Tom Angelo, President
ORR Player Agent
*****
Brian Scalata,
Vice President
Carver Player Agent
*****
Glenn Kornichuk, Treasurer
*****
Tom Cote
CORI Coordinator
*****
Ron Frazier, Wareham Player Agent
*****
David Olson,
Senior BR Coordinator
*****
Sylvia Leonard,
Secretary
*****
Brad Taber,
Equipment Manager
GATEWAY BABE RUTH BASEBALL LEAGUE
Gateway 15 Year Old All Stars
Kneeling from left to right: Brendon Bergeron,
Ryan Vanderstaay, Kyle Larrow, Ben Harris, Bobby Cote, Devin Rudolph, Bat Boy
Hayden Bergeron.
Standing from left to right: Manager Mike Bissonnette, Kyle Melo, Evan
Bissonnette, Sam Philbrook, Cory Wood, Taylor LeClair, Nick Filloramo, Scorer
Armand Bergeron, Coach Tom Cote.
JOHN B. STEELE TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS
August 15, 2007
The 15 yr old All Star team completed its
play for the 2007 season with a victory in the John B. Steele Tournament in
Dartmouth, MA. The tournament featured a who’s who of South Coast Baseball
with teams from Fall River, New Bedford, Westport, Swansea, Barrington, RI
and Sakonnett, RI. Gateway won four straight in the tournament and finished
the season with a 12-3 record. Gateway opened the tournament with a 6-4 win
over Sakonnett, RI behind the 7 inning 121 pitch performance by ace Nick
Filloramo, who fanned 10 while only walking 3, and winning the 1st star
award. Sam Philbrook won the 3rd star award leading Gateway’s offensive
attack going 2 for 2 with an RBI and a double and making 5 put outs in the
field. Ben Harris also went 2 for 2 and had 3 RBI’s. Other Gateway
stand-outs were Bobby Cote (2 for 3 and an RBI), Evan Bissonnette (2 for 4),
and Cory Wood (1 for 4 with an RBI).
Next Gateway knocked over the team from Barrington, RI 11-5 and it was only
close for the 1st half of the first inning when Barrington scored two.
Gateway answered the call to play in the home half of the first batting
around and scoring 6 runs. Sam Philbrook won the first star of the game with
a stellar 3 for 4 batting performance that scored 5 RBI’s and a home run.
Sam pitched 3 hard innings giving up 4 runs (4 strike outs and 5 walks),
before Ben Harris came in relief and shut Barrington down allowing just 1
run and handing out 4 strike outs. Gateway’s third baseman Brendon Bergeron
was chosen as the 3rd star of the game with his strong defensive play and a
2 for 3 batting performance that included a double. Outfielder Bobby Cote
continued his hitting ways going 2 for 4 with 2 RBI’s, as did short stop
Taylor LeClair (2 for 4, double and an RBI). Nick Filloramo, Evan
Bissonnette (double), Ben Harris and Kyle Melo (RBI) each got hits as 8 of
Gateways 11 batters recorded hits.
Greater New Bedford and Gateway faced each
other as the only two undefeated teams of the tournament. Gateway sent ace
Nick Filloramo to the mound who pitched 3 innings of no hit, no run baseball
fanning 3 and walking 1. Filloramo had his best hitting game of the
tournament going 2 for 3 that included a double and 2 RBI’s. Taylor LeClair
came in relief allowing 2 runs on 2 hits and striking out 3, but it was
LeClair’s offensive stroke that won him the first star of the game award.
LeClair went 3 for 3 and had two home runs and 5 RBI’s. Gateway’s catcher
Evan Bissonnette won the 2nd star award with a strong performance behind the
plate and by going 2 for 2 with an RBI and two stolen bases. Cory Wood
belted his third home run of the season with a solo shot, while Sam
Philbrook went 2 for 3 (RBI), Ryan Vanderstaay went 1 for 1 and Kyle Larrow
1 for 3 with an RBI double. Gateway won in 5 innings by slaughter rule 13-2,
and awaited the winner of the loser’s bracket for its next opponent.
A strong Westport team emerged, after winning 3 games the day before, ready
to play. Gateway went one, two, three in the top of the first and Westport
jumped out on top 1-0 in the home half of the first. Gateway scored 3 runs
in the 2nd, but Westport answered in the bottom of the inning by also
scoring 3 runs, going up 4-3. Both teams defense’s stiffened and the score
was unchanged until the bottom of the 5th when Westport mounted a serious
threat with runners on second and third with no outs. Gateway’s catcher Evan
Bissonnette and third baseman Brendon Bergeron made a “French Connection”
picking off the Westport’s Steve Perry from third for the first out of the
inning. The next batter popped-up to Bergeron for the second out. Westport’s
short stop Tony Mederos drilled a single to right field and the base coach
sent a speedy Mike Friar home from second base. But Gateway’s right fielder
Bobby Cote charged the hit and came up throwing and delivered a perfect
throw to catcher Evan Bissonnette for
the third out of the inning. The play fired up Gateway but a resilient
Westport team responded by cutting down the tying run at third base as Nick
Filloramo attempted to steal third on a pass ball after reaching on a single
and stealing second. It looked as if Gateway couldn’t score against Westport
as the score remained 4-3 to the top of the 7th.
