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baseball

Leominster legends get call to Hall

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The Leominster High School Athletic Hall of Fame has announced that the sixth Leominster High School Athletic Hall of Fame induction will be held on May 4, 2024, at the Leominster/Fitchburg Lodge of Elks. Fourteen individuals and a pair of Blue Devil teams will be inducted at the ceremony.

Individuals selected for the Athletic Hall of Fame are Mary Allard (multiple sports), Carol Tourigny Bingham (multiple sports), Sid Brown (basketball, track), Paul Caisse (multiple sports), Kerry Callahan (multiple sports), Rick Daigneault (multiple sports), Alyssa Freda (softball, soccer), Donald Freda (soccer, coaching), Patrick McMurray (track), Michael Russo (baseball), Ryan Salvatore (hockey), Donald Tredtin (hockey), Tara Herrick Witzgall (softball) and coach Peter Moryl (track, gymnastics).

In addition, the 1977 district champion girls track and 2014 state champion baseball teams will be inducted.

The evening will begin at 5 p.m. with a cocktail hour, dinner at 6 and the Induction Ceremony at 7, followed by the unveiling of the new plaques for the Leominster High School Wall of Fame. During the ceremony, the sixth Hall of Fame class will be read into the record and inducted into the Leominster High School Athletic Hall of Fame to join the 64 individuals and 22 teams already enshrined there.

For more information on the class or the Leominster High School Athletic Hall of Fame, please visit leominsterathletichof.com

Scholarships to help promote baseball in Fitchburg

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Fitchburg Little League is doing everything it can to get as many kids as possible on the diamond for fall baseball.

And thanks to the generosity of a trio of organizations, it will be a whole lot easier for ballplayers in the city to take the field.

Sponsored by Art on the Rocks, DM Plastering and the Richard James Powers Foudnation, Inc.’s RedStrong fund, 30 “scholarships” are being offered to city youth in order to get more youngster involved in the fall leagues. These scholarships cover the fees paid by players to be signed up for Little League.

“We’ve had sponsors before, but we’ve never been able to do it to this extent,” Fitchburg Little League president Josh Peterson said. “We look forward to building off this in the future. We’ve had different parents and groups willing to sponsor players and we hope we can build off it.

“With times how they are, we all know things can be tough. Everyone has seen it. We’re really happy to be able to give some kids a chance to play who otherwise might not be able to.”

In the 24 hours since the announcement of the scholarships, Peterson says 10 have already been awarded and several others are set to be given out.

“Honestly, we’ve had a huge response. We’ve been able to give somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 kids a chance to play right off the bat,” Peterson said. “We’re incredibly grateful to the sponsors.”

Little League returned to Fitchburg this spring after 14 years of youth baseball falling under the Cal Ripken banner in the city. Peterson said this season saw over 200 players participate and he’s hoping to grow the game even more.

“I was involved with the Cal Ripken league toward the end and in the first year of Little League, it’s the highet number I’ve seen,” he said.

Getting kids involved will help grow the game of baseball in the city, said Fitchburg High baseball coach Chad Garner. And with youth baseball on the rise, it will benefit the Red Raiders down the road by acting as a feeder system.

“We are so impressed by these local businesses that have gone above and beyond to help support our Fitchburg Little League players and families,” Garner said via email. “Sometimes the cost of registration prices out a family and they can’t participate, but this won’t be the case now with 30 scholarships available to help families financially and allow every aspiring baseball player the opportunity to learn, grow and love this great game.

“Our mission from Little League to high school baseball is to continue to increase our participation numbers, and with the ability to offer free entries for families in financial need this will only continue to strengthen baseball in the city of Fitchburg. I am so proud of the community support for our youth and families, and welcome any child who wants to play to please sign up for fall baseball in Fitchburg. Have fun, fall in love with baseball and I hope these youth players will continue to play this great game as they get older and become Fitchburg High Red Raiders.”

Interested families are asked to contact info@fitchburglittleleague.com for more information regarding the scholarships or any registration queries.

Leominster falls in championship series

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LEOMINSTER — The Central Massachusetts Baseball League Senior Division season came to a disappointing close for Leominster on Sunday night.

Top-seeded Leominster saw its chance at a league title slip away thanks to a tremendous performance on the mound by second-seeded Clinton starting pitcher Brian Silvester. The Gaels took home the 2023 crown with a 12-1 mercy shortened victory in six innings under the lights of Pin Cannavino Field at McLaughlin Park.

After splitting the first two games of the best-of-three championship series, Clinton came out on Sunday and took care of business to bring home the title.

“The loss doesn’t diminish what this team accomplished this season,” said Leominster head coach Seth Aronow after Sunday’s win. “The Clinton pitcher was tough to hit tonight and you must tip your cap to him. He came in and did what he had to do.”

