Hello again fans of the QVBL and welcome to the weekly recaps for Week 9. We hoped you enjoyed your fireworks and cookouts for the 4th of July holiday, because we have some more fireworks on display in this week's action.

Orioles 6, Braves 0

The Orioles beat the Braves 6-0 at Whalley Field in Southwick. The heat and humidity seemed to aid both starting pitchers as the game was 1-0 after 4 innings.  For the Orioles, Jasper Adams and Matt Morin combined on the one hit shutout. For the Braves Matt Pennas and Jason DiNicola kept the Orioles bats mostly quiet all day. The Orioles Jon Surratt drove in 2 with a double in the fifth. The Braves Collin Fecteau lined a single to lead off the third to provide the only hit of the game for the Braves.

Cardinals 15, Pirates 3

In the second battle of the season between these two teams, the Cardinals got off to a red-hot start by scoring 5 runs in the bottom of the first inning. However, the Pirates came back with runs in the 3 of the next 5 innings to cut the lead to 2 after 5 ½ innings of play. But unfortunately, that is as close as they would come as the Cardinals came back with 10 unanswered runs in their last 3 innings at-bat to come away with the win.

For the Cardinals, Jake Haglestein and Mike Orcutt led the way on both the mound and at the plate, only allowing the 3 runs on 6 strikeouts for game while combining for 5 hits and 7 RBIs. Chris Dastous and Daniel Vreeland also got in on the action grabbing 2 hits apiece. The Cardinals also got some help with return of long-time team member Paul Kaplan as he was called in from the pool reserve roster to fill in for today's game. Paul is the longest tenured league player, having played in the league since it's inception in 1996.

For the Pirates, Andy Ayres led the Pirates offense with 3 hits, while Dave Dale, Matt Kostek and Dave LeBoeuf each drove in a run apiece for the Bucs.

Tigers 7, Dodgers 3

After a tightly contested battle in their last meeting, the second matchup of the season between the Tigers and the Dodgers was sure not to disappoint. The Tigers got off to the early lead pouncing on the Dodgers pitching scoring all of their 7 runs in the first 3 ½ innings of play. However, the Dodger offense was able to climb back a little bit with 2 runs in the bottom half of the 4th to bring this game closer but it was to be for not as the Tiger pitching stymied the Dodgers offense only allowing 1 run the rest of the way to come out victorious.

For the Tigers, Randy Guertin picked up the win, only allowing 2 runs with 4 strikeouts over 5 innings, while Rob Peritz led the offense getting on base 3 times.

For the Dodgers, Mike Afflitto led the offense with 2 hits and pitching 1 2/3 innings of work in relief. Mike Prattico and Aidan Breen also led the Dodgers pitching staff combining for 2 hits over 4 shutout innings.

Week 10’s matchups:

Braves-Cardinals: Mittineague Park, West Springfield

Tigers-Pirates: Daley Field, Nonotuck Park, Easthampton

Orioles-Dodgers: Whalley Park, Southwick

Hello again fans of the Quabbin and welcome to the weekly recaps for Week 8. Once again there was some exciting action this past week. One of the games ended on a walk-off and another game saw a historic upset. Let’s take a look at the action.

Braves 14, Pirates 5

It took a couple of innings, but the bats got going for the Braves as they built a 10-2 lead early against two Pirates pitchers. Andy Ayres slowed the scoring later in the game, but Braves pitching kept the Pirates at bay for almost the entire game. Wil Burgos had a big day for the Braves with three hits. Adam Kinney allowed one earned run across three innings in the start. Jamie Ryan added two good innings, and Matt Pennas finished off the game with four quality innings. The Braves are now 5-2 this season. The Pirates Steve Bilodeau had three hits.

Tigers 10, Orioles 7

It was the second game in the rematch of last year’s league championship game between the Orioles and the Tigers and it did not disappoint. The Tigers jumped out to an early lead as they scored 5 runs right out of the gate in the game’s opening half inning and took a 9-4 lead after 3 ½ innings of play. But the undefeated Orioles were not going to go down easily as the came back in the bottom of the 4th with 3 runs of their own as they were able to pull back within 2.

