![]()
The Boston Wolfpack defeated the two-time defending champion Mustangs Baseball Club 16-5 in the 50+ Championship at the Las Vegas Kickoff Classic. Boston pounded out 83 hits and scored 68 runs in the tournament,, going 5-0 after moving to the younger division due to lack of teams in the 55+. The weekend had a somber overcast, however, as teammate Rodney “The Ageless Arm” Tafoya was fighting for his life after being stricken with a massive stroke two weeks prior. In the final, the Pack fell behind 3-1 in the first and battled back to a 5-3 lead. The Mustangs tied it with 2 in the bottom of the 7th and the game went into the 9th tied at 5. After a leadoff walk by Russ Ward, Boston sent the next 16 batters to the plate, scoring 11 runs in the process. Jose Delgado hit a 2-run triple that was followed by 3 straight doubles by Efrain Nieves, David Oliver and David Benedict. Sam Steed earned the complete game win and was backed up by solid defense including web gems from Ahmed Rodriguez, Benedict and Oliver. When the game was over, the Wolfpack came together and said a prayer for Rodney. In pool play, the Wolfpack had wins over the California Hogs, Fresno Knights, and NSEW Connection getting solid pitching by Smith, Marco Barragan, and Jim Kearschner. In the semifinal, the Pack defeated NSEW again, their only 2 losses, as J.T. Tomlinson call on the turn was the nuts. Offensive standouts for the tournament included Mike Kalfopoulous, Nieves, Mike Smith, Oliver, Mark Moise and Rodriquez.
The Pack went 3-0 in pool play with victories over the Carolina Rockies, Vituro Health Cardinals, and Westchester Pirates. Leading the offense were Mike Smith, David Oliver, Jose Delgado, David Benedict, Russ Ward, and Efrain Nieves. In the semifinal, the Jacksonville Hops exploded for five runs without an out to begin the game and took a 6-0 lead in the second inning. Steed came in and settled things down giving Boston a chance to battle back. Steed limited the Hops to four hits in 6+ innings and the Pack eventually won the game 14-7. Jack Held and Mike Noto had key hits to help secure the victory. In the final, Foster kept the Mustangs bats quiet and was backed by a 4-hit game by Smith as well as timely hits by Eddie Fuller, Oliver, Nieves, and Benedict.
The Pack went 2-0-1 in round robin with wins over the Cal Vets and Diamond Dream Mustangs while battling to an 8-8 tie with the 3N2 Rangers. The Rangers game featured the Rangers battling back to tie the game twice including a 4-run inside the park homerun by Jon Thorton (the park was almost the size of Henderson, NV). In the semi-final, Boston faced off with the Rangers again in what was the third game of the day. 3N2 jumped to a 6-0 lead in the top of the 1st on 8 hits including a HR by Steve Roberts but the Wolfpack countered right back with 7 runs on 13 hits in the bottom of the first. Jose Delgado came in to pitch for Boston and settled things down in the 2nd inning however Boston’s offensive onslaught continued, scoring 10 runs in the 2nd and 10 more runs in the 3rd in route to a 29-7 victory. Delgado also contributed 3 hits with Efrain Nieves going 5-5 with a walk. Mike Smith, Mark Whiten, Russ Ward and Carmelo Bastian had 3 hits apiece. Smith then got the complete game win in the final against the Sacramento Blue Jays, 11-1. Tied 1-1 after 3 ½ innings, Delgado (4-5, 2R) kicked off the rally with a leadoff single. Nieves doubled and then Larry See, Ward and Dave Benedict had 3 straight hits capped off by Jack Held’s single to put the Wolfpack in the lead, 4-1, that they would not relinquish. After the game, the team named Jeff Fox the MVP, as he was watching us and giving us inspiration all weekend. “We love to compete in these MSBL tournaments and sometimes lose sight how fortunate we are to be able to do this and how fast things can change,” said Ward after the game. “It makes you cherish even more the friendships and memories that we’ve picked up through baseball and the MSBL. Jeff, RIP, my friend.”
The format this year was different. There were two, 4 team divisions. The Division winners would play a 2 out of 3 Championship Series for the National title. The next four teams would play for the American title. This made every game feel like a playoff game since one pool game loss would have eliminted a team's chance at the National series. The Pack got strong pitching and hitting in the pool games, taking all three games behind the pitching of Rodney Tafoya, Edgardo Mercado and Sean O'Connor. Barry Foster threw key innings in both the first two games. The offense was led by German Rivera, Efrain Nieves and Dave Benedict. That secured a division title and a matchup with the All Star Baseball Academy that also went 3-0 in their division. Game 1 of the Championship Series was a 2-1 win by ASBA. Jeff Tomlinson got the win over Mike Smith. For Game 2, Pack threw Jim Kearschner who spun a gem shutting out the All Stars for 6 innings and an 10-3 victory. It was Kearschner 400th win making it extra special and the series was tied at one game apiece. ASBA took an early lead in Game 3 but the Pack bounced right back. Jose Delgado picked up the game in the second and the two teams battled with 5 lead changes to a 6-6 tie through 7 and 1/2 innings. In the bottom half of the 8th, Boston got a single by Benedict and double by Delgado. After Rivera smoked a line drive that was snagged by All-Star's pitcher Joe Grahe, Nieves hit a 2-out, bases clearing double to put the Pack ahead by 2. ASBA got two on and no outs in the top half of the 9th but Whiten game in to get the last three outs and the Wolfpack won the series 3 games to 2. MSBL website details are here.
