Canton Little League team wins Sandwich tourney

By Guest

(Front row, l-r) Matt Ryan, Noah Lourenco, Kellen Labonara, Danny Ferrara, Brendan Gannon, Ethan Davis; (back row, l-r) Coach Kevin Gannon, Nolan Gillis, Chase Brodney, Coach Chris Gillis, Tommy Difiore, Luke Chin, Alex Secord and Head Coach Carmen Ferrara

The Canton Little League 8-year-old summer team played in the Sandwich Summer Blast Tournament the weekend of June 30 to July 1 on Cape Cod.

Historically for ages 9-12, the tournament expanded a few years ago to include 8 year olds, and this year Canton Little League made a decision to send an 8-year-old team to represent our town.

Coaches Carmen Ferrara, Chris Gillis, and Kevin Gannon were curious to see how the team would perform in a tournament setting. With two players missing (Jack O’Brien and Donovan Jeannette) and having played only one game together this summer as a group, it would be interesting to see how they would react to the pressure of possibly playing five games over two days.

The weekend weather was a scorcher with temperatures in the high 80s and not much shade to be found. But the 8 year olds from the 02021 came ready to play and blocked out all distractions. The team arrived early for the first game for some work in the batting cages, and boy, did that pay off.

The Bulldogs opened the tournament with a win over a tough Barnstable team on Saturday. Matty “Ice” Ryan and Kellen “K-Labs” Labonara were spectacular on the mound, and Nolan “Gilly” Gillis had 5 RBI on three big hits to lead the Bulldog offense. Dan “The Man” Ferrara hit a rocket to right field, but kudos to the Barnstable right fielder, who made a spectacular, over-the-head catch to rob Ferrara of a possible inside the park home run.

The hometown boys had an hour to refuel with burgers, slushes and candy before the next game at 3 p.m. versus Middleboro. Alex “Smooth” Secord led the team with timely hitting and some great catches in the field, but it was not enough as Middleboro handed Canton its first loss of the tournament. A tight strike zone was the topic of conversation during this snooze-fest with Middleboro batters walking 21 times. However, the coaches gathered the boys after the game and told them that in order to win this tournament, they needed to have mental toughness and battle through adversity.

The boys had some food for thought as they headed back to the hotel for some pizza and swimming before a strict 10 p.m. curfew. The next day was single elimination and in order to win the tournament, the team would have to win three games on Sunday in the sweltering heat.

Entering the final day of play as the No. 4 seed, the Bulldogs opened with a game against a tough Dennis-Yarmouth team. Canton fans brought their ‘A’ games for sure and were the 12th man we needed to get through the heat. Tommy “T-Money” Difiore hit a triple to right field that almost cleared the fence. “Lightning” Luke Chin also swung the bat well while Ethan “Blue Slush” Davis turned a double play and recorded the final out of the game to seal the win for the Bulldogs.

The boys from the north only had 15 minutes to prepare for their next game against Falmouth, who were rested after getting the bye as the top seed. However, the Canton boys responded once again by topping a tough Falmouth team. Chase “The Vacuum” Brodney made two outstanding plays and throws from his knees at second base in one inning for two huge outs. Brendan “The Cannon” Gannon was a beast with his bat and speed.

Canton was moving on to the finals against Middleboro, who defeated us on Saturday. The coaches went over the game plan with the kids and told them that in order to beat Middleboro, they needed to be aggressive on the bases. The Bulldogs came out hitting and the base-running was spectacular. Matt Ryan, Noah “The Bambino” Lourenco, and Danny Ferrera pitched great to lead Canton to a 17-5 dominance of Middleboro for the win.

After the awards ceremony, the coaches told the team how proud they were of them. Win or lose, they played their hearts out and played the game the right way. What a great memory for these boys to be the first 8-year-old team from Canton to win the prestigious Sandwich Tournament.

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