Archive for July, 2009

Read the entire article on the Wicked Local Walpole website:

   For those of us locals who haven’t had enough Walpole baseball this weekend, there are still two more games to be watched Sunday before heading back to the 9-to-5 grind Monday morning.

  Sunday morning, the 12-year-old Walpole Americans will be trying to get back on track after having their Williamsport train slowed down Friday by Newton Central, 3-0.

   Newton Central had jumped out to an early lead in the second inning on a couple of fluke hits, one glancing off the top of pitcher Nick Falkson’s glove. Other than that Falkson was as good as ever, unfortunately counterpart Ben Porter was equally strong, carrying a one-hitter into the sixth before John Levenfeld took over and completed the shutout.

   Liam Kelliher, who played a solid short, got the one hit off Levenfeld, as he rocketed a line single to left to lead off the bottom of the fourth. Walpole’s other safety in the Newton two-hitter came in the sixth when James Newman lined a single through second …

Read the entire article on the Wicked Local Walpole website:

   While it was only drizzling at the time, the powers that be in the Little League sectional playoffs deemed wisely in the face of an impending deluge to make Walpole American, Newton Central and all others hoping to open the sectional round tonight wait a day to get their first game in.

   With the postponement of tonight’s game, scheduled for 8:00 at Kelley Field in Norwood, the Walpole Americans and their fans will have to wait 24 hours for their first game, rescheduled for 8:00 Friday night under the lights at Kelley.

   Should the Walpole Americans win Friday, they will move on to play the winner of the Everett-South Boston match at 2:00 Saturday afternoon in Charlesown; however if they lose, they will play a first game in the losers’ bracket at 2:00 Saturday at Kelley field.

A Walpole win Friday would send the team and fans to Ryan Field in Charlestown, which is located just off Rte. 99. It is located by the old Schrafts building and the field is the one closest to the Mystic River. To get there, take Rte. 93 to Rte. …

Read the entire article on the Wicked Local Walpole website:

   If not for one fluky play, last Wednesday’s classic District 11 championship between the Walpole Americans and Walpole Nationals could still be going on.
   The play came in the seventh inning of the six-inning showdown between the two District 11 powerhouses, and allowed the Americans to score the only run of the game. Until then the two Walpole teams finished regulation in a scoreless tie, as each played near perfectly throughout the game.
   “That was one of the best three or four games I’ve ever been involved in,” declared Walpole American assistant coach Chris Costello, who was drafted out of Walpole High School by the Dodgers and since then has coached Post 104 to a state final and is an assistant coach to WHS varsity mentor Bill Tompkins.
   Translation: Costy has seen quite a few impressive ball games.
   This, indeed, was a great one as both Walpole teams came to play and totally enthralled a packed house of hundreds of Walpole fans …

Read the entire article on the Wicked Local Walpole website:

   It’s that time of year again, when the best 12-year-old Little Leaguers around the world vie for a chance for Williamsport, Pennsylvania, to represent their state, country, territory or province in the fabled Little League world Series.
    Tonight starts the next round in regional play in Massachusetts, and there are few surprises as to which powerhouses are dominating their districts. Advancing, almost like clockwork, are Joe Schwartz of Worcester, Barnstable National, Everett and Peabody National.
    There are a couple of surprises, like the team representing the small bedroom community of Lynnfield.
    And then, there’s Walpole. It used to be that Walpole would be one of the surprises, but no longer. With dedicated coaching, strong fan base, talented kids and a pure love for baseball all around, Walpole has again become a highly respected baseball community, like the days when Joe Morgan and Johnny Turco played.
    Of course there was no Little League back then, and the chance now to play other …

Read the entire article on the Wicked Local Walpole website:

   Kelley Field in Norwood was not named for Andrew Kelley, but it might as well have been.
   In two games in which the Walpole National 12-year-old Little League team dominated both Hopkinton and the Norwood Americans this week, Kelley was completely dominant.
   He started the tourney by cruising on the mound through a 9-1 shellacking of Hopkinton in the District 11 tourney opener, adding a two-one homer as an exclamation point to his performance.
   While the Major League home run derby ended Monday night in St. Louis, Kelley’s didn’t. He helped put the Nationals in the title game against the Walpole Americans with two more round-trippers Tuesday, pacing a 14-0 rout of the Norwood Americans that ended in the fourth inning of a mercy-rule ended game.
   The Nationals made it look too easy as they trampled the opposition by a combined 23-1.
“They’re flying high; they’re one of the most confident bunches I’ve ever coached,” offered mentor Brian …

Read the entire article on the Wicked Local Walpole website:

   The Walpole American 12-year-old Little League team has proven over the first two days of the single-elimination District 11 tourney that it can win either small or big, but they would all most likely say that they’d rather win big.
   After squeaking through a 2-1 nail-biter Monday night when they had to come back at the last second after trailing all game, they seemed pretty happy to be able to do it the other way Tuesday night when they rolled over Ashland, 12-2, at the Norwood Little League Complex on Washington Street.
   The victory, coupled with Monday’s tight one over Norwood, put the Americans in the District 11 championship game, which was played Wednesday against the Walpole Nationals, with the winners taking the next step in the direction of Williamsport.
   It was the second year in a row that the same town swept the tourney bracket, with host Norwood having done it last year. Adding more fuel to the deep rivalry between the two …