![]() Boston opened the tournament with a doubleheader sweep over the 3n2 Rangers and SC Blue Jays. They followed that up with another sweep with a come from behind, walk off win over the Blue Jays and a win against the San Antonio Bombers. Barry Foster got the win against OC Sox on Tuesday, 3-2, and Rodney Tafoya notched another victory against US Baseball Aberdeen to wrap up an undefeated round robin. The semi final was a rematch with Aberdeen. Mike Smith faced off against Will Flynt, the premier matchup of the week. Boston took an early 4-0 lead Larry See, Russ Ward and Jose Delgado. Aberdeen finally pushed a run across in the 7th and then exploded for 5 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks in the 8th to take a 6-4 lead. But the Pack battled back in the bottom of the 9th with a 5 hits and a walk to pull out the 7-6 win. Ward's 2 RBI doubled capped off the comeback win. In the Championship game, the Wolfpack stumbled in the first inning, giving up 4 walks and 3 errors that resulted in OC Sox and their ace Vic Darensbourg getting an insurmountable lead. The Pack battled to the end but lost 9-5. Given that most guys hadn't played all year, the team had an awesome tournament. Two come from behind wins and winning tight games with key hits and defensive plays but the string of 11 straight tournament victories was ended.
Game 1 was a rematch of last year's 50+ finals against the 3n2 Rangers. The Rangers jumped on top 6-1 after 5 1/2 but Boston began the comeback with 3 in the bottom of the 6th on an RBI single by Dave Benedict and a 2-run double by Efrain Nieves. David Oliver's 2-run homerun in the 7th tied the game and the Pack secured the win on a 2-run single by Jose Delgado in the 8th as the time limit expired. Delgado also picked up the win in relief. Game 2 featured Rodney Tafoya looking for #449 against the Utah Braves. The game went back in forth until the 4th when Nieves crushed a 3-run bomb out of Hadland Park. The Wolfpack got 3 more in the 5th on a triple by Mark Moise and a 2-run single by German Rivera plus 7 runs in th 6th highlighted by another HR by Nieves and RBI doubles by Delgado and Larry See. The final pool round game against the Diamond Dream Mustangs was won by knockout, 18-0. Russ Ward led the hit parade with a single, 2 doubles and a triple. Oliver, Nieves and See had 3 hits and Barry Foster pitched a shutout. The semifinal was a rematch with Utah. Boston's pitching and defense continued to limit the opposition while their bats pounded out 19 hits in a 6 1/2 inning knockout win. Benedict, Delgado, Mike Smith, and See had 3 hits apiece. Oliver had 2 doubles and 2 singles. Jim Kearschner pitched the complete game. Smith started for Boston in the final at stunning Desert Diamonds Stadium. The Pack bats remained hot as they plated 1 in the first, 3 in the second and 2 in the 3rd capped by a 2-run double by Smith. One run in the 4th and 7 more in the 6th put an end to the Mustangs hopes for an upset. "Steve Sigler and his staff have afforded us so many opportunities to build great friendships and memories through these tournaments," said Smith after the game. "We are all truly fortunate and appreciative."
The title was the Wolfpack's 14th in 20 years of competiting in the Holiday Classic which began in Walt Disney World in 2000. The tournament this year was held in Viera, FL, an all turf complex built at the former site for the Montreal Expos Spring Training. The Pack won game one against the Diamond Dogs 11-3 behind the excellent pitching of Barry Foster. Russ Ward got the scoring going with a 3-run triple in the 2nd. Four more runs in the 7th on a double by Carmelo Bastian and hits by Eddie Fuller (4-4, 3B) and German Rivera. Jose Delgado earned the save. Sean O'Connor won Game 2 against the Diamond Dream Mustangs giving up 1 earned run in a 16-3 victory. Every Wolfpack player had a least one hit and scored. Game 3 was a faceoff of the two 2-0 teams and Boston drubbed the Tampa Blue Jays 10-1. Chris Arconti went the distance supported by muliple hits by Fuller and Delgado. After the game it was learned that the Blue Jays were booted from the tournament for using multiple underaged players so they did not make the playoffs. The semi final featured the Pack against the Jacksonville Hops. Rodney Tafoya went 8+ in a 6-1 Boston win. Multiple hits by Fuller, Delgado and Dave Benedict led the attack. This led to a rematch of game 1 and last year's final against the Diamond Dogs. The Finals, played at Space Coast Stadium, went back and forth with both teams scoring a run in the third and fourth innings. A double play got the Wolfpack out of a jam in the top of the 5th and the momentum went the Boston's way. A triple by Jeff Fox followed by a double by Delgado and base hit by Rivera put Boston up by two and the lead for good. Maine loaded the bases in the 6th with one out but Mark Whiten entered the game and snuffed the rally with a strikeout and tapper to the mound. Maine didn't get another hit and the Wolfpack tacked on 5 more runs, including a 3-run HR by Whiten, to earn the win 9-2. Jim Kearschner picked up the win and Fuller was named tournament MVP. League writeup can be found here.
The Pack went 5-1 in pool play, defeating the OC Sox behind the exceptional pitching of Jim Kearschner and timely hitting by Dean Borelli and German Rivera. An emergency start by Mark Whiten secured game 2 against the San Antonio Bombers and Chris Arconti spun his usual very efficient game against US Baseball. The Wolfpack lost to Team Victory in extra innings but then bounced back to win their last two pool games against Tri-Valley and US Baseball again, Rodney Tafoya's 352nd win. That set up a rematch with the OC Sox and their ace Vic Darensbourg in the semi finals. Mike Smith started for the Pack in one of the best matchups of elite pitching in recent MSBL tournaments. Both teams scored in the 3rd and then the Sox pushed across 2 runs in the 5th on 3 hits and an error. Eddie Fuller scored for the Wolfpack in the 7th to make it 3-2 as Smith kept OC off a board. Then in the bottom of the 8th, with two outs and a man on first, Darensbourg walked Dave Benedict. Ahmed Rodrigues jumped on the first pitch and crushed a double off the fence in left to plate 2 runs and propel Boston in the lead and on to the finals. Benedict started the Championship game against Team Victory. The game went back in forth with Victory going ahead 1-0 and 2-1 then the Pack going ahead 3-2 in the 5th only to see the lead evaporate in the 7th as Victory tied the game at 3. In the bottom half of the inning, the Wolfpack took the lead on a single by Efrain Nieves and a 3-base throwing error on a swinging bunt by David Oliver. Boston got an insurance run in the top of the 9th on a 2B by Nieves and base hit by Oliver. League write up of the game can be found here. The Boston Wolfpack wants to thank Carlos Baerga, Domingo Ayala, President Trump, and the Most Interesting Man for their support and encouragement. Prior to World Series
After Winning the Championship
Photos by Vernon Wells.
