in a row.   A very strong wind was blowing in from left field, and no homeruns would be seen at this year's tournament.
 
On Friday, May 23rd the tourney opened at 2:15 pm with a very close game that featured Winchester at Belmont.  This contest counted for both Belmont and Winchester as a Middlesex League game, and was an important win for both teams.  Belmont came from behind and took the game by a score of 3 to 2, with excellent pitching from both squads.  Senior Matt Olson was the starting pitcher for Winchester, but reliever Senior Andrew Teahan took the hard-luck loss.  For Belmont, Senior Nick Urciuolo pitched the full game and is credited with the win.

Likewise, the second game on Friday at 4:30 pm also showed plenty of talent, skill, and  power.  Austin Prep was the visiting team and Lynnfield was given home field status. Austin Prep posted an early lead and were able to hold on to it through the final inning.  The final score of this match-up had Austin Prep on top by a score of 7 to 4.  Lynnfield's Junior Garret McNeill posted the loss, and starting pitcher Sophomore Ray Acciavati got the win for Austin Prep.

The final two games of the tournament were played on Saturday, 24 May 08.  In the consolation game at 11:00 am Winchester was the home team and came out on top of Lynnfield in an 8 to 0 talley.  Winchester is one of the league leaders in the Middlesex League, and they're tuning up for the post season playoffs.  Both squads played hard and displayed plenty of well-honed baseball skills.  The winning pitcher was Winchester's Andrew Teahan coming off his brief relief the previous day that resulted in a loss, while the losing pitcher was Lynnfield Senior Mario Padivani.

In the 2:00 pm Championship Game, the Belmont Marauders were pitted against Austin Prep.  This year's Belmont team is strong and they jumped to an early lead and held on through the final inning.  The final score of this year's championship game was Belmont 9 and Austin Prep 3.   The starting pitcher for Belmont was Junior Stephen Amrein with relief from Sophomore Micah Goldberg.  For Austin Prep the starter was Joe Russell with relief from Senior Tim Nihan.  Stephen Amrein was credited with the win, while Joe Russell was tagged with the loss.

The Belmont faithful were rewarded with their second Belmont Tournament win since the start of the Brendan Grant Memorial Tournament in 2005, and Belmont improved their record to 15 wins and 5 losses.  The first two years of the tournament had Lynnfield bringing home the championship trophy, band it was Belmont's turn to have back-to-back tournament championship wins.   Click here for all the details on last year's tournament contest.  

Numerous volunteers were instrumental in putting this year's 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.  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) Steven Pugliese and Guido's Restaurant in Cambridge, MA for donating much of the food items and ice; (2) Holovak & Coughlin Sporting Goods in Arlington MA for donating the T-Shirts; (3) Larry Scafidi at Embassy Trophy on Maple Street in Waltham MA for assisting with  the trophies and plaques given to the winning team players; and (4) AA Rental in Watertown MA for assistance with the cooking equipment.  

The long list of volunteers is likewise noteworthy, and a tip-of-the-cap goes to all the dedicated volunteers that assisted throughout the tournament.  Special thanks goes to former BHS baseball coach Pete Noone for helping to organize the event and championing the activity behind the scene.  Additional thanks goes to Belmont Athletic Director Jim Davis and the Belmont School System, as well as the crew of the Belmont Grounds and Recreation Department for keeping the field in top shape.  Last year's voice of Belmont Baseball, BHS alumni Andrew Feldman, returned to provide his usual stellar job on the public address system.

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!