But unfortunately, that is as close as the Orioles would come as dominant pitching from both sides led the rest of the way. The teams were locked in a pitchers’ duel for the rest of the game as Joe Perlak for the Tigers and Matt Morin for the Orioles shut the bats down on both sides. In the end, the Tigers came away with their first win over the Orioles since July of 2019. This also marked the first non-forfeited loss for the Orioles since August of 2022. An incredible 26 game winning streak (including playoffs)! A truly amazing accomplishment.

For the Tigers, Bob Darrow led the offense with 3 hits, including a double and 2 RBIs. Brad Bullough and Zack Kundel also reached base twice in the winning cause.

For the Orioles, Humberto Rodriguez led the attack with 3 hits of his own including a double and a RBI. While Matt Morin, Damon Bachman, Jon Surratt and Todd daCunha each collected 2 knocks in the losing effort.

Dodgers 12, Cardinals 11

A great matchup was on hand at Mittineague Park in West Springfield as the Cardinals and Dodgers squared off for the second time this season, with the Cardinals victorious in the first outing 8-7 in Week 3. The teams traded punches early and often in this back-and-forth affair as the Dodgers held a two-run cushion after six innings. Then the Dodgers widened their margin with some timely hits to push the lead to 5. However, the Cardinals would not be swayed as they came back to tie and took the lead off an Eric Haglestein infield single to lead by one going into the bottom of the ninth. The Dodgers bat continued to battle as a clutch triple by Aidan Breen brought in the tying run with no one out. Then, Ian Handfield came up big in the next at bat as he sent the ball up the middle which brought in the winning walk-off run.

For the Dodgers, reserve Drew Febus and Aidan Breen led the offense with 7 hits and 7 RBIs for the team, while Chris Finch, Aidan Breen and Mike Prattico provided 6 and 2/3 innings of solid work on the mound with Mike getting the win.

For the Cardinals, Jake Haglestein and Todd Zuzula provided some solid at-bats for the offense. While on the mound, Michael Orcutt and Zach Holt along with Jake pitched solid games while battling the tough humid conditions.

Week 9’s matchups:

Tigers @ Dodgers: Mittineague Park, West Springfield

Pirates @ Cardinals: Daley Field, Nonotuck Park, Easthampton

Braves @ Orioles: Whalley Park, Southwick

How’s it going Quabbin Nation? Hopefully everyone enjoyed the past week. There was an exciting slate for Week 7 as we had our first doubleheaders of the season. The first games of the day were makeups from the May 5th rainout and the second games are the regularly scheduled wood-bat matchups. Let’s take a look at the action!

Game 1: Braves 10, Tigers 6

Game 2: Tigers 8, Braves 7

Game 1 of the double-dip was a back-and-forth affair between the Braves and Tigers. The Braves took an early 4-1 lead after 3 innings of play. The Tigers came roaring back with 4 runs in the top of the 5th inning to take the lead by one. However, the Braves chopped down that deficit and retook the lead with 4 runs of their own in the bottom half of the frame and held on the rest of the way.

Game 2 looked early on like it was going to be a sweep of the doubleheader for the Braves. The team had a 6-1 lead after five innings of play and even added one in the top of the 7th inning to push the lead to 6 leaving a mountain to climb for the Tigers. However, the Tigers had their eyes on the top of the mountain as they climbed out of hole with 7 runs in their final at-bats to walk-off with an 8-7 win.

Game 1: Orioles 12, Cardinals 1

Game 2: Orioles 11, Cardinals 1

The Orioles take both ends of the double header against the Cards behind strong starting pitching. Game 1 ended 12-1, while game 2, which was 3-1 heading to the seventh, ended 11-1. The Orioles Jon Surratt (Game 1) and Ronal Rivera (Game 2) had solid outings on the mound. Jasper Adams closed out game 1 and started game 2 to bridge the gap between the games. The Orioles lineup put together a balanced attack all day with some timely hits.

