2024 50+
Boston Breakers 17, Sacramento Capitals 6
Submitted by Brian Bennett, Breakers’ manager
The Boston Breakers defeated the Sacramento Capitals 17-6 in the Finals to win the 2024 Las Vegas Open 50+ Championship. The Breakers entered the playoffs as the top seed with a 3-0 record in pool play and finished the weekend undefeated en route to their third straight Las Vegas Open title.
The Breakers’ bats were hot all weekend and that continued in the Championship Game. Boston answered Sacramento’s first-inning run with seven of their own in the bottom of the opening frame. Greg Martinez, Keith Ciupak, Rico Gholston, Carlos Perez, and Vic Darensbourg all singled and scored, while Greg Shepard knocked in two with a double, and Kim Fuerniss cleared the bases with a double of his own.
The Breakers rallied to add four more runs in the fourth, three in the sixth, and two in the eighth. Martinez, Shepard, Gholston, Perez, Fuerniss, Darensbourg, and Cobi Cradle all had multiple hits in the game for Boston.
Tim DeGrasse got the start for the Breakers in the finale. He scattered six runs over six innings to keep the Capitals in check and secure the win. Earl Smith came in in the seventh to close things out, and hold Sacramento scoreless to secure the trophy for Boston.
The Breakers advanced to the Finals with an impressive 16-1 win over the Fresno Knights in a Monday morning semifinal game. Darensbourg started on the mound for the Breakers and went five innings for the win, giving up just one run on seven hits. Shepard finished things off, holding the Knights scoreless for the remainder of the game. Offensively, Boston was led by leadoff hitter Martinez, who scored four times, thanks to one hit and three HBP. Brian Palluck, Shepard, and Fuerniss all added big hits.
In pool play, the Breakers got off to a great start on Saturday thanks to a stellar performance on the mound by Ariel Ramos, who pitched two complete-game shutouts on the day. The Breakers defeated NSEW Connection 16-0 in the morning and beat the Sonoma County Cardinals 16-0 in the afternoon. Ramos scattered just eight hits over both games while striking out six and holding both teams scoreless.
Tip of the hat to the solid Boston defense behind him to help preserve the shutouts.. The Breakers got offensive contributions from the entire lineup on the day, led by home runs from Perez and Gholston.
The third pool play game on Sunday was a semifinal preview, as the Breakers bested the Fresno Knights 12-6. Martinez once again led the way for the Breakers, going 4-4, while Palluck, Gholston, Ciupak, Tony D’ambrosio, Shepard, and Smith all had multiple-hit games. Shepard started on the mound and got the win, while DeGrasse and Smith closed things out.
Breakers general manager Alonso Mendoza once again assembled a solid squad for the tournament, with every player contributing to the team’s success. Boston played great defense all weekend, anchored by Fuerniss and Brett Muche behind the plate.
Offensively the Breakers were led by Martinez (11 hits, .688 average, 10 runs), Gholston (9 hits, .818, 6 RBI), Shepard (9 hits, 9 runs, 7 RBI), Fuerniss (7 hits, .700, 8 RBI) and Darensbourg (7 hits, .636, 6 RBI). On the mound, it was Ramos (X2), Shepard, Darensbourg, and DeGrasse who took care of business for the Breakers.