Things played out as the bookmakers expected with the MSBL Desert Classic Champions meeting up with the MSBL Holiday Classic Champions in the 50+ National Las Vegas Kickoff Classic finals. And the game was a classic with the Boston Wolfpack coming from behind in the bottom of the ninth inning to snatch a 5-4 victory over the 3n2 Rangers. Both teams went 3-0 in pool play and, as top seeds in their respective divisions, met up for the National Division final. The Wolfpack jumped ahead early with three runs off of MLB All-Star Jeff Cirillo on hits by David Oliver and Russ Ward and a perfectly executed safety squeeze by David Benedict. But the Rangers battled back with Mo Jackson tripling in two runs in the sixth off Wolfpack starter Jim Kearschner and two more in the seventh on a Phil Hayden triple to take the lead. Boston’s chance to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh failed when Cirillo hustled after an errant throw and gunned down Mike Smith at the plate. The bottom of the ninth started with back to back strike outs. Then singles by Benedict and German Rivera set up the game’s final at bat with Jose Delgado crushing a 2-1 pitch to deep left field to plate the tying and winning runs. Smith got the win with two innings of hitless relief. Delgado went 3-4 in the game and took home MVP honors. The MSBL writeup is here.
Monday was the only scheduling overlap when the 45+ Championship game was at the same time as the 54+ Semi Final Game. With half a squad, no manager, and 5 more prior games played, the Wolfpack took the final to extra innings before succumbing in the 45+ Final 6-5 in 10 innings to the Vituro Cardinals. They bounced back to win the 54+ Championship over the Maine Diamond Dogs in their twelfth game of the tournament. The MSBL writeups are here and here. “It was a lot of fun but I'm really sore,” said Eddie Fuller who along with David Oliver played over 90 innings in the field. Chris Arconti pitched two complete games over the weekend giving up 1 run in the semi final victory over the Diamond Dream Mustangs. Russ Ward had 4 hits in that game as the Pack, with only the 10 players not playing in the 45+ championship game, won 10-1. In the final, Jim Kearschner in relief scattered 6 hits through the final 7 innings to earn the win in the Championship. The Wolfpack has now won the MSBL Holiday Classic 13 times in 19 tries reaching the final 17 times, twice in the same tournament.
With Las Vegas being cool and blustery, the Wolfpack hitting was red hot led by Jose Delgado and Dave Benedict who went a combined 20-22 in the pool round. Boston got solid pitching from Edgardo Mercado, Sean O’Connor, Rodney Tafoya in defeating Chicago, San Diego, and the Diamond Dream Mustangs. The game with San Diego had 6 lead changes and came down to whomever was up last. Carmelo Bastian laced an RBI single and time expired with the Wolfpack ahead 13-12. The playoffs were a repeat of the same match ups with Jim Kearschner throwing a shut out over the Chicago North Legends in the semifinal and Mike Smith earning the victory over San Diego North in the Championship game. Team MVP went to Jose Delgado who finished up the tournament with 14 hits with 5 doubles and 3 triples. MSBL writeup is here.
Dave Benedict tossed a seven-hitter in the final and the Boston Wolfpack took an early lead and kept pouring it on. The scoring was topped off by a bases clearing line drive tot he fence by German Rivera. The victory gave the Wolfpack an incredible 10th championship in the past 11 years The Pack got 3 wins in pool play behind the pitching of Jim Kearschner, Barry Foster and Miguel Rivera. Temperatures were cold but the Wolfpack bat's were hot has Boston outscored their opponents 41-3. In the quarter-finals with Chris Arconti pitching against the Clearwater Rays, the Pack scored another 16 runs, including a 3-run bomb by Mark Whiten, to win 16-2. In the semi-final, Mike Smith allowed only one hit as the Wolfpack topped the Jacksonville Hops to move onto the finals for the 16th time in 18 years at the Holiday Classic. Up until this point in the tournament, Boston pitchers had not walked a single batter and only given up 5 runs in 5 games. Everyone on the Pack is grateful that they can continue play baseball and have these opportunities to compete on wonderful fields against great competitors. In addition to the games, the camaraderie with the other teams and the experiences and memories off the field make for amazing lifetime memories. Manager Steve Wolf thanked Gary D'Ambrisi, tournament director, for his 19 years of the best run tournament in the country. One can read the MSBL website write up here..
The Pack lost their first two games to the Chicago TSP and Team Victory, then ticked off 4 straight wins to enter the playoffs as the second seed. Behind the pitching of Rodney Tafoya and Jose Delgado, the Wolfpack defeated the So. Cal Blue Jays to set up another final against Team Victory. League Write up is here.