For the Cards, newcomer Michael Orcutt played well on both sides of the ball and made two strong plays at home plate to prevent scoring runs. Dan Vreeland caught both ends and was on base several times. In Game 2, Cards ace Jake Hagelstein kept the Orioles in check through 6.

Game 1: Dodgers 6, Pirates 5

Game 2: Dodgers 7, Pirates 4

In a battle of two teams yet to crack the win column this season, the Pirates and the Dodgers battled through tough conditions with both the fields and the weather as the matchups would be shifted from Landers Field to the Beachgrounds in South Hadley. Special thanks to Pirates catcher Stephen Higgins who not only caught the entire doubleheader but also took charge in prepping the fields. Awesome job Stephen.

In Game 1, the two teams battled it out to a 5-5 tie through the first 4 innings led by some key hits from Pirates’ Luke Cavagnac and the Dodgers’ Tim Smalley. The teams also traded some sound pitching from Pool Reserve players Rick Stacy for the Pirates and Tom Salvini for the Dodgers. The key moment came in the bottom of the 5th as the Dodgers’ Luis Calderon ripped an RBI single to center to bring in the eventual go-ahead run to help the Dodgers secured the new franchise’s first win of 2024.

In Game 2, the teams decided to cut the game down to 5 innings due to the extreme humidity. But the teams still battled through as the game was close throughout. The two teams traded blows early and often as the score ended up being tied at 4 through four innings of play. The Pirates offense had some key some more key RBIs from Luke Cavagnac and Andy Ayres, while outfielder Dave Dale showed his wizardry with some amazing catches to hold the Dodgers at bay. But the Dodgers offense was not to be held off for long as Ian Handfield and Aidan Breen delivered some clutch RBI knocks. In the 5th and final inning, the Dodgers eventually broke open the score with 3 runs off of RBI hits from Tim Smalley and Chris Finch and Mike Afflitto came in to shut the door in the bottom half of the inning to secure the sweep. Kudos goes to George Wilnesky and Ken Vautrin Jr for their solid pitching on the mound in both games.

Week 8’s matchups:

Cardinals @ Dodgers: Mittineague Park, West Springfield

Braves @ Pirates: Daley Field, Nonotuck Park, Easthampton

Tigers @ Orioles: Landers Field, South Hadley High School, South Hadley

Hello again Quabbin fans and welcome to the Father’s Day addition of the Weekly Recaps. I know what you’re thinking, why in the world did wait so long to post the articles? Well to be honest, a lot of the guys were just enjoying the day with their families. That’s all. So please, don’t get mad, but just be glad we have Week 6 action to recap. Here we go!

Orioles 13, Pirates 1

The Orioles beat the Pirates 13-1 at Daley field in Easthampton on Father’s Day. O's starter Jasper Adams (3 innings pitched) and Ronal Rivera (4 innings pitched) combined for seventeen strikeouts, while allowing only one hit and one run. O’s reserve Chris Hart made his 2024 debut contributing a double and a run scored. O’s Jon Surratt pitched the final two innings. In the 5th inning, Surratt pulled off a very rare steal of home plate.

Veteran Pirate Andy Ayres toed the rubber and kept the O’s offense in check until the 5th. On the offensive side for the Pirates, Mo Partee drilled a single to center for the team’s only hit and scored a run. Matthew Kostek brought home the lone run with a bases-loaded HBP.

Cardinals 8, Tigers 3

It was a nice day for baseball on Father's Day. The fan support of families showed up for both the visiting Cardinals and the home team Tigers. It was a tight game through 6 innings with a score of 3-2 in favor of the Cards with Hagelstein striking out 9 batters in 6 innings and Orcutt closing the last 3 innings with 3 strikeouts of his own. The flood gates opened in the 7th inning for the Cardinals with 6 consecutive hits, leading to an 8-3 victory.

For the Tigers, Shaun Mason pitched well, only allowing 3 runs on 2 hits with 8 punch outs over 6 innings of work. Andy Reiter and Bob Darrow helped spur the Tiger offense collecting two hits each.

