If it's July, it's time for Brattleboro and Bennington to slug it out for Little League Baseball supremacy.
The Brattleboro 11-12-year-old All-Stars came up short in the District 2 playoffs, 19-7, on Saturday at South Main Street Field, losing the best-of-seven series, 4-1.
The turning point of the series was Game 4 in Bennington last Thursday. After Brattleboro took a 3-0 lead after two innings, Bennington erupted for nine runs in the bottom of the second inning and held on for a 9-6 win and a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.
Charlie Galanes had a couple of hits and also drove in two runs as Brattleboro rallied to a 10-9 win over Bennington in Game 1 on July 5. Bennington would then pull even with a 14-4 victory in Game 2 on July 6. Bennington hit six home runs in the victory, and then hit three more on July 8 to take Game 3, 9-3.
Bennington had an 8-3 lead after three innings of play in Game 1, but Brattleboro rallied back when Kris Carroll and Galanes each drove in one run in the fourth and fifth innings. Dylan Carrasquillo also chipped in with an RBI single. Pitcher Adam Newton went the distance for the win.
Nick Campbell went 2-for-3 for Brattleboro in Game 2. Carrasquillo had one hit and played stellar defense at third base.
For Saturday's Game 5, Brattleboro coach Chris Millerick sent Hailey Derosia to the mound as his starting pitcher. For the first three innings, she threw well, with the only blemishes being a pair of solo home runs by Bennington's Jackson Free and Cole Bushee in the first and second innings, respectively.
Derosia cut the Bennington lead in half with an RBI single in the bottom of the second, and Brattleboro right fielder Alex Lier derailed a big Bennington inning in the third when he snared a sinking line drive by Tanner King and then threw out Quentin McInytre at second for an inning-ending double play.
But Bennington took control of the game in the fourth inning as Bushee and Free each had RBI doubles and a nubber by pinch-hitter Damien Brown was misplayed into two more runs. An infield hit by King drove in another run to make it 7-1 and chase Derosia from the game.
“Hailey did exactly what we wanted her to do,” said coach Millerick. “We had good fielders behind her and we kept it close for three innings. But we needed to hit with Bennington, and we didn't.”
Bennington then erupted for six more runs in the fifth inning. Five walks, a hit batsman, two singles, and a fielders' choice did the damage as they sent 12 batters to the plate to up the lead to 13-1.
Brattleboro battled back in the bottom half of the fifth as Tyler Millerick doubled, Galanes beat out an infield hit, and Newton brought them home with a three-run homer. A throwing error scored another run and an RBI single by Darwin Holcombe made it 13-6.
Bennington killed any notions of a comeback with a six-run sixth that featured a three-run homer by Caleb Hay, an RBI double by Free, and RBI singles by King and Keegan Coon.
Newton hit his second homer of the game, a solo shot in the sixth, to end the scoring for Brattleboro.
“We could have quit after that fifth inning, but we didn't,” said coach Millerick, “We had a good team, but Bennington hit the ball really well in this series.”
Brattleboro dedicated this series to Kathleen Galanes, who died on July 7. She was a longtime Little League supporter and grandmother of Charlie Galanes.
'Real Bill' sets another record
• “Real Bill” Kathan, the self-proclaimed “Exercise Champion of the World” who is listed dozens of times in the Guinness World Book of Records for various feats of physicality, set his latest record on June 29 at Brattleboro Union High School.
Kathan did 65 laps around the BUHS track, covering 16.75 miles, while balancing a baseball bat on his middle finger. The previous record was 7 miles.
“It was a nice day with a light breeze,” Kathan said. “I felt fine at the end, but my feet were blistered bad.”
The 62-year-old Dummerston native and his Dodge van are familiar sights around Brattleboro. “Nobody else can do what I do,” Kathan told The Commons last week. “I'm the fittest 62-year-old man in the world.”
Farm work got him into shape as a young man. After a troubled childhood and an abortive boxing career, he took up dancing, which he says keeps him in shape to attempt feats from doing 58 push-ups in 57 seconds on raw eggs to walking across the United States backwards.
He's a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Vernon, and says his faith informs everything he does. He says his formula for living is simple - “exercise and trust in the Lord.”
29th annual Youth Services golf tourney is July 23
Youth Services invites area golfers to participate in its annual golf tournament at Brattleboro Country Club on Wednesday, July 23. This is the 29th year that Youth Services has organized this tournament to support the safety net for youth in our community.
The event will kick off with a free lunch from noon to 1 p.m. The shotgun start for the Texas Scrambles format tournament will take place at 1 p.m. sharp. Following the tournament there will be a banquet, sponsored by G.S. Precision. The tournament's Hole-In-One Contest prizes are sponsored by Brattleboro Ford Subaru and include: 2014 Subaru Forester; a Kindle Fire; a $500 Visa Gift Card; and Cleveland CA16 Black Pearl Irons.
Prizes will also be awarded for low gross and low net game scores, as well as for the Longest Drive and Closest to the Pin for both men and women. Mulligans also will be on sale, and the traditional putting contest will take place during the tournament.
A special feature at this year's tournament is a Helicopter Golf Ball Drop at the close of the tournament, in which the owner of the winning golf ball collects $3,000 cash and a ride in the Renaud Bros. Inc. helicopter, piloted by Mike Renaud.
Individuals do not need to be part of the tournament to buy golf balls, priced at $100 each, nor be present at the drop to win. Buckets of golf balls will be dropped from 20 feet on the fairway at the Brattleboro Country Club. A maximum of 100 balls, now available for purchase, will be sold, so the odds of winning are high.
All proceeds from the tournament, which annually nets more than $20,000, will help support Youth Services' programs. Now celebrating its 42nd year helping local families thrive, Youth Services promotes the healthy development of more than 1,121 local youth and families each year.
The all-inclusive registration fee for the tournament is $130 per individual or $520 per foursome. The fee covers greens fees and cart, a buffet lunch, and dinner following the tournament. Early registration encouraged on-line at www.youthservicesinc.org/golf. Tournament participants must provide their handicap or average game score. To buy a golf ball for the drop, visit www.youthservicesinc.org/balldrop. To register for the tournament, call Youth Services at 802- 257-0361