The first ever Games were held in Toronto, Canada in 1985. Since then seven other cities have hosted the global event including Sydney in 2009 and Torino in 2013. The next Games are in 2021 in Kansai, Japan. Eleven players made the 22+ hour flight to New Zealand where they were joined by Kiwi James "Hemi" Marcum. A quick trip to tournament headquarters to pick up credentials and the adventure had begun. The DeadStars were the only other team entered into the 45+ Competitive division with Boston so the Gold Medal game was set before the torunament even started. Article on tournament from MSBL WebsiteThe Pack lost game 1 to the DeadStars 2-1. Some defensive miscues and lethargic bats after long trip didn't help. The Opening Ceremonies followed that evening at the All Blacks Rugby Stadium and things turned around after that with the Wolfpack rattling off 6 straight wins, outscoring their opponents 75-8, and earning 10-2 and 10-0 wins over the DeadStars along the way. Boston got wins by Miguel Rivera (2), Gary Vallerand, Rodney Tafoya, and Jose Delgado posting a combined 1.44 ERA. Eddie Fuller led all hitters with a .640 batting average despite being hit with the Tasmanian flu all week. The team had one off day, ANZAC Day in New Zealand, and took a road trip to Hemi's home village in Paeroa, saw the giant L&P bottle, raced Hakas, visited Waihi Beach and Owharoa Falls, and tasted Hokey Pokey ice cream. The team made it back in time to defeat the Scots Vaqueros, 24-0. Article on Rodney Tafoya from Baseball New ZealandWith rain in the forecast for the weekend, the Gold Medal games were moved from Sunday to Friday. Two games were lopped off the schedule but this was a wise move by Baseball NZ as the fields were unplayable by Saturday morning. The Gold Medal game was a rematch of DeadStars ace Dave Rosser and Boston's Mercado. The Pack jumped ahead with three runs in the first on singles by Dave Benedict and Fuller and a double by Delgado. Russ Ward plated Delgado with a single and that was all Rosser was to let up the rest of the game. The Deadstars got one in the second and one in the third and after a lead-off single in the fourth, Benedict replaced Mercado and held off Sydney the rest of the way to earn the 3-2 victory. The final weekend was a washout but the Pack enjoyed a hike up One Tree Hill, some nice meals and the Closing Ceremonies. Then the Boston Wolfpack hopped on a 22-hour flight back to the USA full of awesome baseball memories, special life experiences, and memories with teammates and friends that will last a lifetime, all thanks to baseball. Watch the Gold Medal Game here.
This year, the tournament shifted to Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee, Florida, the former host site for the Houston Astros Spring Training. The complex is an improvement over Disney's Wide World of Sports with 6 diamonds, 5 of which are lit. The compact nature of the complex provided lots of opportunities for teams to interact with each other. The Wolfpack was in a battle from Game One as the host team Orlando Yankees gave the defending champs all they could handle. Jim Kearschner pitched a complete game 4-hitter for the win but it required the Pack to come back from a 3-1 deficit and a 5-3 deficit, finally scoring 3 in the top of the 9th to take the lead for good. Kenny Craddox had a key RBI double in the 5th and 2-RBI single in the 9th to rally squad. Miguel Rivera pitched a 5-hit shutout and Chris Arconti followed that with a win over Maine and the Pack was 3-0 in pool play. In Quarterfinals, Mike Smith faced a scrappy Westchester County Yankees team that kept it close until Russ Ward knocked in 2 runs inthe 5th to extend the lead to 4-1. The Yankees made it 4-2 until Jeff Fox blasted a double that scored two in the either and the Pack was on to the Semi-Finals. For the semifinal, the Wolfpack faced the Vituro Health Cardinals out of Alabama. Edgardo Mercado started and was spotted a 3-0 lead but the strong Cardinals team fought back to make it 4-3. Dave Benedict entered in relief in the 8th and shut the door while the Pack tacked on 2 runs in the 9th on a bases loaded double by Carmelo Bastian. The final featured the Wolfpack and the Chicago Royals, the only two teams to win the Holiday Classic in the last 10 years. Boston has won every year since 2008 except 2015, the year the Royals won. With Benedict on the mound, the game was 0-0 through four thanks in part to a triple play executed by the Pack in the first inning. Then Boston broke things open in the 5th with a 1-out double by Jose Delgado followed by the next 3 players getting hits and the Wolfpack was up 2-0. The Pack sent 8 to the plate in the 6th scoring 4 runs and building the lead to 6-0. The Boston defense and Benedict's pitching were the story the rest of the way as the powerful Chicago lineup was able to score only a single run. Benedict retired the last 10 Royal batters to secure the Wolfpack victory and was named Tournament MVP. The MSBL Website summary is here.
The Pack defeated the Houston Old-Stars 13-3 with Mike Smith picking up the win. The offense was led by Larry See going 4-4 and several others with multiple hits. In game 2, Boston game back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat Team Victory 4-3. Carmelo Bastian roped a clutch 2-out single to plate the winning run in the bottom of the 8th. Dave Benedict picked up the win in relief of Edgard Mercado. Jim Kearschner pitched a complete game win over the Southern Cal Blue Jays and the pack rolled to an 11-2 win in Game 3 and Chris Arconti got the 4-0 complete game win over the Old Stars. The highlight of the pool round was game 2 against Victory. Miguel Rivera starteted and went 4+ innings. Victory scored 3 in the 2nd and the Pack came back with 3 in the 3rd. Victory took a 1 run lead in the bottom of the 4th and the back responded with 3 in the top of the 5th. Victory hit back with two in the 5th and the game was ties at 6. Dante Bichette came in to pitch for the Wolfpack and the game remained tied until Victory scratched across 3 runs in the bottom of the 8th. All looked lost as the first two batters in the 9th grounded out but a triple by Jose Delgado ignited a Pack run that resulted in 9 straight hitters reaching base and 7 Boston runs crossing the plate. Miguel Franquiz knocked in the winning run and the final score was an exciting 13-9 comeback win. Marco Barragan pitched a workman's like complete game in the last pool game against the Blue Jays and the Pack won easily 11-2. The bye to the final was secured. The Pack lost in finals, the only game they lost in 2016, going 17-1 in tournament play for the year.
