New England Elite Baseball League

The 13 Navy team had a tough road to the championship after being upset 3 - 1 in the opening game.  Legends went on to win their next 3 games outscoring their opponents 45 - 2 to set the table for the championship game vs the RI Rays.  Legends jumped out to a quick 7 - 0 lead after 3 innings but the Rays chipped away to make it a one run game going into the 7th.  Legends was able to hold for an 8 - 6 victory thanks to a Kevin Lucey (Topsfield, MA) diving catch from the outfield to record the final out in dramatic fashion.  Danny Regan (Andover, MA) and Kyle Gonzalez (Beverly, MA) each had 2 hits in the game while Dylan Duval (Middleton, MA) and Eric Chalmers (Gloucester, MA) drove in 4 of the Legends runs.  Shane Smith (Danvers, MA) was a workhorse on the mound for Legends picking up 2 of the wins on Sunday.  The Legends 13U Navy Team is 22-5-1 in the early part of the season.

The 14U Cougars went 4-0 last weekend to win the TCS Spring Slump Crusher Tournament in Branford, Connecticut.  This was the 1st ever tournament victory for the team, and for the club.  The Cougars opened pool play on Saturday at the Connecticut Sportsplex going up against the Warriors Baseball Club (Greenwich, CT) for the first game of the day.  Cam Eon was on the hill, throwing a complete game.  His solid pitching let up only one run and struck out four batters to earn the team’s 9 – 1 win.  In the team’s second pool play game, the Cougars faced the NV Blackhawks (Tappan, NJ), and took the win, 5 - 1.

Undefeated in pool play on Saturday, Cougars moved right in to Sundays playoffs at Munson Field in Bethany CT.  The winner would advance to the Championship.  Cougars played a hard fought game against the Northeast Gators (Walpole MA), but the Cougars prevailed winning the seven-inning game 9 – 12.  The win took the Cougars to the championship game where they would be re-matched with the Warriors Baseball Club.  Although the Cougars crushed the Warriors 9 – 1 on Saturday in game one, the Warriors stepped up their game and went on to eliminate the #1 seed, Western Mass Storm in a close 9 – 7 win.  The Cougars came out strong from the get go, playing at a high level with a flawless defense they turned 4 double plays, and scored 10 runs in just four innings to shutout the Warriors and seal the victory 10 – 0, earning them the championship title.

Following the tournaments conclusion, Cam Eon and Jake Zeuli, both earned Most Valuable Player.  Each gave standout performances throughout the tournament.  Cam was named “Defensive MVP” for his solid pitching in game one.  On the mound, he let up only one run, and struck out four to earn the win against the Warriors, 9 - 1.  Jake Zeuli dominated throughout the tournament with his explosive offense – naming him “Offensive MVP”.   Jake batted .555, stole five bases, had one RBI, and scored six runs for his team.

Both Cam and Jake have been invited to attend the Triple Crown Sports MVP banquet later this summer.  The event is set to honor all players who earned an MVP title in a TCS tournament during the 2013 season.