But a lead off single by Taylor LeClair, followed by a sacrifice by Brendon
Bergeron, put LeClair at third with one out. Bobby Cote reached on an error
scoring LeClair, then stole second and was driven in by a go ahead single by
Sam Philbrook, who moved himself into scoring position with a stolen base.
First baseman Kyle Melo stepped to the plate and singled in an insurance
run. Gateway called upon reliever Ben Harris to come in to shut down
Westport in the home half of the 7th winning the game 6-4 and the
tournament. Gateway had five players named to the All Tournament Team
including Evan Bissonnette, Nick Filloramo, Ben Harris, Taylor LeClair and
the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player Award was given to Sam Philbrook.
Update on 15-yr old Gateway All Star team
Game #1 The 15 yr old All Star team began competition in the State District 7 Tournament on Saturday with a tightly played win over Middleboro 4-1. Gateway’s Nick Filloramo held Middleboro to just 5 hits and 1 walk while fanning 8. Middleboro’s hurler Jake Marble pitched 7 innings without a walk, but succumbed to the batting assault of Gateway, led by Cory Wood’s 3 run homer. Seven out of nine Gateway batters got hits, with lead off hitter Devin Rudolph going 2 for 3. Gateway played error free defense which saw two spectacular charging catches by center fielder Taylor LeClair.
Game #2 On Sunday Gateway faced the team from Falmouth, but Falmouth just could not match the hitting power and base running brought on by Gateway. Falmouth scored 1 run in the bottom of the first to keep it close (2-1) before Gateway unleashed a 6-run 2nd inning that Falmouth was never able to answer. Sam Philbrook pitched 5 strong innings allowing just 2 runs, with 4 strike outs, before Taylor LeClair closed out the affair with 2 innings of one hit baseball for a final score of 10-3. Gateway’s defense was again rock solid and error free, this time led by third baseman Brendon Bergeron. Bergeron also contributed heavily on offense with a bases loaded, 3 RBI double. Short stop Kyle Larrow, added 3 RBI’s on 2-hits, as the Gateway batters gathered four other solid hits and a couple of sacrifices. All of the Gateway players except for injured right fielder Bobby Cote saw action.
Game #3 The 15 yr old All Star team achieved its 3rd win in the State District 7 Tournament on Tuesday by slaughter rule over Mashpee 11-1. Gateway’s Nick Filloramo again shined on the mound holding Mashpee to just 1 hit and 3 walks while fanning 6. Mashpee’s only run came in on an un-characteristic 2 error inning by the Gateway defense. Evan Bissonnette continued to be rock solid behind the plate, extending his streak of games without a pass ball to three. Taylor LeClair led the offensive barrage of Gateway going 3 for 3 with a triple. Kyle Melo won the “All Star” award by going 1 for 1 with a sacrifice and driving in 2 RBI’s, while making two critical put outs in left field, one when the bases were loaded. The entire Gateway squad continues to hammer the ball and has achieved a team batting average of .373 so far in this Tournament.
Game #4 The 15 yr old All Star team suffered its first loss in the State District 7 Tournament on Saturday to home field favorite Lower Cape 5-3. Gateway began the game firing on all cylinder’s playing crisp defense and hammering the ball to take a 2-0 lead after two complete. Gateway sent 10 batters to the plate in the first two innings. The team sputtered in the 3rd and allowing Lower Cape 3 unearned base runners followed by a towering triple by pitcher Brendon Scalley. Gateway a massed 9 hits but Lower Cape held them scoreless for the rest of the contest, leaving a total of 11 men stranded on base.
Gateway’s offensive charge was led by first baseman Cory Wood, who belted his 2nd home run of the tournament. Wood ended up 3 for 4 with two RBI’s. Catcher Evan Bissonnette pitched in going 2 for 4 with a stand up double. Gateway’s pitcher Sam Philbrook (1-1) held Lower Cape to just 5 hits and only allowed 3 walks. Gateway’s defense gave up its second and third error of the tournament but other wises continues to make difficult plays look routine. Third baseman Brendon Bergeron figured in six outs for the afternoon, and continued his solid play, by also adding an RBI. Offensive standout Cory Wood, also robbed Lower Cape of two line drive hits to right from his first base fortress. Gateway moves to the loser’s bracket and waits for its next opponent on Tuesday night.