After defeating the Brew City Panthers in the semifinals, Boston faced the other division winner, the Paramount Pirates, who won an 11-10 walk off semifinal in extra innings against the Las Vegas Warriors. The Pirates scored first to take a 1-0 lead in the first. The Wolfpack got one back in the third inning as Panthers pitcher 'Junior' and Pack hurler Jim Kearschner pitched strong. In the 4th, a lead-off double by Larry See, followed by a home run by Jose Delgado, put Boston ahead for good, 3-1. The Wolfpack blew it open in the sixth on a 1-out double by Kamal Asar followed by a 2-run bomb by Mike Smith. See then hit another double followed by three straight singles by Delgado, Dave Benedict and Russ Ward to put the Pack up 8-1. Smith put the exclamation point on the win with his second homer of the game, and third of the tournament, in the eighth inning. Kearschner pitched a complete game scattering nine hits and allowing only two earned runs.
In a rain impacted tournament, the Pack went 3-0 in pool play with strong pitching performances by Miguel Rivera, Bob Cuff, and Jim Kearschner. Mike Smith scored 2 out of the 3 runs in a 5 inning, 90 minute limit makeup game against the Jacksonville Hops. In game 3, the Pack scored 5 early runs but then went into cruise control that allowed the Nassau Yankees to battle back and tie the game in the top of the 9th inning. Fortuntately, Mark Moise led off the 9th with a walk, was sacrificed to second by Kenny Craddox and was knocked in by Bastian with a walk off single. Chris Arconti was dominante in the quarterfinals leading Boston to a 9-1 win over All Star Baseball Academy. Jose Delgado and Kamal Asar had 2 RBIs each and Smith threw the semi final over the US Cruisers 5-3. For the final, the Wolfpack faced the Marlins team that had eliminated them from the 2015 Holiday Classic. Edgardo Mercado started and was quickly in a 4-0 hole as the Miami team executed some timely hits and base running. But the Pack kept battling, getting four straight batters on base in the 5th. Then with one out, Bastian blaster a 3-run triple to left center field and the game was tied. Moise plated Bastian on a fielder's choice and Boston took the lead for good. MSBL Website summary is here.
The semi final was a rematch with the Houston Old Stars. Clemens was gone and Woody Williams and the rest of the Old Stars were no match for the hungry Pack behind the second complete game by Edgardo Mercado. The Championship game was a re-match of last year's final against Team Victory. The Pack lost 4-2 as Victory scored 3 runs in the second inning and held Boston at bay. Details from the MSBL website are here.
Boston gets wins behind strong pitching from Edgardo Mercado, Miguel Rivera, Bob Cuff and Marco Barragan. But the long weekend took a toll on the Pack and they came out flat in the championship game against Team Victory. A couple early erros and poor hitting wasted a strong outing by Jim Kearschner and the Wolfpack went down 11-1. MSBL website detail are here.
The Pack defeated all comers besting the Colorado Blues with a strong pitching performance by Dave Benedict and a clutch 3B by Russ Ward in Game 1. Edgardo Mercado threw a complete game, 7-2 win over Team Victory in Game 2 and in Game 3, Chris Arconti went the distance in a 18-1 drubbing of 2014 Champion San Antonio Bombers. Jim Kearschner and Doug Flutie combined in Game 4 to best Team New Era and Marco Barragan won Game 4 over the St Louis Game Face. With the #1 seed already wrapped up, the Pack ended the pool round with Game 6 against San Jose. Unfortunately, the Pack lost two players as pitcher Carmelo Morges went down with an elbow strain and Dan Cuff broke his collar bone on an attempted diving catch. Dan was rushed to the ER and patched up. The Pack won 11-4 as Fluite and Ward finished up on the bump. The semi final was a rematch of last year's final and featured a duel between two MLB pitchers as Ray Chadwick pitched for Boston and Mike Smith for San Antonio. The Pack jumped on Smith with 2 in the first and 3 in the second for all the game's scoring. Ward had 3 hits and 2 RBIs, Eddie Fuller has 2 hits, 2R, 1 RBI, Mark Moise had a huge 3B and R, and Benedict had and RBI and run scored. The Championship game was a re-match of Game 2 with starting pitchers Mercado and Greg Bertand back on the hill for their respective teams. This time, the outcome was different as some Wolfpack missteps and timely hits by Team Victory scuttled the Pack's hopes for a title. Click here to read about it at MSBLNational.com.
The Pack struggled in game one against the Las Vegas 50s. Starting pitcher Jim Kearschner kept things close and then Edgardo Mercado took over. A clutch, two out, 2B by Burlin Germany in the 7th tied the game and a two out, two run double by Larry See in the 8th inning propelled the Pack to a 7-5 win. In game 2, Miguel Rivera kept Team Victory at bay and the Pack bats plated 6 runs led by Dave Benedict, Eddie Fuller, Jay Hoyt, and Paul Rousseau on their way to a 6-3 win. Richie Figueroa spun a gem in a 15-2 drubbing of the Inland Angels in Game 3. The 17-hit attack clinch #1 seed for the Pack. In the semi final, Marco Barragan keep the Long Island Yankees off balance and the Wolfpack won easily, 11-1. Benedict, Fuller Germany and Rivera continued their strong hitting along with Mike Khoury. The Championship game was a re-match of the 2013 Final won by Boston. This time, the outcome was different as Victory's bats came alive as the wind picked up and the Pack pitching was not effective. Final 12-7 as Pack goes home runner up. Click here to read about it at MSBLNational.com.