Braves 17, Dodgers 11

Sunday afternoon, the first Quabbin League game held at Whalley Park in Southwick was a wild one. The Dodgers took the early advantage in the game with some key hits as well as taking advantage of some fielding miscues to build an 8-2 lead. The Braves would make their way back in the middle innings, getting their bats going in the fifth and sixth innings and taking a big league. Adam Kinney and Matt Pennas would quiet the Dodgers bats for three innings before the Dodgers put up a few runs in the eighth. But Jason DiNicola shut the door in the ninth, closing with a scoreless inning for the Braves third win of the season.

For the Dodgers, Tim Smalley led the way with 4 hits and 2 RBIs, Aidan Breen collected 3 RBIs of his own and both Mike Afflitto and Mike Prattico collected a pair of hits in the losing effort.

Week 7’s doubleheader matchups:

Tigers-Braves: Mittineague Park, West Springfield

Cardinals Orioles: Daley Field, Nonotuck Park, Easthampton

Pirates-Dodgers: Landers Field, South Hadley High School, South Hadley

Happy June Quabbin Nation! I hope everyone enjoyed the unofficial start of summer with Memorial Day weekend. Now that we’ve all had some time to enjoy some food of the grill, hopefully there is room left on your plate for some baseball (and maybe some apple pie) as the league kicked off Week 4 in style with a trio of appetizing matchup which included matchup of undefeated teams, a pitcher’s duel and thrilling back-and-forth duel that ended in dramatic fashion. So, without further or due, here we go!

Orioles 13, Braves 2

The Orioles won the battle of the undefeated teams last Sunday morning at South Hadley High School. Ronal Rivera went six innings, allowing 3 hits, while recording 7 strike outs. and kept the Braves bats shut down. The Orioles offense was able to have a big inning in the second to get staked to a 6-0 lead and did not look back from there. Matt Morin pitched the last three innings, recording 8 strikeouts. Orioles reserve and longtime league member Matt Boulanger had two hits, including a double. Humberto Rodriguez and Nick Ochs also added two hits apiece.

Cardinals 3, Pirates 0

A great pitching duel took place between the Cardinals and the Pirates on Sunday. Jake Hagelstein and Michael Orcutt combined on a three-hit shutout as the Cardinals snapped a scoreless tie in the ninth to beat the Pirates 3-0 at the Beachgrounds. The father-son duo of Jake and Ed Hagelstein each drove in runs in the rally.

Pirates starter George Wilensky pitched six no-hit innings while walking six backed by an error-free Bucs effort that got nice defense from J-Magic Fisher in left. Steve Bilodeau had a double and catcher Steve Higgins collected his 100th career hit as a Pirate.

Tiger 8, Dodgers 7

It was a back-and-forth affair for the first matchup of the season between the Dodgers and the Tigers as teams traded runs and hits through the entire game. The Tigers gained the early after a 2nd inning home run blast from Ed Perlak over the left field fence to put them ahead 4-3. After the Tigers put up 2 more runs in the 4th, the Dodgers quickly answered with 2 in the top of the 5th after back-to-back extra base hits from Derek Willett and Mike Afflitto to cut the lead down to 1.

After the Tigers came back with one run in the bottom of the 5th, they were held in check for almost the rest of the game of the pitching performance of rookie Chris Finch, who held the Tigers at bay for 3 2/3 innings until the stage was set in the bottom of the 9th after the Dodgers tied up the score in the 8th. Paul Iellamo III came to bat with the winning run at 3rd sent a slow grounder to the hole at second and after a bang-bang play beat the throw at first allowing Ed Perlak to score the winning run and send the Tigers home with the walk off win.

Ed Perlak led the Tigers with 3 hits and 3 runs scored, while DJ Tucker was a catalyst for the Dodger offense scoring 4 of the teams 7 runs.

Week 5’s matchups:

Braves at Cardinals: Landers Field, South Hadley High School, South Hadley

Tigers at Pirates: Booster Field, Nonotuck Park, Easthampton

Dodgers at Orioles: Beachgrounds Park, South Hadley

Hey QVBL nation! Welcome to the recaps for Week 3. After back-to-back weeks off due to Mother Nature cancelling Week 2 and Mother’s Day, players were eager to play in the only week of games slated for May. There was some awesome action this past Sunday with highly anticipated matchups including a rematch of last year’s title game. Let's look back at the action!

