-The Brattleboro Little League All Stars are off to a great start in the District 2 playoffs as the 10U and 12U teams both finished first in their round-robin playoff that determined the top two teams to play for the District 2 championship in a best-of-three series this week.
Both Brattleboro teams clinched a spot in the championship series by defeating Bennington in a pair of action-packed games on July 11 at South Main Street Field.
In the 10U game, Brattleboro eked out an 8-7 victory. Nick Libardoni, the winning pitcher against Rutland in the opening game victory against Rutland, picked up the victory against Bennington with two strikeouts and two walks over five innings. He faced two batters in the sixth inning before hitting his 85-pitch limit, forcing his removal with no outs and the tying run in scoring position. Mason Rosa then came in to relieve Libardoni and struck out the three batters he faced to earn the save.
Brattleboro jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning as Libardoni and Brayden Gouger led off with walks and scored on a wild pitch and a groundout by Shane Gallagher. Lewis Hatch followed with a walk; he would score on an RBI single by Jace Snow. Bennington cut the lead to 3-2 in the second inning as Joe Shea and Brodhi Burnnell singled and scored.
Brattleboro got those runs back in the bottom of the second with a two-run triple by Gouger that scored Lincoln Sanchez and Ryan Alexander. Gouger then scored on a passed ball to give Brattleboro a 6-2 lead.
Bennington rallied back with three runs in the third inning as Hudson Pratt, Anthony O’Brien, and Reis Greene all reached base, and all scored on a three-run double by Clayton Shuler to cut the Brattleboro lead to 6-5. Brattleboro responded with two runs in the fourth as Gallagher walked and scored on a passed ball and Hatch singled and scored on a Rosa RBI single to push the lead to 8-5.
Bennington chipped away at that lead with a run in the fifth on an RBI triple by Pratt and another run in the sixth when Shuler reached on an infield single and scored on a wild pitch. They got no closer after Rosa slammed the door shut with his relief stint in the sixth.
• There was much less drama in the 12-U as Brattleboro rolled to a 12-4 win. The game was settled early as Brattleboro scored eight runs in the first inning. They sent 13 batters to the plate, highlighted by a two-run double by Benson Urban, an RBI double by Jacob Gallagher, RBI singles by Mason Rea, Hayden Scott, and Patrick Carroll, and a two-run single by Bryson Letourneau.
Gallagher, the starting pitcher, got through the first two innings unscathed. Bennington ended the shutout bid with four runs in the third, including a solo home run by Reagan Seddon. That would be it for Bennington as Gallagher settled in and his teammates got a few more runs with Jordan Torres getting an RBI single in the third and Major Rodriquez smacking a two-run double in the fourth.
Gallagher left the game after four innings. He finished with five strikeouts and two walks. Urban threw two innings of scoreless and hitless relief to wrap up the win. Urban had four strikeouts and one walk.
Post 5 sweeps Post 37 in doubleheader
• Brattleboro Post 5 and Bellows Falls Post 37 played a twi-night doubleheader on July 9 at Tenney Field. Post 5 won both, cruising to a 5-1 win in the first game and hanging on to win the nightcap, 6-5.
Winning pitcher Jackson Dermatis pitched a complete game two-hitter in the opener for Post 5. The only run for Post 37 came in the sixth inning when Eli Allbee walked and scored on a bloop single by Pat Connors.
Losing pitcher Steven Joslyn shut out Brattleboro for the first two innings, but Post 5 got a run in the third when Kaden McDaniels walked and scored on a single by Dermatis, and scored four more runs in the fourth on another RBI single for Dermatis and a pair of Bellows Falls errors.
In game two, Post 37 jumped out to a 2-0 first inning lead as Allbee hit a leadoff double, Connors walked, and Jaden Bazin was hit by a pitch to load the bases. A bloop single by Joslyn scored Allbee and a sacrifice fly from Devyn Cheeney scored Connors.
Post 5 got a run back in the bottom of the first when Spencer Claussen reached on an error and later scored, and took a 3-2 lead in the second on a Kmar Hall RBI single and a McDaniels RBI double.
Post 37 rallied in the third as Joslyn hit an RBI double and Cheeney reached base on a fielder’s choice and scored on an error to take a 4-3 lead. Post 5 tied the game in the fourth on a McDaniels RBI single, but Bellows Falls took a 5-4 lead in the fifth when Connors singled and scored on a Bazin RBI single.
Brattleboro starting pitcher Ryder Butynski threw the first five innings and passed the baton to Ryan Peloso in the sixth inning. Despite loading the bases withthree straight walks, Peloso escaped unharmed after a double play ended the inning.