Jeff Fox led the team in hitting with 14 hits and a .609 average. Double digit hits where also registered by Doug Flutie, Russ Ward and Mike Khoury. Mario Linaris earned tournament MVP, catching all 6 games and hitting .429 including 3 doubles. The Wolfpack entered the playoffs 2-1 with pitchers Jim Kearshner and Miguel Rivera recording the victories. In the playoffs, the weather warmed up and so did the Pack. Boston defeated the Westchester Pirates 9-1 in the quarterfinals, Flutie going the distance, and the Jacksonville Vikings in the semi-final 9-4 behind a complete game by Ray Chadwick and a 16-hit attack highlighted by a 3-run double in the first by Linaris. In the finals, the Wolfpack faced the Chicago Blue Jays again who had earned the finals with impressive wins over the Maine Diamond Dogs and Nassau Yankees. Bob Cuff threw seven innings allowing nine hits and two runs. The close game was broken open in the 7th with a bases clearing double by Fox that featured all three runners coming down the third base line together. Dave Benedict finished up on the bump to assure a Boston victory. Click here to read about it at MSBLNational.com.
After months of anticipation and speculation, the Boston Wolfpack officially unveiled their new uniforms for 2014 in a private ceremony. It is the sixth uniform change for the Pack since the franchise was organized in 2001.
The Pack had wins over Team Victory and Tri Valley 40's twice to secure the top seed. With strong pitching performances by all Boston's pitchers in this very competitive division, the Pack got wins from Ray Chadwick, Rick Myers and Edgardo Mercado backed with solid defense and timely hitting by Dean Borelli, Russ Ward and Larry See, among others.
Needing to throw a near shutout in game 3 to hope for a chance for a bye, the Pack got a 2-1 gem from Richie Figueroa against the Inland Angels. Flutie, who led the team in hits, runs and SBs, singled in the tying run in the 7th and Bill Flutie plated the winning run in the 8th. Having given up 7 runs in 3 games, the Pack waited by the phone to hear the outcome of Team New Era's final game before learning that they won the division and got the bye into the semi-finals. The semi final was a re-match of last year's Championship game that Team New Era had won 6-5. The Pack took a 3-0 lead in the 3rd only to have New Era tie it in the bottom half. Then Boston went on to score 10 unanswered runs with key hits by Bill Flutie, Russ Ward, and Dave Benedict. Marco Barragan scattered 9 hits in a complete game win. The Championship game was a re-match of the 2011 Final won by Team Victory 5-3. In his second start of the weekend, Kearschner went 6+ innings holding Victory to only one run. Larry See led the Pack with 4 hits and 3 RBIs, Ward crushed a long double and Sac Fly, and Figueroa's two hits paced Boston. Benedict got the save. Click here to read about it at MSBLNational.com.
Boston got winning pitching performances from Edgardo Mercado, Chris Arconti, Bob Cuff, and Miguel Rivera in the round robin. Doug Flutie and German Rivera led the offense as well as Dave Benedict, Dean Borrelli, and Miguel Franquiz. Benedict got the win in the semi final over the San Antonio Reds and Jim Kearschner the win in the Final with Mercado earning the save and tournament MVP. Click here to read about it at MSBLNational.com.
The Pack visited the Goldfield Ghost Town on their off day and met up with some zombies at the local bordello.
Kevin Curtin pitched a gem in Game 1 to defeat the Bethlehem Stars 3-2. After that, the Pack dominated their opponents including a 10-0 semi final 1-hitter thrown by Edgardo "Billy Bob" Mercado. German Rivers led the team in hitting and Sean O'Connor scattered 3 runs in the finals to led the Pack to a 7-3 victory in the championship. Read the write up on MSBLNational.com.
In the pool round, the Pack defeated the Utah Padres 13-0 behind the pitching of Jerry Spencer. Spencer hit a PH homerun in his first at bat as a member of the Wolfpack to help his cause. Game 2 was a 10-3 defeat of the Diamond Dream Mustangs and Game 3 was a 9-8 battle with the nasty Tri Valley Nasty Boys.
All games were played at the Disney ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Spring Training home of the Atlanta Braves. Boston got strong pitching performances from Miguel Rivera, Edgardo Mercado, Kevin Curtin, Chris Arconti and Richie Figueroa. Russ Ward led the team in hitting.
In the quarterfinals, Marco Barragan faced Kip Gross and the Price Cutter Coors team going all 11 innings in the Wolfpack comeback victory. Larry See was locked in going 4-6, 3 2B, 5 RBIs in the 11-8 victory including the game winning 3-run double. But the Pack final hit the wall, playing a fresh Team Victory scoreless through 6 innings, Boston gave up 9 runs and said goodbye to the 2010 season with the satisfaction of winning 3 out of 4 tournaments.
A thin Wolfpack team crushed the ball all weekend and got great pitching performances from Marco Barragan, Rick Myers, and Richie Figueroa allowing only 4 runs total the pool games. In finals, Team Victory broke open a 1-1 tie in the top of the 3rd on a walk, three hits, another hit down the line that everyone but the umpires thought was foul and didn't go after and after 2.5 it was 7-1 Team Victory. Marco Barragan came in to pitch in the 4th and shut Team Victory down giving up only 3 hits the rest of the way. Bill Hawkins for Team Victory was cruising as the Wolfpack left men on base in the 3rd, 4th, and 6th without scoring. Then in bottom of the 7th, the Wolfpack finally rallied with Carmelo Bastain leading off with a single followed by two more hits, a HBP, a FC and hits by Miguel Franquiz and Russ Ward. The Pack plated 3 runs and had bases loaded with one out but Hawkins induced a DP to get out of the jam leaving the score now 7-4. In bottom of the 8th, Larry See led off with a single, another HBP to Bastain and a double by Bobby Vegas made the score 7-6. Carlos Molinaris singled home the tying run, Glen Burns singled and then with first and third, 2 outs, Franquiz singled home the go ahead run. Barragan gave up a hit in the 9th but the final out was a slow roller to first and the Wolfpack secured the comeback. Team Victory defeated the Wolfpack in 2009 LV Kickoff Classic final and had won 7-8 straight tournaments since 2009. The Pool round game was also won by the Boston Wolfpack 6-2 over Team Victory on an impressive pitching performance by Rick Myers that featured a HR off the scoreboard by Larry See. The Boston Wolfpack won their third pool game against Tri-Valley 40's to secure the bye into the finals. Richie Figueroa threw a complete game aloowing 3 hits for the 4-1 win. Tri-Valley got a single in the first on 2 hits and a BB and then had only one hit the rest of the way. Wolfpack scored 3 in the 5th on an RBI single by Russ Ward and 2-RBI double by Rosario Carrion. Boston plated an insurance run in the 7th on a safety squeeze by Ward to score Steve Wolf.
