The undefeated Brattleboro 12-U All-Stars completed an amazingly dominant run through the 2022 Vermont Little League Baseball playoffs on July 30 with an 8-1 win over Williston at Cioffi Park in St. Albans.
How dominant? Brattleboro outscored their opponents, 67-11, on the way to a perfect 9-0 record in the district and state tournaments.
With the victory over Williston, Brattleboro won the 12-year-old Little League state championship for the 18th time since 1957. It was their first title since 2016.
Brattleboro now advances to the New England Region Tournament in Bristol, Conn. They will face Bangor, Maine in the opening game of the double-elimination tournament on Saturday, Aug. 6, at 10 a.m.
With an expanded field this year for the Little League World Series, the former Northeast Region was split in two, so Vermont will face Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts in the New England division, while Connecticut and Rhode Island will face New York and New Jersey in the newly-created Metro division.
The winner of the New England tournament advances into the Little League World Series, which will take place Aug. 17-28 in Williamsport, Pa.
No team from Vermont has ever made it to the World Series, but you have to like Brattleboro's chances this year. They have all the elements that a winning baseball team must have to be successful.
Start with the pitching. Senji Kimura and Ryan Peloso are hard throwing strikeout machines. Kimura struck out 15 batters in a complete-game one-hitter in Brattleboro's 5-1 win over Connecticut Valley North in the first game of the state tournament.
Peloso followed that up with 10 strikeouts over four innings in a 4-2 win over Williston to advance into the championship game. Kason Gundry, who has been effective in a relief role, pitched the final two innings to earn a save in the first game against Williston.
In the championship game, a rematch against Williston, Kimura got the call and gave Brattleboro five strong innings. He gave up four hits, with nine strikeouts, two walks, and one run. Logan Waite pitched the sixth inning and held Williston scoreless, he gave up one hit and walked one.
Brattleboro scored three runs over the first three innings of the game, then clinched the title with five runs in the top of the fourth. Kaden Cole went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Landon Zinn went 2-for-2 with a double. Sebastian Garro also went 2-for-2, while Peloso was 1-for-4 with a double and two RBIs and Briar Cutting was 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI.
Add steady defense and smart base running to the strong pitching and timely hitting that Brattleboro has shown throughout the district and state tournaments, and you have the recipe for an August that could be even more exciting than July has been for this group of players.
Brattleboro, BF knocked out of Legion tourney
• Brattleboro Post 5 and Bellows Falls Post 37 both made early exits from the state American Legion Baseball tournament at Castleton University and Rutland's St. Peter's Field, although the paths were slightly different.
Post 5 opened the tournament on July 27 with an 8-2 win over Franklin County Post 1. Aidan Davis hit a three-run homer in the fifth inning, Jeremy Graves went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, and Zinabu McNeice hit a two-run double in the sixth inning. Jolie Glidden was the winning pitcher. He gave up five hits and walked three batters to earn his seventh win of the season.
Brattleboro then ended up in the elimination bracket with a 6-3 loss to the defending state champion, Essex Post 91, on July 28. A combination of five errors and 10 runners left on base doomed Post 5's chances.
Still, Brattleboro had a shot in the seventh inning. Turner Clews walked and Willem Thurber singled to set the table for Davis, who represented the tying run with one out. But Davis grounded out to the pitcher, and Essex then got the final out that sent them into the championship bracket final.
Essex started the tournament on July 27 with a 2-1 win over Post 37, spoiling a good pitching effort by Jack Cravinho, who threw only 82 pitches to hold in check the powerful bats of one of the best baseball programs in Vermont.
The only run for Bellows Falls came in the fifth inning, when Sam Presch and Grady Lockerby had back-to-back singles before Ty Merrill hit an RBI single. Last year's tournament MVP, Andrew Goodrich, was the winning pitcher. He struck out seven and went 2-for-3 with a triple and a double at the plate.
Bellows Falls stayed alive with a 13-5 drubbing of Franklin County in an elimination bracket game on July 28. Post 37 rallied from an early 4-1 deficit to scored five runs in the fourth inning to take control of the game to stay. Cam Boardman struck out five and allowed five hits over six innings to get the win.
Both Bellows Falls and Brattleboro were knocked out of the double-elimination tournament with losses on July 29.
Post 5 lost to the Colchester Cannons, 14-7. As was the case in the Essex game, Brattleboro fell behind early in the game and struggled to catch up. Colchester built up an 8-1 run lead before the Brattleboro bats got going in the third inning to cut the Cannons' lead to 8-5. Thurber hit a two-tun triple, and Clews and Davis also drove in runs in the third.
A two-run double by Caden Wood in the fifth pared the Colchester lead to 9-7, but that was as close as Brattleboro would get. Colchester scored five runs in the seventh to clinch the win. Brandon Weeks and Davis were the pitchers for Post 5.
