Sports: Belmont Baseball Ran Off By Danvers in Playoffs

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Photo: “Crossing the line” Cole Bartels.

Belmont High’s Senior Cole Bartels’ final pitch of his high school career was a fastball that overpowered the batter, forcing a lazy infield pop-up for the third out of the fifth inning.

It was appropriate that one of the most dominating pitchers in school history – and that includes the likes of major leaguer Wilbur Woods – would end his playing days on gutsy performance (coming just three days after throwing 100 pitches against Beverly) in the quarterfinals of the MIAA Division 2 North Sectionals against host and number-one seed Danvers High on Monday afternoon, June 6.

But while Bartels – who earlier in the day was named a Boston Globe Spring All-Scholastic for the second year – and reliever junior Cal Christofori would give up only four hits with Bartels striking out eight Falcons with his fastball, curve/slider combo, it was Danvers’ aggressive and opportunistic running on the base paths and the Marauders inability to put together hits in a timely manner that saw  Belmont fall, 4-1, to Danvers.

“Same old, same old, it’s deja vu,” said Head Coach Jim Brown, having lost to Danvers for the third time in five years in the quarterfinals.

“We outhit them, but they make the plays on the field, a couple of miscues on our part. They take the extra bases, and they love to bunt,” he said.

“It’s a tough way to lose, but that’s why they’re 18-2 every year and going to the semi-finals every year,” said Brown. 

For Bartels, the last game of this stellar high school career – two-time Middlesex League MVP and Boston Globe All-Scholastic – should have ended on a better note. 

“That was real tough. Nothing seemed to go our way here. We fought really hard and got a bunch of hits but they didn’t come in the right time,” said Bartels. “They’re a great team. I hate them, but they are a great team.”

“But I’m super proud of all my teammates. They fought really hard so I want to thank everyone and I’m very happy of what I’ve accomplished,” he said.

And Bartels will be missed.

“He’s the best I’ve ever had as a pitcher and player. He’s a hell of a competitor. Once in a generation,” said Brown. 

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Danvers senior pitcher Andrew Olszak did not have the same outstanding control that he demonstrated in last year’s 3-1, one-hit victory over Belmont in the same quarterfinal round. But the two-time league MVP (7 hits, 3 strikeouts) did throw strikes which allowed Falcon’s to make some clutch fielding, including turning two double plays (in the first and fourth) to stuff out innings while not making an error behind Olszak.

It was when Danvers reach base that Belmont found itself flat-footed. In the second inning, Danvers runners twice moved from first to third on routine sacrifices which allowed two runs to score on the only solid hit against Bartels – a single up the middle – and a fielder’s choice.

In the third, Danvers’ right fielder Dan Lynch reached first on a walk, stole second when a Belmont infielder arrived late to take Christofori’s bullet that beat the runner, took third on a passed ball and walked home on catcher Matt Andreas’ routine grounder to first. Three runs on a single, a bunt, a steal, an error and a few fielder’s choices.

Belmont was making good contact at the plate – left fielder Connor Dacey solved Olszak going 3-3 (three singles) for the day, while second base Noah Riley sharp shot in the fourth went for naught – but could not put them together.

The Marauders got things rolling in the top of the sixth. After Christofori missed going yard by 10 feet in deepest dead center for the first out, Dacey collected his third single followed by a gap double from Bartels between left and center. Riley loaded the bases with a 3-2 walk and Paul Ramsey’s deep fly ball to left brought home pinch runner Matt Kerans.

But Danvers came back for its fourth in the sixth with a double and a two-out single from first base Zach Dillon for his second RBI.

Many Belmont players didn’t want to leave the field after a successful season (15-7), taking photos, reaching out to coaches and other players and remembering how good they were. 

Selectmen Backing Special Permit for Interior Cell Antennas

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Photo: Plymouth Congregational Church.

By a 2-0 vote with one abstention, the Belmont Board of Selectmen will recommend “favorable action” on a citizen’s petition seeking to require firms seeking to install interior cellular transmission antennas to obtain a Special Permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

A Special Town Meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 9, to vote on the article.

The vote, taken on Friday, June 3, will bolster the efforts of more than 200 residents along Pleasant Street, who have been fighting to stop the telecommunications giant Verizon from installing six antennas within the steeple of Plymouth Congregational Church, at 582 Pleasant St.

Selectmen Jim Williams and Sami Baghdady voted for a favorable review. Chair Mark Paolillo recused himself as he, as a member of the Plymouth congregation, had been involved in a minor way at the beginning of the negotiation between the church and Verizon. 