Cheeney, Post 37’s starting pitcher, was laboring by the seventh inning and was lifted after a leadoff walk by Post 5 in favor of Bazin. Post 5 tied the game when Claussen scored on a fielder’s choice and got the winning run when Charlie O’Donnell drew a bases-loaded walk.The sweep helped Post 5 end its week with a 6-5 record, while Post 37 fell to 5-5.
Braves draft Kaiden McCarthy
• Kaiden McCarthy of Chester made history on July 11 when he was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the second round, 48th overall, of the Major League Baseball Draft.
The 17-year-old right-hander became the highest high school draft pick in Vermont history, surpassing Owen Kellington, whom the Pittsburgh Pirates selected with the 102nd pick in 2021.
McCarthy, a Vermont Academy student athlete who was committed to the University of Tennessee, told The Boston Globe he plans to sign with the Braves and forgo college. He reclassified from the class of 2027 to the class of 2026 in order to be eligible for this year’s MLB Draft.
“It feels amazing,” McCarthy told the Globe. “I think it kind of just shows that my hard work is starting to pay off. Obviously, I have to keep working hard and put a lot more into it. But [it shows that] even being from the small state of Vermont, the small town of Chester, you can go out and do so much more when you put your mind to it.”
Dozens of major league scouts have been following McCarthy over the past couple of years. He raised eyebrows with a pitching repertoire that includes a fastball that reaches 99 mph, plus a curveball, slider, and changeup.
The journey to the big leagues is long and arduous, and few players from northern New England have successfully completed it. But, by all accounts, McCarthy has the skills and the mental and physical makeup to have a decent shot. The Braves have a long history of developing great pitchers. Here’s hoping he’ll be the next one.
Interaction hosts its 41st golf tourney July 22
• Interaction’s (formerly Youth Services) 41st annual Golf Tournament, their biggest fundraiser of the year, takes place Wednesday, July 22, at Brattleboro Country Club. Participants can play a fun round of golf while supporting youth programs, mental health services, and restorative justice programs.
Gather your foursome, or reach out if you need teammates. All levels are welcome. You can also buy a golf ball for their unique Helicopter Ball Drop Raffle, with a chance to win $3,000. For more information, visit interactionvt.org/golf.
RFPL hosts ‘Gear Fun Day’ July 25
• Join the Rockingham Free Public Library (RFPL) as they kick off Rockingham Gathers Outdoors programs with a “Gear Fun Day” Saturday, July 25, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Rockingham Recreation Department, located at 10 Playground Rd. in Bellows Falls.
In the popular style of “touch a truck” events, the library’s Gear Fun Day welcomes the community to come and assemble a fold-up kayak, pump up a stand-up paddleboard, and see how an e-bike works. Learn more about their upcoming guided paddle and bike programs and enjoy refreshments. This event is free and open to the public.
This summer, the RFPL is adding foldable kayaks, inflatable paddleboards, and e-bikes to its Library of Things and will host guided outdoor programs. The library says these resources will help residents, including adults over 50, try outdoor recreation, meet neighbors, and gather the community together outdoors. For more information, call 802-463-4270 or visit rockinghamlibrary.org.
Senior bowling roundup
• Week 10 of the spring/summer season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League on July 8 at Brattleboro Bowl, saw Queen ‘n’ Jokers (34-16) hang on to first place, followed by Pin Heads (31-19), The House (30-20), Skippers (29-21), Slo Movers (26-24), Near Miss (25-25), Strike Force (21-29), Number 1 (20-30), Ducks (18-32), and Team Two (16-34).
Shirley Aiken had the women’s high handicap game (254), while Diane Cooke had the high handicap series (635). Stan Kolpa had the men’s high handicap game (274), while Ian Diamondstone had the high handicap series (712). Team Two had the high handicap game (892) and series (2,625).
Kevin Napaver had the men’s high scratch series (687) with games of 255, 223, and 209, while Warren Corriveau Sr. had a 595 series with games of 206, 196, and 193. John Walker had a 593 series with games of 224 and 191, Diamondstone had 544 series with a 201 game, and Kolpa had a 516 series with a 234 game. Fred Ashworth had a 516 series with a 191 game and Rick Westcott had a 509 series.
Carol Gloski had the women’s high scratch series (484) and game (192). Aiken rolled a 185.
Randolph T. Holhut, deputy editor of this newspaper, has written this column since 2010 and has covered sports in Windham County since the 1980s. Readers can send him sports information at [email protected].
This Sports column by Randolph T. Holhut was written for The Commons.