Leominster finishes the season with a stellar 13-4-1 overall record. Clinton finishes at 12-5. After a first-round bye, the Blue Devils defeated Narragansett in the semifinals to punch their ticket to the championship series. Following a 12-5 win over Clinton in Game 1 Leominster dropped a tough 8-7 decision in Game 2 to set up Sunday’s winner-take-all ballgame.

Clinton starting pitcher Brian Silvester, right, was dominant against Leominster Sunday night. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Michael James LeClair)
Clinton starting pitcher Brian Silvester, right, was dominant against Leominster Sunday night. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Michael James LeClair)

“We had a great season. Our bats went quiet tonight but to get to this point, we only had two losses during the regular season and won a couple of big games in the playoffs,” said Aronow, who was assisted by coach Chris Wilbur this season. “Narragansett played us tough all season long, they beat us early in the season. We knew they were a tough team entering the playoffs. They went up early on us in the playoff game but our guys battled back.”

Clinton did all its offensive damage in the second and sixth innings on Sunday as the Gaels batted around both times and plated six runs in each frame against Leominster pitching.

Trailing 6-0 entering the bottom of the second inning, Leominster plated its lone run in the game off Silvester.

A leadoff single by Dom Swaine followed by a pop out brought AJ Wozniak to the dish and he delivered an RBI double to right center field, plating Swaine to make it 6-1. Leominster was unable to cut into the deficit any further as Silvester got Nolan Tetreault to fly out to right field and Michael Beaulac to pop out to first base to end the threat.

Leominster used a plethora of arms on the mound Sunday evening. Stefano Penniman got the start on the bump and lasted just 1.1 innings before being lifted. Beaulac came on in relief followed by Alex Coco and Brendan Bail as the Leominster staff did its best to try to limit Clinton’s offensive opportunities.

Meanwhile, Silvester was dominant on the mound. Mixing a live fastball with a knee-bending curveball, the Clinton hurler limited Leominster to just three base runners on the night while allowing only two hits. Silvester struck out 12 hitters.

“That was their ace on the mound tonight for Clinton and he threw like it. We started our number two guy and he just couldn’t find it tonight,” said Aranow. “They had that big second inning and we were forced to play from behind all game long and against a good pitcher it’s really tough.”

Making up this year’s Leominster roster were Wozniak, Coco, Bail, Swaine, Tetreaul. Penniman, Beaulac,  Carson Wilbur, Daniel Simons, Evan Frick, Cayden Ago, Ian Aronow, Josh Liebert and Max Parisi.

In the Junior Division, Ashburnham/Westminster locked up the championship on July 30 by defeating Narragansett 6-5 in the championship game. Ashburnham/Westminster finished the 2023 campaign with a 17-5 overall record.

Gallagher promoted to High-A Canadians

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Pat Gallagher’s life in baseball has taken him all over the map.

A standout at Leominster High, Gallagher stayed close to home for college, playing at the next level at UConn. From there, he was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 11th round of the 2022 MLB Draft and has spent his first pro season throwing for the Dunedin Blue Jays of the Florida State League.

Having shown himself capable in Dunedin, Gallagher got a promotion on Monday, being sent cross-country to the Vancouver Canadians, the Blue Jays’ High-A team in the Northwest League.

Gallagher has shown potential through his first 11 appearances at the pro level, including starting eight times in Dunedin. Though his record stands at just 2-5, the 23-year-old boasts a 3.29 ERA to go with 63 strikeouts in just 52 innings pitched.

A 2018 graduate of Leominster High School, Gallagher went 10-0 with a 0.51 ERA in his senior season, striking out out 103 batters in 55 innings of work.

He pitched collegiately at UConn, stepping into a starring role in his junior season, capping the campaign with a All-BIG EAST First Team honor. Gallagher went 11-3 with a 3.41 ERA in his final season in Storrs, striking out 110 batters in 103 innings.

For his career with the Huskies, Gallagher was 16-5 with a 3.77 ERA.

Checking in with the Bravehearts

The Worcester Bravehearts are coming down the home stretch of the the Futures Collegiate Baseball League summer season and have gotten contributions from multiple local players en route to a 36-22 record entering play Thursday.

Dylan Vigue, a Leominster native and Groton School graduate, has been a dependable arm for the Bravehearts this summer, pitching well enough to earn a spot in the FCBL  All-Star Game.

The 6-foot-3 righthander is 2-1 on the season with a 2.55 ERA in eight games, including four starts, striking out 34 in 31.2 innings. Committed to Michigan, Vigue tossed a clean inning in the FCBL All-Star Game, retiring a pair via strikeout.

