Tip of the cap to both Andover and Tewksbury for yet another scintillating Lawrence Invitational Baseball final.
The event is one of the sleeper top quality high school events around. Every year, it seems to deliver exciting, competitive baseball.
This one was no different, with Ryan Walsh pitching an absolutely heroic final for the Warriors in a 3-2 win.
Picking my own all-tourney team (from the winners’ bracket games only):
Tournament MVP: P Ryan Walsh, Andover
C Taylor Livingston, NA
1b Sam Clark, Andover
2b Ruben Sosa, Lawrence
SS John Hennessy, Andover
3b Pat Devlin Tewksbury
OF Dave Koerner, Methuen; P.J. Farnham, Andover; Harry Shipps, Pentucket
HM … Mike Calzetta and Jose Sandoval, Lawrence, Zach Burdeau, Andover
As an aside, check out Rallynorth.net for the photo coverage by The Eagle-Tribune’s Katie McMahon of the title game. Katie did summa cum laude work on this one, folks. Check out the two shots of the game’s pivotal play at the plate, first the one of Andover’s Mike Morander pulling in a tough throw with the runner right on top of him and second the play of Morander showing the ball and getting the out call, which leads Monday’s E-T newspaper sports section. Check out the reactions of the Tewksbury faces.
What shots.
By the way, kudos to the Redmen for being well-schooled, check out on-deck hitter Ronnie Wallace, willing Devlin to slide to the outside, it’s classic stuff.
Great job yet again, Katie Mc!
The Lawrence tourney again goes into a state of flux with the defection of Pentucket. What happens now? Six teams, eight teams, four teams, a potential merge to eight teams with Haverhill involved? We’ll see.
Before, the folks at Central remind us that this is graduation weekend and they can’t play in this, let us point out to Raider nation that Central played games Saturday, yesterday and has another scheduled tomorrow.
The Division 1 powerhouse that plays Amesbury twice, Marion twice and Martha’s Vineyard twice has no excuse for not playing in this event.
Martha’s Vineyard?
I’ll use one noted Central guy’s line here.
“Why does Central play Martha’s Vineyard? Because the Isle of Shoals was not available.”
Now Chip Dunn at Haverhill is adamant that he doesn’t want to play in this event because he doesn’t want to play the same teams over and over again.
Instead, Chip, coaching another Division 1 power, is seeking out Pentucket, Newburyport and Whittier, to fill out his own Memorial Day event.
Nothing against those teams, but there isn’t another Division 1 program among them.
And let’s note note that Dunn, who doesn’t want to see the same teams again, plays MVC foes Methuen and Chelmsford in non-league games. So that theory seems to take a hit.
Baseball coaches constantly whine about lacrosse and its impact and how kids aren’t playing the game. Tournaments like the Lawrence Invite, with solid crowds and something to play for, aren’t a weapon against those defectors.
Ask Andover if it is better off right now after winning as it heads into the state tourney.
Next up on my hit list are the CAL coaches. You know the CAL, the league that for some reason did away with its league championship tourney, a great event if I ever saw one, because the coaches thought it put too much pressure on the kids before the state tourney.
By the way, bring it back in 2009.
The schedule warrants it.
North Andover can cut those two pivotal non-leaguers with Notre Dame.
Pentucket is already in need of games, leaving the Lawrence Invite.
I don’t think that trip to East Boston is so pivotal for Georgetown.
And I’m sure that North Reading can do without the two automatics at Trinity Catholic.
But that’s for another day, today I come to praise then question the Cape Ann All-League team.
First the good news.
Great job on the numbers, fells. A 14-team league with a 13-player all-league team. How refreshing. The folks in the MVC could take a lesson.
Just one question folks. When did North Andover get blackballed?
The Knights go 10-3 in the league and get one all-star, Aaron Brunette, with no all-leaguers?
Tell me that Ryan Sifferlen (.383, 24 runs) isn’t one of the top nine ball players in the CAL. Say it to my face. I dare you.
How about Brent Ringland? Nope, something’s wrong here, folks.
Not when other teams out there have three or four all-leaguers. Something is truly wrong.
Newburyport tied NA, Masco and Wilmington in the large for the title.
The Port gets 3, and the other three combine for 1? Nope, something is clearly wrong here.
