2013 50+ Wood Bat

Ward and Flutie poke it, Figueroa and Kearschner chuck it

Boston Wolfpack 9, Team Victory 3

By Steve LaMontia, MSBL National

The Boston Wolfpack won the 2013 Kickoff Classic 50+ Wood Bat Division with a solid 9-3 conquest of Team Victory.The Pack were Kickoff Classic runners-up in 2011 and 2012. Defense and pitching was the difference this year as the Pack gave up 3 or fewer runs in all 5 wins.

Boston went undefeated at 3-0 in pool play while outscoring their opponents 31-7. None of that would have mattered, though, if they hadn’t have gotten past the Inland Angels in their final pool play game and earned a precious bye into the playoffs. They pulled it out while getting a 2-1 gem from pitcher Richie Figueroa. Doug Flutie, who led the team in hits, runs and SBs, singled in the tying run in the 7th against the Angels and Bill Flutie plated the winning run in the 8th. That turned out to be the toughest test for the Pack.

Their semi final playoff game was a re-match of last year’s 50+ final that Team New Era won in a squeaker, 6-5. This year Boston took a 3-0 lead in the 3rd only to have New Era tie it in the bottom half of the frame. Then Boston went on to score 10 unanswered runs with key hits by Bill Flutie, Russ Ward and Dave Benedict and the return match was in the books. Boston’s Marco Barragan scattered 9 hits for the complete game win.
The Championship game was a re-match of the 2011 final won by Team Victory, 5-3, in the 45+ division. In his second start of the weekend, Jim Kearschner went 6+ innings holding Team Victory to only one run. Larry See led the Pack with 4 hits and 3 RBIs, Russ Ward crushed a long double and Sac Fly and Richie Figueroa’s two hits also helped pace Boston. Dave Benedict took over for Kearschner on the bump and finished things up for Boston.

2013 MSBL Kickoff Classic – 50+ Wood Bat

Team                     1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9    R H E

Boston Wolfpack  1 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 4    9 17 0

Team Victory         0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0    3 13 1

WP-Jim Kearschner LP-Mike Ivy S-Dave Benedict

2B-(BW) Ward, 2 RBI; See (2) 2 RBI; Figueroa; Iandoli; Burns; (TV) Salinas

Leading Hitters – (BW) D. Flutie 2×4; See 4×5; Benedict 2×4; Bastian 2-4;

(TV) Bell 2×4; Salinas 3×4; Carrion 2×4; Fuentes 3×4