Former Fitchburg State slugger Vinny Eramo is continuing to find success with the Worcester Bravehearts. (Courtesy Worcester Bravehearts)
Former Fitchburg State slugger Vinny Eramo has played 25 games for the Worcester Bravehearts this season. (Courtesy Worcester Bravehearts)

Former Fitchburg State standout and Shirley native Vincent Eramo has had a strong summer for the Bravehearts, batting .291 in 25 FCBL games. Coming off a record-breaking senior season with the Falcons, Eramo has seven doubles, three home runs and 20 RBI in Worcester.

He also appeared in the All-Star Game, striking out in his lone at bat.

James Borsari, a former Nashoba Regional standout and  rising sophomore at Merrimack, saw his first FCBL action in an inning of relief for the Bravehearts on July 30. The righthander struck out all three batters he faced in a 13-3 victory over the Brockton Rox.

Nik Pavia, another former Wolves hurler, has been added to Worcester’s roster, though the 6-foot-4 pitcher has yet to see action with the Bravehearts. The 2023 Nashoba grad will attend Franklin Pierce in the fall.

Ashburnham/Westminster claims Junior Babe Ruth title

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The Ashburnham/Westminster Junior Babe Ruth team claimed the Central Massachusetts championship on Sunday, sneaking out a victory over Narragansett in the deciding game of a best-of-three final.

The team finished third in league play with a record of 14-4 and went 5-4 in the postseason en route to the title. Ashburnham/Westminster closed out the championship series by holding off Narragansett in Gane 3 to take home the title.

Fagundez heading to Hollywood

Former Leominster resident and New England Revolution Homegrown Player Diego Fagundez was dealt to the Los Angeles Galaxy by Austin FC on Monday.

The attacking midfielder was sent to the Galaxy in exchange for midfielder Memo Rodríguez and $300,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM). The Galaxy could receive up to $150,000 in conditional GAM if performance metrics are met by Rodríguez, while Austin could receive up to $600,000 in conditional GAM if performance metrics are met by Fagundez.

The 28-year-old Fagundez has tallied 68 goals and 67 assists in 347 career MLS games over 13 season. Fagundez tallied six goals and tied for second in MLS with 15 assists in 34 regular-season appearances for Austin last season and in 19 appearances in 2023, he has two goals and two assists.

Fagundez is one of 11 players in MLS history to record 65 goals and 65 assists in regular-season play and a 2014 graduate of Goodrich Academy in Fitchburg.

Commentary: Big Papi can still draw a crowd

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LEOMINSTER — Throughout his career as one of the most dominant designated hitters in history, Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz never had a problem bringing a crowd to its feet.

Some seven years into retirement from baseball, Big Papi still knows how to get the masses moving.

Ortiz loyalists turned out in droves on Tuesday afternoon in Leominster as the baseball Hall of Famer made an appearance at Rev Cannabis Outlet for a ribbon cutting celebration alongside mayor Dean Mazzarella. Rev is a distributor of Papi Cannabis, a brand launched a year ago by Ortiz.

And when Ortiz took the stage, it was almost as if he was stepping to the plate with the bases loaded late in a playoff game. Those in attendance jumped and danced as Big Papi took on the role of DJ onstage, merely uttering simple phrases into a microphone to send the crowd into near delirium.

Hundreds of cars lined Pioneer Drive, home of Rev Cannabis Outlet, as fans poured into the parking lot hoping for a handshake, a selfie or an autograph; one man held up his infant daughter asking for Big Papi to scrawl his signature on her. Sure, some were there for what was being offered by the business itself, but the drawing power of Ortiz was evident.

“Thank you for being part of what we’ve got going,” Ortiz said to the gathering masses. “You guys know that I’m a winner. Nobody wants to hang out with a loser. And because we are winners here, we have to come out with the right thing.”

Baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz speaks to the crowd at Rev Cannabis Outlet in Leominster on Tuesday afternoon. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Nick Mallard)
Baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz speaks to the crowd at Rev Cannabis Outlet in Leominster on Tuesday afternoon. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Nick Mallard)

Since his retirement in 2016, Ortiz has been an advocate for cannabis use, touting its calming and healing attributes.

“Cannabis has helped me relax, sleep better, manage stress, and heal physically,” the former slugger said in a press release.

And while his appearance Tuesday was to help promote his products, Ortiz could have successfully sold anything to the throngs of fans in attendance. Just like during his playing days, the joy he expressed was picked up directly by the audience and reflected back.

The charm and charisma that was a major draw during his days at Fenway Park still remain.

Ortiz remained onsite for some time, shaking hands, sharing laughs and signing a few items.

In a great case of coincidence, Mazzarella had to excuse himself from the festivities early for an appearance at Polar Park for the Worcester Red Sox’s “Town Takeover: Leominster” night. The mayor was slated to throw out the first pitch prior to Tuesday’s game.