Update on 15-yr old Gateway All Star team
July 19, 2007
The 15 yr old All Star team pounced back to the winners round in the State District 7 Tournament with a back and forth 10-7 win against perennial power house Plymouth last week. Plymouth struck in the top half of the 1st to go up 1-0, but Gateway answered in the bottom ½ of the inning with lead off singles by Taylor LeClair and Evan Bissonnette, while Nick Filloramo batting in the clean-up spot, drove in the first run with his only hit of the day. LeClair, Gateway’s starting pitcher, kept it close through the first 3 innings before Plymouth opened up a 6-1 lead in the top of the 4th. Again Gateway answered the call closing the lead with five consecutive hits to start the bottom of the 4th. Devin Rudolph (single), Bobby Cote (double), Ben Harris (double), and Kyle Larrow (double) began the string of hits culminated by a Taylor LeClair home run to close the Plymouth lead to 6-5.
Ben Harris came in for relief and stymied the Plymouth attack, pitching two strong innings allowing just one hit. Gateway again brought the bats to bear against Plymouth in the bottom of the 5th with a lead off double by Cory Wood, walk by Filloramo, sacrifice with a fielding error put Sam Philbrook on (1RBI) and 2 RBI single by Harris, putting Gateway up 8-6. Gateway never looked back adding two more in the 6th inning with a lead off walk by LeClair, stolen base and RBI single by Bissonnette (2 for 4 for the day) and sacrifice RBI by Ryan Vanderstaay. Gateway’s ace Nick Filloramo came in to put a lock on it mowing down Plymouth in the top of the 7th with three strike-outs.
Gateway survived its sole loss but had to return to face Lower Cape the following day in the Championship Game needing two wins to take it all. Lower Cape batted first and sent the message that it came to play going up 1-0 after the top of the 1st. Gateway wasted no time unloading on tournament sponsor, scoring 6 runs in the bottom half of the inning and it was never close after that. Gateway scored one run in the 2nd and erupted again for six more in the 3rd. All but one of the Gateway players got hits with Evan Bissonnette going 3 for 4, 1 RBI ,Kyle Larrow going 2 for 4 with 2 RBI’s and Bobby Cote 1 for 2 with 3 RBI’s and was the game’s offensive star. Nick Filloramo pitched three innings allowing just two runs on two hits, while Sam Philbrook nailed it shut pitching the final two innings allowing just one hit and handing out 3 strike outs. Gateway offense saved the pitchers from extra work and the slaughter run was invoked after 4-1/2 innings of play.
Gateway had evened the score and was on the verge of a come back win in the District Tournament against Lower Cape. The final game between the two teams featured a pitching dual between Gateway’s Nick Filloramo and Lower Cape’s Brendon Scalley. Filloramo allowed just one hit in four innings pitched supported by a defense that played solidly, sparked by two charging catches by center fielder Taylor LeClair. Scalley was on the top of his game allowing only two hits for the same period. Pitching rules limited Filloramo’s play to the four innings and Sam Philbrook came in for relief. Sam pitched a strong two innings allowing just three hits and three strike outs. Gateway’s defense sputtered in the final two innings committing three very untimely errors, allowing two of the three runs ultimately scored in the game by Lower Cape. Gateway was shut out leaving 9 men on base for a final score of 3-0. Lower Cape advances to the State Tournament while Gateway prepares for a wooden bat tournament in Freetown.
Some of the highlights of the District tournament for Gateway were:
- Allowed 22 runs in 7 games while scoring 51 runs
- Solid defense in 42 of 45 innings played
- Team batting average for Tournament of .365
- Three home runs were hit by Cory Wood (2), Taylor LeClair (1)
- Nick Filloramo ERA of 1.35, and on base percentage of .800
- Evan Bissonnette led the team with a batting average of an even .500
- Sam Philbrook led the team with 6 stolen bases
- Cory Wood led the team with a slugging percentage of .842
- Kyle Larrow led the team in RBI’s with 8
Team Members: Brendan Bergeeron, Evan Bissonnette, Bobby Cote, Nicholas Filloramo, Derick Flynn, Ben Harris, Kyle Larrow, Taylor LeClair, Sam Philbrook, Devin Rudolph, Ryan Vanderstay, Cory Wood
Little Fenway Wood Bat Tournament
The 15 yr old All Star team resumed play this past weekend with an appearance in the Freetown Little Fenway tournament. This tournament featured the exclusive use of wooden bats for all teams and allowed the option for a continuous batting order, which the young men from Gateway took full advantage of. Two brackets of play were formed, each comprising of four teams. With only the first and second place teams in each bracket advancing to the finals, Gateway came out ready to play. They won a pitching battle with a strong Duxbury team 2-1, behind the one two punch of Nick Filloramo and Taylor LeClair. Nick pitched five brilliant innings allowing just 4 hits with 2 strikeouts and Taylor came in and slammed the door shut in the final two innings throwing a mere 16 pitches and adding 2 more strikouts. Gateway’s offensive attack was led by a first inning two RBI double by Brendon Bergeron. Stingy Duxbury pitcher Evan McWilliams only allowed Gateway batters Kyle Larrow, Taylor LeClair, Bobby Cote and Sam Philbrook to a single each.
