The Martha’s Vineyard Little League Majors and AAA Minors All-Star games were played under clear blue skies on Saturday at Penn Field, providing spirited and entertaining play for supportive fans. According to the format, the four All-Star teams consist of 10 players, two from each of the five league teams.
Team Jelly, under head coach Paul Cardoza, defeated Jeff Zack’s Team Peanut Butter, 9-1, in the Majors game, while The AAA Minors game saw Team Jeff Day beat Team Kyle Gatchell, 15-4.
In the Majors game, Team Jelly sent ten batters to the plate in the top of the second and scored five runs. They would add to the lead with single runs in the third and fourth innings and two more in the fifth. Peanut Butter avoided a shutout by pushing across a run in the bottom of the sixth.
The game was marked by fine defensive plays on both sides, including four line drive outs that were smartly converted into double plays. Offensively, Luke Silvia, Josh Salop, Zak Potter and Connor Graves reached base twice for Jelly while Eli Bryant did the same for Peanut Butter. Luke Silvia pitched the first two innings for Jelly and was credited with the win.
The AAA Minors game followed a similar pattern, with Team Day starting fast and then building on their lead. They would average three runs per inning over the five-inning contest. Team Day’s Donnie Gregory, Blake Kingsley and Cian Davis had two hits apiece while John Ruzzo belted a home run. For Team Gatchell, Tripp Murphy reached base three times on a hit and two walks, and Isaac Lefebvre had two hits and a run scored.
It was a good day all around for youth baseball on the Island.
