Valley squads invade McCarthy
Three Legion teams join Gershkoff in race to state title
LINCOLN – When Upper Deck Post 86/14 first-year skipper Jim Mello discovered that his squad drew No. 6 Collette/Riverside Post 10 for in the winners’ bracket semifinals of the R.I. American Legion Final Four Tournament, slated to begin tonight at McCarthy Field in West Warwick, he did find it ironic. Or maybe karma? After all, Mello and assistants Matt Allard and Mike Murphy had coached Collette for the past several summers before choosing to jump to Upper Deck last August. They did so because each felt it would be an outstanding career coaching move, and it would benefit each one’s family.
“With us trying to get where we want to be, and the fact Collette’s in the way,
“We knew way back then that the team we left behind was extremely talented; a couple of those kids were on our 2014 team that won the state title and went to the regionals.” – Upper Deck coach Jim Mello on Collette
I’m honestly not surprised,” he said Monday evening, just hours after discovering his clash (as well as league regularseason champion Navigant Post 85 of Woonsocket’s tilt against No. 7 Gershkoff/Auburn Post 20 of Cranston) had been postponed due to rain.
The UD-Collette showdown will take place today at 5 at McCarthy Field, while Navigant will face Gershkoff in the nightcap (approximately 7:40 p.m.).
“We knew way back then that the team we left behind was extremely talented; a couple of those kids were on our 2014 team that won the state title and went to the regionals,” he continued. “I know (catcher) Dylan Boisclair was one of them, and so was (pitcher) Jared Schott. They were also on last year’s team that finished second to Upper Deck
“We all have high praise for those Collette teams, but – obviously – we as a coaching staff feel pretty good about the guys we’re rolling with into this game.
“We’re starting to get hot at the right time; especially offensively, it looks like we’re heading in the right direction.”
He stated that, in a twogame quarterfinal sweep of four-ranked R&R Construction, UD racked up 19 runs and 31 hits, with Wheaton College sophomore-to-be Trevor Marques closing that set at 7-for-9 (.778 average) with five RBI; Cumberland High junior Addison Kopack 5-for-10 (.500) with three RBI; and Moses Brown product Luis DeLeon 4-for-9 (.444) with two RBI.
He could say the same about his pitchers, as recent Lincoln grad and southpaw Sean Doris hurled a stellar nohitter in a first-game 8-0 rout; and John Scungio mustered four sterling frames in what became a nailbiting 11-8 victory in the finale.
“The weather doesn’t matter; we’re staying with our original plan,” he mentioned of the Monday rainout. Upper Deck enters the Final Four at 17-11-1 overall, while Collette is 8-9.
When asked who will start tonight’s game, he wouldn’t say, though did indicate he could go with the experienced Marques, Doris or Cumberland graduate/lefty Nick Crowe.
What amazes him most is how the quarterfinals panned out.
“The top seed, Navigant, swept its series with New England Frozen Lemonade (Shield Post 43 of Warwick, and Collette upset West Warwick (Post Two), two games to one,” he said. “Gershkoff also upset South Kingstown with two straight wins, so – outside of Navigant – the fifth, sixth and seventh seeds made the Final Four.
“The league was pretty even all year long, but I’m surprised the first round of the playoffs played out like it did,” he added. “We only have eight teams, so everyone qualified for the tournament. The thing is, if you get hot the last week, you can win the state championship.
“Gershkoff is a prime example; it won only five games during the (regular) season, but after beating SK the way it did, it’s now only 27 outs away from winning it all and being the Rhode Island representative at the regionals.
“This game (against Post 10) is a throwback to when I coached Darlington American (Little League All-Stars). It’s so important to get off to a good start; you want to win the opener so you put yourself into a position where it’s that much easier to reach the state finals.
“Our lone goal was to get to the state championship game, and we’re right there; two wins will do it. If you lose the first, you’ll now have to play (losers’ bracket) games on Wednesday and Thursday, as the final is on Friday. Lose the first, simply, the road is more difficult.”
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Collette mentor Jim Russo also is in his initial campaign, so he knows little of Mello’s past with his squad.
He’s more focused on the task at hand – reaching the title tilt.
“We lost our first game against West Warwick, 17-12, then won two straight, 3-1 and 2-1,” he said. “In the third, they had the bases loaded with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and our pitcher, Adam Duarte, had a 3-2 count against their leadoff hitter.
“But he shut them down, forcing the kid to pop out to short, Pat Fleming made the catch,” he continued. “Adam is an East Providence grad now playing at Curry College, and he threw three super relief innings. The guys were really excited about clinching a berth in the double-elimination round, but I think more so about the very nature of that third game.
“I know Adam said it was like what we had always dreamed of in his backyard as a youngster – bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, two out and you have to make one pitch.”
Schott of Moses Brown and Colin Gauthier of Bishop Feehan earned their two mound outings, Russo noted, so are unavailable to pitch tonight (due to league rules regarding pitch count); that’s why recent St. Raphael graduate/righty Brenden Aldridge will gain the start.
“He’s pitched very well this year,” Russo said. “Obviously, the guys are really happy at winning that series against West Warwick. (Manager) John Parente is a great coach and a great guy. Upper Deck is another solid team, so we’re going to have to pitch well, play near-flawless defense ad hopefully get some timely hitting.
“We haven’t hit that well or that consistently this year; that’s something we have ti improve upon. The ironic part is we scored 12 runs in the (quarterfinal) opener and still lost.”
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Post 85 head coach Derek Carrigan missed his squad’s quarterfinal set opposite NEFL, but he maintained he was in constant contact with valued assistant Ron Masse.
“When he told me the result of the second game (4-2, with Mount St. Charles righty Joey Barter getting the win), I was pumped, was psyched,” said Carrigan, whose group will carry a 12-4 overall mark into its game against upset-minded Gershkoff (7-9).
“Our keys this year have been getting outstanding pitching, we’re hitting the ball and the defense has been there,” he continued. “We swept Gershkoff during the season, 82 and 10-6, so they can stroke the ball.”
As for who he will start on the hill, he naturally responded cautiously. Really, who wants to give that away?
“It could be Ben Aleixo or Austin Forget; the only technically unavailable is Barter,” he said. “What’s surprised me most about these guys is probably their collective grit, their drive to win. It’s crazy. The team got hot, winning five straight to start, but then we lost three in a row. You’d figure they’d get down on themselves, but they didn’t; they regrouped and won five of our last six.
“That’s the whole thing. You look at the team from last year, and we have a lot of new faces, but it’s like they’ve been playing together for four or five years now. That’s how you win games – you play as a team because you think like a team. These guys genuinely like each other, they have that chemistry.”