Braves 20, Pirates 5 F/7

The Braves offense came up big in the first two innings as they plated 14 runs to take a huge lead. The Pirates were able to put a few runs on the board in the sixth and seventh innings and the Braves led 16-5. In the bottom of the seventh, the bottom of the Braves’ order set the table for the top against George Wilensky. It ended with a two-run triple by Jason DiNicola, who plated two runs to end the game. The Braves improved to 2-0 for the first time in many years while the Pirates went to 0-2.

Orioles 12, Tigers 3

In a rematch of the 2023 Championship game, the Orioles beat the Tigers 12-3 at the Beachgrounds in South Hadley. Orioles Pitchers Ronal Rivera and Matt Morin keep the Tigers in check most of the day combining for 14 strikeouts. Jon Surratt provided all the offense the Orioles would need with 2 home runs and 5 RBI.

For the Tigers, Shawn Mason pitched the first four innings, also contributing at the plate with a two RBI base hit in the ninth. Dan Dowen and Brad Bullough also had two hits apiece.

Cardinals 8, Dodgers 7

In what turned out to be the game of the week, the game between the Cardinals and the Dodgers was a pretty much evenly matched event and a tight one. It was a pitching duel between Jake Hagelstein for the Cardinals and Mike Prattico for the Dodgers. Both starting pitchers pitched well for their teams going 6 innings each. Both teams swapped leads multiple times but the Cardinals put together a few timely hits in the seventh inning that pushed them ahead to 8-7 and hold the lead for good.

Week 4’s matchups in two weeks:

Orioles at Braves: Landers Field, South Hadley High School, South Hadley

Dodgers at Tigers: Booster Field, Nonotuck Park, Easthampton

Cardinals at Pirates: Beachgrounds Park, South Hadley

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day everyone! See you all in two weeks!

Hello fans of the QVBL! Welcome to first weekly recap of 2024. My name is Ian and I am the Social Media Coordinator for the league. I will be posting recaps of all the action that happened in the league for every week of play throughout the season. 

There was some exciting action this past Sunday with new players and a new team debuting plus an exciting opening day thriller involving a rematch of last year's semifinals. Let's take a look!

Braves 18, Dodgers 9

The Braves faced the league newcomer the Dodgers on Opening Day 2024. The Braves did a good job in keeping the Dodgers off the scoreboard for the first seven innings, going up 17-3 thanks to some good hitting early on.

Jason DiNicola had a huge day with five hits. Several other Braves had multi-hit games. Justin Morin pitched the first three innings, allowing a single run in his first outing of the season. Matt Pennas got the win in relief with four quality innings. The Dodgers got some good hitting from Mike Prattico and Mike Afflitto as well as fill-in Patrick Redmond.

Orioles 14, Pirates 0

After some expert groundskeeping work from the Pirates and Orioles’ players, the Orioles went on to beat the Pirates 14-0 behind strong pitching and defense.

Once underway, O’s pitchers Jon “Big Country” Surratt, Humberto Rodriguez and Jasper Adams combined on the four-hit shutout. The pitchers were aided by a few defensive double plays that squashed some Pirate offesive threats. It was a balanced offensive attack for the Os, with newcomers Todd daCuna and Nick Ochs each recording a hit in their O’s debut.

Mo Partee had a strong three-inning start on the hill for the Bucs, yielding one earned run. David Dale made a pair of nice catches in right field.

Tigers 10, Cardinals 6 F/10

The Tigers at Cardinals was an evenly matched event on an overcast day. Cardinals starting pitcher Hagelstein pitched very well, keeping the Cardinals in the lead.  Late in the game the Tigers were able to tie the game against relief pitching, pushing the game into the 10 inning where the Tigers rallied and scored 4 additional runs to win the game 10 to 6.

Next week’s matchups:

Cardinals at Orioles: Beachgrounds Park, South Hadley

Pirates at Dodgers: Shea Field, Agawam

Tigers at Braves: Landers Field, South Hadley High School, South Hadley