The Wolfpack got great pitching performances from Kevin Curtin, Jay Hoyt, Richie Figueroa and Junior Rentas allowing only 2 runs total in four games. Offensive stars included Rentas, Carmelo Bastain, Bobby Iandoli, and tournament MVP German Rivera.
Read more about trip and how Russ Ward became a Cuban legend here.
Sean O'Connor pitched a complete game shut out and over came several errors and baserunning miscues to pick up the win. The Pack picked up two in the first on a single by Rosaio Carrion and a double by Carmelo Bastain. They then stranded nine runners until finally scoring an insurance run in the 8th on back-to-back doubles by German Rivera and Richie Figueroa. Boston dominated in the pool round behind the hitting of Carrion, Russ Ward, Bastain, and Rivera scoring 39 runs in 3 games behind the pitching of Jimmy Lee, Frank Watson, and Scott Combs. In the semi-final, Figueroa pitched 7 shutout innings while John Collins, Ward, and Rivera scored a combined 10 runs as the Pack defeated the Orlando Blazers 15-1.
Chris Arconti had two wins and gave all he had in the finals on no days rest (24 total innings for the week). Marco Barragan also had two wins including a gutsy performance in the semi final victory over the Kansas City Astros and a pool round win over defending champions Team Easton. Rick Myers helped clinch the Division Title with a 9-5 victory over Team New Era in the pool round with Tony Castro closing. Anyone for best of three?
Sean O'Connor, pitching in his first game since shoulder surgery, keep the Bombers bats quiet while he waited for the 'Pack to get him some support. Finally, in the 7th inning, Miguel Franquiz led off with a single and the next 8 hitters got on base highlighted by 2 2-run single by German Rivera and a 3-run double by Dave Garofano. Boston plated 13 runs in the inning to take command of the game. Bobby "Vegas, Phoenix, Anywhere" Iandoli was the tournament MVP batting .800 with 12 hits. The Wolfpack Scored 80 runs in 6 games and got stellar pitching and defense. Russ Ward and Junior Rentas had big hits every game while everyone on the team had a great hitting tournament. Victories were earned by Jim Lee, Rick Myers, and Scott Combs in the three pool games with Richie Figueroa picking up the win in the Semi Finals versus the Bethlehem Stars.
Read more and watch the video here.
Boston won their first 5 pool games with wins over Aqua Dulce Reds (twice), California Old Blues, Dallas Blue Stars, and the So Cal Stars. The Pack was defeated by Dallas in the last pool game but had clinched the Division Title and drew the bye into the Finals. Dickie Pacino, Rich Erwin, Chris Arconti, George Johnson, and Rick Myers picked up the victories with the help of big hits all tournament by Glen Burns, Iandoli, Figueroa, Paul Rousseau, and Rosario Carrion among others. Hoy está bueno! Be-Be-Be-Be! Arriba el son!!!!
It is the Wolfpack's 8th World Series tournament and first championship. With this title, the Boston Wolfpack has won all 4 MSBL National Tournaments in 2008, a tribute to a great bunch of guys that love to play baseball. ![]() Russ' adventure on his return to Boston
Click on image to see Ward's Hall of Fame Plaque.
In Finals, Junior Rentas got the win in relief. Mark Moise knocked in two with a two out single in top of the ninth with the bases loaded. Awesome performance put in by all especially Richie Figueroa (2 hit 1-0 shutout in semis), Bill Speakman (8+ IP in pool win over Team USA), Paul Rousseau (.533), Carmello Bastian (5 RBIs), and Bobby "Vegas" Iandoli. "Carrrrr-mellllllllllo...... o-o-o-o! Carrrrr-mellllllllllo...... o-o-o-o!"
The 'Pack rolled off victories from Bill Speakman, Rich Erwin and Rick Myers behind the powerful hitting of manada de lobos, Rosario Carrion, Carmello Bastian, and Ricardo Figueroa. The supporting cast of the Utah Boys, GPS Man (Ben Z.), and Ralphy Caputo provided the Wolfpack with enough to win after being bridemaids for the last 3 years. Richie Fig pitched 7+ innings in the finals against the San Diego Stars and Tony Walker. Myers, who got the complete game victory in the semi-final, picked up the save. Figueroa's 2-out double with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth broke open a tight game as the Wolfpack plated 5 runs in the 8th to secure their first Championship in Las Vegas. More details to follow...
![]()
The Pack went 3-0 in the pool round, winning game one against the DC Cards 13-4. Jim Lee got the win and Garofano went 3-3. Mike Whatley then threw a no-hitter in game two against the South Jersey Phillies with the final score being 17-3 in the rain. No one realized at the time that this Phillies team would make the finals. Boston then won the third pool game 7-0 against the LA Crude behind the pitching of Dennis Bresnahan and key hits by Ken Connerty and German Rivera. The Semi-Final game pitted the Wolfpack against the Puerto Rico Rangers, the same team that defeated the Pack in last year's final. Boston took leads of 1-0 and 3-1 only to have the Rangers knot things up. Then in the 8th, after a HBP to John Collins and a BB to Rivera, Dave 'Rhino' Garofano laced a triple by the right fielder to put the Wolfpack ahead for good. Puerto Rico got two on in the 9th with no outs but Richie Figueroa was able to close out the inning leaving the tying run on third. In the other semi-final, the Philles, led by manager Wayne Baker, destroyed the undefeated Bethlehem Stars 13-2 to force a rematch with Boston.
