1. WWW.NRLL.ORG
  2. Divisions
  3. 2019 Instructional
  4. teams
  5. Mets
  6. Announcements

News and Announcements

RSS Feed 

Post Author Picture

North Reading Baseball On-Line Store To Open Again This Spring

Posted by John Veneziano at Mar 25, 2019 5:00PM PDT ( 0 Comments )

You can gear up for the baseball season – or any season – at the North Reading Baseball On-Line Store. It's the perfect way to show your Hornet Pride and support North Reading Little League!

 

Our on-line store is located at https://nrll2019.itemorder.com/sale and offers a wide variety of North Reading baseball apparel – for players all the way from Tee-Ball to Majors and high school, and even for parents and grandparents of the young slugger in your life.

 

We have North Reading Baseball shirts, hats, blankets, jackets, sweatshirts, and a lot more, all at great prices that will have you looking sharp on the fields and all around town.

 

For those who placed an order for the spring 2019 season, pickup will be at the Benevento Fields snack shack in mid-April. Specific details will follow in an email.

 

Though the store is currently closed, it will re-open in the spring. Keep an eye on your in-box for store dates.

 


image
Post Author Picture

MARINERS CLIMB THE FARM MOUNTAIN

Posted by John Veneziano at Jun 23, 2018 5:00PM PDT ( 0 Comments )

Farm League Championship Game: Mariners 11,  Blue Jays 4

Pierce "the Fierce" Burnham brought the big wood to the Mariners' offense in Friday's championship game, going 3-for-3 with three runs scored on the night, including a two-RBI triple in the fourth to deep right field. Damian "the Destroyer" Pagliuca and Vincent "Lightning" Pagliuca both scored two runs and each had a double in the win. Harry "Wheels" Agganis, Charlie "the Champion" Sarno, Cole "the Flash" Donahue, and Ryan "RBI" DiCarlo all had two hits, with Agganis delivering an RBI double in the first inning to get the Mariners off to a good start. Bryce "Boss Man" Fitts, who has been a sensational leadoff hitter all season, rounded out the scoring with one run as part of the Mariners' fourth inning rally.

The Mariners saved their best defense for the final game of the season. The tone was set early by a high fly ball catch made by Agganis in center field that robbed the Blue Jays of their first inning lead-off hit. Jake "JakePotataCake" Barros and Jack "Smiles" Dhimitri added several key plays. Sarno made several key stops and Burnham added a fourth-inning-ending throw to Agganis at home plate for the third out to hold the Blue Jays to a single run. Donahue helped close out the fifth and final inning with a perfect throw to first.

It seems fitting that the Blue Jays and Mariners would meet in the championship game after each team took a win off the other in the regular season. This matchup of two great teams ultimately ended with the Mariners getting the decision after a defensive duel that saw both teams go multiple innings with no runs.

image
Post Author Picture

RIVER BANDITS ROCK THE MINORS

Posted by John Veneziano at Jun 23, 2018 5:00PM PDT ( 0 Comments )

Minor League Championship Game: River Bandits 7, Thunder 3

 

The River Bandits stormed out to a 6-0 early lead, then held on thanks to clutch pitching and defense to upend the Thunder, 7-3, in the Minor League title game Saturday at Benevento Park. Pacing the winners' offense were Nolan Barrette, who had two hits and drove in a pair of runs, Charlie Cooper, who had a pair of RBI, and Scotty Costello and Matthew Mancinell, who each brought home runs.

 

On the mound, Mancinelli, went 3.2 strong innings, fanning nine to earn the victory. Reliever Jakob Hulett closed out the game in dramatic fashion with the tying run at the plate and the Thunder attempting to pull off a huge rally. Two runs had already scored and the bases were loaded with one out when Hulett snared a soft liner for the second out. He then astutely flipped the ball to Barrette at first base before the runner could get back to the bag to complete the double play, end the game, and start the championship celebration. Earlier in the game, Barrette made a diving stop at first base to end the fourth inning.

 

Christian Lava had a two-run single for the Thunder as part of that sixth-inning rally.

image
Post Author Picture

Another Chaloux Success!!!