Bellows Falls got off to an early 4-0 lead over the South Burlington Wildcats, but their offense sputtered and Post 37 got knocked out by the Wildcats, 10-5.
Tanner Swisher hit a two-run double in the first inning, and Chase Swisher, Tanner's brother, added a two run single in the third. But that was about it for the Post 37 bats as the Wildcats took the lead to stay in the fifth and finished off Bellows Falls with a four-run sixth inning.
After taking first place in the Southern Division, Brattleboro finished with a 15-6 record, while Bellows Falls, the third place team in the South, finished with a 12-9 record. Essex ended up as the state champs again.
New England Paddlesports Championship highlights Riverfest
• The inaugural edition of Riverfest Weekend - Saturday, Aug. 6 and Sunday, Aug. 7 - features two days of activities along the banks of the Connecticut River to call attention to the beauty, the wildlife, and the recreational and entertainment opportunities of New England's great river.
One of the highlights of the weekend is Sunday's New England Paddlesports Championship (NEPC), which has been taking place for 43 years at various sites on the Connecticut River. The race originally was a flatwater canoe race and, as kayaks and SUPs became more popular, the name was changed to paddlesports.
While the races attracted paddlers from near and far, they haven't garnered a great deal of public attention. The Connecticut River Conservancy sought to change this as they helped to design this year's course with spectators in mind by promoting various viewing opportunities near downtown Brattleboro.
Paddlers who aren't racing can put their boats in the water, and view the races from the river. There's viewing as well from the Anna Hunt Marsh Bridge and from the deck of Whetstone Beer Co. Organizers are also clearing a viewing area on the bank of Riverfest Village. For a full schedule of the NEPC races, visit ctriver.org/nepc-riverfest.
Shrine game is this Saturday
• The top graduated seniors in Vermont and New Hampshire football are gathered at Castleton University this week to prepare for the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl, the annual high school all-star game between the two states.
The game, a fundraiser for three area Shriners Hospitals for Children, will be on Saturday, Aug. 6 with a noon kickoff at Dave Wolk Stadium.
Bellows Falls, last year's Division II state champion, will be well represented on the Vermont squad by lineman Patrick Barbour, running back/linebacker Jed Lober, running back/linebacker Jeb Monier and quarterback/defensive back Jon Terry. Wide Receiver Aaron Petrie and lineman Tyler McNary will represent Brattleboro. The Vermont team's head coach is BFA-Fairfax/Lamoille's Craig Sleeman.
On the New Hampshire side, Fall Mountain will be represented by quarterback/defensive back Lucas Gay and wide receiver/safety Brady Elliott.
Advance ticket sales are available online through Eventbrite, at $15 for adults and $10 for ages 6-17, until Aug. 5. Ticket prices on game day will be $20 for adults and $15 for ages 6-17. Live streaming coverage of the game will again be available by Northeast Sports Network at www.nsnsports.net.
Little League offers fall baseball in Brattleboro
• Brattleboro Little League will offer a “Fall Ball” season once again. All players who participated in the league's 2022 regular season are eligible to play, as well as all boys and girls born between Sept. 1, 2006 and Aug. 31, 2011. First-time players are encouraged to sign-up and no baseball experience is required.
This will be a fun instructional league meant for players who want to improve their skills. The season will begin on Saturday, Aug. 27 and Sunday, Aug. 28. Games will be played on Saturdays and Sundays at noon and 2 p.m.
Registration dates are Aug. 8 and 9, and 15 and 16, from 4 to 6 p.m., at the Little League field on South Main Street. The fee will be $20 per player. For more information, email [email protected].
Senior bowling roundup
• Week 9 of the Brattleboro Senior Summer Bowling League on July 28 at Brattleboro Bowl saw Good Times (29-16) have a 0-5 week, but still stay in first place. Angus & Company (27-18) remained in second place despite a 1-4 week, followed by The Keglers (26-19), The Strikers and the Number 1's (both 24-21), The Anythings (20-25), Stayin' Alive (16-29), and Trash-O-Matic (14-31).
Pat Bentrup had the women's high handicap game (234) and series (642), while Alex Theilen had the men's high handicap game (239) and series (678). The Strikers again had the high team handicap game (868) and Stayin' Alive again had the high team handicap series (2,479).
In scratch scoring, Warren Corriveau Sr. again led the men with a 547 series that featured a 216 game, while Robert Rigby had a 524 series that featured games of 204 and 192. Marty Adams had a 517 series with a 192 game, and Bob Uccello had a 513 series with a 182 game.
Carol Gloski had the women's high scratch series (503), with games of 169, 167, and 167. Bentrup also rolled a 167, while Josie Rigby had a 160 game.