The Cicero Rattlers 10u team had a fun weekend in Cooperstown for their first tournament of the summer season.
The weather was as nice as the scenic 90-minute ride to the park on Friday. Unfortunately, the Rattlers were overpowered by the Adirondack Aces that afternoon in their first game of the weekend. Thankfully, pizza, sweets and a nearby park helped everyone quickly get over the loss.
The Rattlers played much better against the CNY Nomads on Saturday, but watched the lead slip away in the 4th inning and they couldn’t mount a comeback before time expired.
Above: D’Amico in Left Field
Playoff day on Sunday matched the Rattlers up against the Central Amherst Knights. The winner would advance to play the top seeded Adirondack Aces in round two of the playoffs. Unfortunately, rain blew in on Sunday morning and all the games were rained-out.
Pitchers for the weekend included Ben Linstruth, Mason Vangel, Jon Verrault and Liam Hough.
Above: Linstruth pitching against the CNY Nomads
Above: Vangel on the mound vs. Adirondack Aces
Highlight plays for the tournament included:
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- Top notch weekend from Adrian Muller, who made great plays from the catcher position for every inning of the tournament.
- Outstanding pitching by Benjamin Linstruth against the CNY Nomads.
- Nice play by Dean Capece (2b) to Ryan Hooser (SS) for the put-out.
- Multiple difficult catches and scoops by Benjamin Linstruth at first base.
- Multiple plays at SS by Ryan Hooser, including a double-play.
- Difficult play made by Liam Hough (3B) to TJ Vulcano (1B) to end an inning.
- Exciting deep ball hit by Marc D’Amico.
- Solid pitching from Mason Vangel against the Adirondack Aces.
- Run-scoring stop by Jonathan Verrault in center field.
- Exceptional play from Max Balamut (3b) to TJ Vulcano (1B) for the put-out
Above: Capece to Hooser
This was the first road trip for this team and, despite the Sunday wash-out, it was a great experience for everyone. Players and parents were able to explore Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame. Many watched a game at Double Day Field and took turns swinging Cooperstown Wood Bats at the Double Day Batting Range right outside the stadium!
Inside the Baseball Hall of Fame
Above: Muller played every inning at the catcher position in the tournament.
The roster for this tournament included:
Ryan Hooser
Ben Linstruth
Adrian Muller
TJ Vulcano
Marc D’Amico
Mason Vangel
Dean Capece
Max Balamut
Liam Hough
Jonathan Verreault
Team Captains for games 1 and 2: Ben Linstruth, Dean Capece, Adrian Muller, Mason Vangel
Tournament MVP: TBA at next practice
Tournament Quote: Yesterday’s homeruns don’t win today’s games.