Posted by John Veneziano at Jun 19, 2018 5:00PM PDT ( 0 Comments )
The sixth annual North Reading Little League/Tim Chaloux 12-Year-Old Appreciation Game took place Sunday, June 17, at Benevento Park. Congrats to the 26 players who took part and all the volunteers who helped make the day a huge success and a great memory for everyone involved, especially the Chaloux Family. A special congrats as well to MVP Steve Carreiro and Spirit Award winner Ty Parsons.  Photos from the day were kindly taken by Julie O'Donnell and can be seen/downloaded at:
image
Post Author Picture

Yankees Capture Middlesex Big Diamond League Title

Posted by John Veneziano at Jun 19, 2018 5:00PM PDT ( 0 Comments )
The North Reading Yankees captured the 2018 Middlesex Big Diamond League Senior Division championship, defeating the Stoneham Braves, 4-0, on Sunday in a winner-take-all battle at Stoneham High School.
 
In the final, pitcher Nick Shea scattered seven singles on his way to a complete-game shutout of a strong Braves squad that was averaging better than 10 runs per game. In fact, the Braves finished the season with a 14-4 record (including playoffs), with all four of their losses coming at the hands of the Yankees.
 
The second-seeded Yankees finished the spring 13-3 and won four of five games in the double-elimination tournament, including a 1-0 decision over the Braves last Wednesday. In that game, Jimmy Currier hurled a two-hit shutout, dropping Stoneham to the loser's bracket. Chris Gwozdz hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly for the only run Currier would need in the Yankees' victory. Stoneham went on to defeat the Wakefield Mets in the consolation bracket to set up the showdown in the final, with the Braves needing to beat the Yankees twice to win the championship.
 
They did it once, in an exciting Saturday evening game at North Reading High School. The Yankees' Demitri Boulas pitched a gem, allowing one hit through 6.2 innings while striking out 11 and issuing just one free pass. He left the mound with the game scoreless, giving way to Michael Vittozzi. Vittozzi closed out the seventh, but the Braves pushed across a run in the bottom of the eighth for the walk-off victory to set up Sunday's decisive game.

In the final, the Yankees started off strong with Alex Vercolen doubling in Currier in the first with the only run Shea would need. This set the stage for the back end of the Yankees' batting order. Jonathan Patch led off the second with a walk and Connor MacIntyre then singled sharply to left. Ryan Caviasca moved both runners over with a ground out, before twin brother Joey Caviasca drove in Patch with a single to right. Ryan Good followed with another RBI single to right, and Derek Danis capped off the three-run rally by drilling a single that brough home the team's fourth run.  

The Yankees' defense squashed the biggest Braves threat of the day in the fourth. With runners on first and second and no outs, the next Braves better slammed a single to right field. But Ryan Caviasca threw to Vittozzi, who fired home to Vercolen to cut down the runner trying to score. The ball then went back to Vittozzi to double off the trailing runner.
 
Shea kept throwing strikes, walking only one batter while using all of his pitches to keep Stoneham off balance. Currier was all over the field in center, catching six fly balls, and in the sixth inning, Brady Cunningham cut off a ball in the gap and hit the relay to keep the shutout intact. With two outs in the seventh, the batter hit a foul pop to the backstop, where catcher Vercolen made the game-ending grab to set off the celebration.  

The Yankees' pitching and defense were the keys to victory. They held the Braves' explosive offense to one run in the final three meetings between the teams. The leadership of the team's four sophomores – Currier, Gwozdz, Vercolen and Boulas – made them exceptionally tough to beat. It was like having four assistant coaches on the field at all times. It was a true team effort, taking all 14 players contributing when called upon.
 
2018 North Reading Yankees – MBDL Senior Division Champions
Front row: Ryan Caviasca, Nick Shea, Michael Vittozzi, Joey Caviasca, Blake Miller, Jimmy Currier, Derek Danis, Alex Vercolen. Back row: Coach Bob Caviasca, Coach Dave Gwozdz, Chris Gwozdz, Demtiri Boulas, Brady Cunningham, Coach Kevin MacIntyre, Connor MacIntyre, Jonathan Patch, Ryan Good, Coach Aldo Vittozzi
 
image