![]() ![]()
To read more, click here.
The Pack was joined by Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd who was a member of the 1986 Boston Red Sox World Series team. The Can pitched 18 innings, giving up one run and earning a win and a no-decision. Rich Erwin, Rick Myers, and Dave Joseph picked up the other wins. Jim Fier and Russ Ward led the attack while the entire team contributed on both offense and defense. On Day 3, Boston stumbled and got swept in a DH that eventually would cost them the bye and possibly the tournament. The Pack roared back on Day 4 to beat the St. Louis Gameface behind the pitching of Joseph and timely hitting by Richie Figueroa and Boyd. Without the bye, the Pack went to work against the East Valley Yankees in the quarterfinals. Oil Can pitched 9 innings in 85 degrees and gave up on run. The Pack tied the game in the bottom of the 9th, when Boyd led off the inning with a single. Steve Wolf pinch ran and stole second. Fier bunted him to third and Wolf scored on a single by John Collins. Figueroa came on in relief and held the Yankees scoreless in the 10th and 11th. Boston pushed across the winning run in the bottom of the 11th on a bases loaded single by Collins after singles by Kevin Locke andd Rick Myers, and walk to Fier loaded the bases. Having to play an extra game, and with that game going extra innings, the Pack faced a big challenge facing a rested RI team with 30 players on their roster. In spite of a few errors, the Wolfpack clung to a 7-6 lead into the 7th inning but were unable to keep the Salty Dogs at bay.
The Pack fought back from an 0-2 start, losing both games by a total oof 3 runs. They avenged their loss in the Kickoff finals to the SoCal Angels in game 3, sending the Angels home and qualifying Boston for the last playoff spot. The Pack then upset top seeded San Diego Stars in the Semi-finals behind clutch pitching and hitting by Richie Figueroa and Rick Myers. In the finals, Myers came back again to start and the Pack jumped to a 3-0 lead. Boston still held onto a 4-3 lead after 5 but in the 6th, AD finally took advantage of Boston's tired pitching and broke the game open. The Pack got steller performances from Mark Moise, who caught all five games while batting leadoff and hitting .619 for the tournament and Richie Fig batted .650 and hit a grand slam in Game 1 to tie it up. Jim Fier and Glen Burns were two newcomers that tore the cover off the ball and we witnessed the emergence of Bobby Vegas
The 'Pack went 3-1 in Pool Play and then beat the Atlanta Giants in the quarters behind Rich Erwin and the Twin Cities Crosstown Traffic in the Semis behind Franz Strassman. After jumping to a 6-0 in the Finals versus the Angels, Boston could not stop the bleeding and we left one win short of their goal once again. The Pack enjoyed game time temperatures in the high 80's while back home was hit with 10 inches of snow and cold.
![]() ![]()
The Wolfpack went undefeated in Pool Play, with wins from Russ Ward, Kevin Locke, and Tom Kelly, and beat San Antonio in the semi-finals behind Sean O'Connor.
![]() ![]()
The Fedlock Falcons won the 38+ Wood Bat National Division Championship, the toughest division in the tournament, with the help of 37 year old Pete Schourek, yeah, you do the math. The Pack had great games against Kansas City Charlie's Boyz and Price Cutter Coors with Kevin Curtin and Russ Ward pitching gems.
![]() ![]()
![]() ![]()
The 'Pack went on to win their next two games plus the Quarterfinals against the Boston Braves, but then lost a squeaker to the Jacksonville Vikings 3-2 in the Semi-Finals.
![]() ![]()
Last year, the Boston Wolfpack finished 4-1 overall, losing in the semifinals to the defending National Division World Series Champion Tri-Valley 40's.
Game 2: Wolfpack 9, Chicago Yankees 6 Gary Keil started and got the win. Paul Calvi played spectacular defense at SS and went 2-4 including a 2 run double in the 8th to seal the victory. Sean O'Connor pitched the final three innings for the save. Game 3: Charlestown Yankees 18, Wolfpack 8 Having clinched a playoff spot, the Wolfpack rested their tired pitchers. Semi Finals: Wolfpack 16, Orlando Select 12 Sean O'Connor pitched 9 strong innings as the Wolfpack defeated last season's tournament runner ups. Steve Wolf hit a 3-run HR and Paul Calvi, Kevin Locke, Clair Crandall and Tim Finnegan had 3 hits a piece. Finals: Wolfpack 14, Charlestown Yankees 7 In a re-match against Charlestown at Disney Stadium, Kevin Locke pitched a complete game victory as Boston Wolfpack won the 2001 Disney Holiday Classic!! After falling behind 5-0 after two, the Wolfpack outscored the Yankees 14-2 the rest of the way. Dickie Pacino went 2-4 with 2 doubles and 4 RBIs. Sean O'Connor went 4-4, Steve Wolf 3-4, Kevin Locke 3-5, and Paul Calvi 3-5 with 3 RBIs in a balanced attacked that brought home the Championship. Team MVP: Kevin Locke -- Locke went 2-0 in the tournament with wins over last year's champions and this year's runner-ups. He also hit over .500 and knocked in a ton of runs. Equally as valuable were Sean O'Connor, who won one game and saved two, while batting 1.000 and Dickie Pacino who crushed the ball the entire tournament and had two huge doubles in the Championship game. Click for Hardball Magazine article.
For more information on the Boston Wolfpack or if you are interested in playing for the 'Pack in an upcoming tournament, please contact wolf at bostonwolfpack dot com. Thanks!
You're visitor # © Copyright 2001-2021 - Boston
Wolfpack Baseball Club |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||