With one win under its belt, Gateway then went on to play a team comprised of some very tall ball players from Dartmouth. Gateway sent Sam Philbrook to the hill and he pitched a very focused five inning performance holding Dartmouth to 1 run on 3 hits. Gateway’s bats were quiet for the first five innings as Dartmouth pitching only allowed singles to Devin Rudolph and Ben Harris. It was looking bleak for Gateway when Dartmouth went on top in the 4th inning 1-0, and adding one more in the 6th inning. Gateway began to answer in their half of the 6th inning with back to back lead off singles by Bobby Cote and Devin Rudolph, followed by a Kyle Melo walk and a RBI single by Ryan Vanderstaay. Reliever Taylor LeClair was called into the game and hurled 2 more impressive innings allowing 1 run on 1 hit. Dartmouth’s pitching could not keep pace with Gateway’s and began to crack in the bottom half of the seventh inning leading the game 2-1. Lead off walks by Evan Bissonnette and Kyle Larrow put runners in scoring position and Brendon Bergeron stepped to the plate delivering his second 2 RBI double in as many games, with the walk off blast.
By the third game of the tournament all the teams were showing wear on the arms of the pitching staff. Gateway was facing a 2-0 team from Westport with the winner advancing and the loser’s fate in question. Gateway called upon catcher Evan Bissonnette to make his first appearance on the mound. Evan delivered a 5 inning 4-hit, 4-run performance that included 4 strikeouts. Gateway drew first blood going up 1-0 in the bottom of the second with a lead off walk to Brendon Bergeron, an error followed by a RBI single by Bobby Cote. Westport responded in the top of the third with a 4 hit, 2 run attack of their own to go up 2-1. Gateway scored again in the bottom of the 3rd to even the score with lead off walk by Kyle Melo, Ryan Vanderstaay reached on a fielder’s choice and singles by Sam Philbrook and Evan Bissonnette. Westport refused to be out gunned and in the fourth added 2 more runs to go on top 4-2. Gateway put together its best rally of the tournament in the bottom of the 4th inning to answer Westport’s challenge scoring 4 runs on 4 hits on a lead off walk by Cory Wood, deep RBI triple by Brendon Bergeron, solid double by Bobby Cote (scoring his second RBI of the day), Devin Rudolph walk, Ben Harris single, and 2 RBI single by Nick Filloramo going up 6-4.
Gateway’s Ben Harris came in for relief throwing bullets to strike out the first three batter’s faced, going on to allow just one hit and one unearned run. The win gave Gateway top seed in the semi-finals, allowing them to play Maplewood from Fall River.
The Gateway/Maplewood match-up was a well played seesaw battle, with runners threatening to score in every inning. Gateway went on top in the bottom of the second 2-0 with back to back base hits by Devin Rudolph and Nick Filloramo, followed by an RBI double by Kyle Melo and RBI single by Ryan Vanderstaay. Gateway’s starter Sam Philbrook started out strong, and held Maplewood off to the fourth inning before allowing 2-runs on 2 hits to tie the contest. Gateway’s Kyle Larrow scored in the bottom of the 5th with a walk, a stolen base and an error to go up 3-2. Gateway’s closer Taylor LeClair came in to put a wrap on it but Maplewood had other ideas tying the game in the top of the 6th scoring one and leaving the bases loaded. Gateway threatened in the seventh with a lead off single by Nick Filloramo, a sacrifice by Kyle Melo moved Nick to second, but that’s as close as he got to home and the game remained tied 3-3 going into extra innings.
Maplewood rallied in the top of the 8th loading the bases and scoring two runs to take a 5-3 lead to the bottom half of the inning. Gateway mounted a rally of its own with a lead off double by Sam Philbrook, RBI single by Kyle Larrow, and another single by Taylor LeClair. Kyle Larrow was cut down going to third on a fielders choice by Brendon Bergeron, when Cory Wood stepped to the plate with two outs. Cory, Gateway’s home run leader, dug in and blasted a ball to the warning track in center field, but Maplewood’s center fielder had wisely played back and was able to make the game ending catch. The 5-4 win advanced Maplewood to the finals and sent Gateway home to play and win another day.