Judith Sarno, a Waverley Terrace resident who has been assisting the residents in crafting the petition and who presented the case before the board, said the article’s proponents are only seeking “just a little more opportunity for transparency, and that’s important for the residents.”

Under existing bylaw, an interior antenna is a “by right” installation, requiring only a design and site review from the Planning Board, which is not obliged to provide a public comment period – although, in practice, the Board does accept comments from residents – or the notification of neighbors.

A Special Permit process would require an open meeting where comments and testimony are provided to the ZBA, which can require more information on the effects of the equipment on the steeple and answers from the applicant on a broad range of criteria.

“That could include noise, servicing trucks, certainly its height,” said Baghdady.

One area the current opponents will be unable to question the application of the Special Permit process are health concerns emulating from the tower. For the past year, residents against the antenna have been presenting a broad range of data and science alleging great rates of cancer and other harmful impacts from the location at the church.

But Jeffrey Wheeler from the town’s Office of Community Development told the board that cell antennas “is heavily, heavily regulated by the Federal Communications Commission. The issue of health concerns can not [be part] of the review.”

“For example, if the town said ‘no’ due to health concerns, that will make that decision ripe for a lawsuit,” said Wheeler. 

What appeared to sway the selectmen Friday were recent votes by Town Meeting in Arlington and Lexington to add the Special Permit requirement in their towns.

“The argument could be made that it’s … good risk management to elevate the level of the process. And it shows the town does its due diligence,” said Sarno.

“I believe that this article will allow residents to vent their frustrations and increase the chances both sides can come to a mutually agreed to solution,” said Paolillo. 

In recent years, the Zoning Board of Appeals has been seen as increasingly hostile to commercial interests, opposing the building of a boutique hotel, a Dunkin’ Donuts franchise and a day care facility while having voted to restrict the number of days residents can rent their homes on the popular site Airbnb. 

While voting for passing the “favorable action” measure, the Selectmen did not appear to believe a Special Permit process would unduly delay the issuance of the permit and subsequently a building permit for

“We were told the difference between a normal permit and a Special Permit depending on the substance, could be business as usual,” said Jim Williams, noting advice from Planning Board Chair Elizabeth Allison.

At Friday’s meeting, Sarno introduced an incentive for the town to become directly involved in the process, revealing a plan by the residents to require Verizon to indicate if a town-owned building “that might be suitable.”

“And there the town would get the money,” said Sarno. She pointed to an annual revenue of $43,900 from two cell facilities, on the Belmont Police Headquarters on Concord Avenue and the exterior tower on upper Concord Avenue across from Somerset Street.

What all sides did agree is that approving the requirement of a Special Permit will increase the chances of litigation from either the carrier or the residents depending which way the ZBA decides. 

Belmont High Graduates Remember Building Connections, Life Beyond BHS

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Photo: Class President Richard “Trey” Butler speaking at Belmont High School’s graduation ceremony on Sunday, June 6. Behind Butler is (left) Belmont High Principal Dan Richards and Belmont Superintendent John Phelan. 

When Richard “Trey” Butler was in elementary school, his father made a request: spend half of recess meeting classmates he didn’t know.

An athletic kid who would rather play wallball or be in a pickup game of football – he became Belmont’s all-time career points leader in lacrosse – Butler said he would “appease” his dad and talk to the other students at recess.

Whether it was the classmate who knew how to whittle wood or foster care an ant farm or traded rubber band bracelets – which Butler showed the field house he was wearing – it was there he began to “build connections with classmates that I may not have otherwise made,” said Butler, telling his story to a packed Wenner Field House that included 302 of those classmates he first met nearly a decade ago and who he was graduating from Belmont High School on Sunday, June 5.

And through their 12 and sometimes 13 years together, “it was our ability to see past our own interests and open ourselves and respect the wide variety of passion” in each graduate, said Butler at the afternoon commencement.

Beach balls were bouncing around the field house – could this be the start of a new “tradition”? – as the ceremony moved along smartly finishing in a relatively quick 90 minutes, all the more remarkable since the class graduated 303 students, a high-water mark not seen for decades. 

Belmont High Principal Dan Richards said curiosity, character and community were the attributes found in the Class of 2016. 

“We hope that your education at Belmont High School will enhance your lives and provides the blueprint for the work that lies ahead for we know that you have the heart and power to accomplish great things,” he said. 

Carly Tymm, who with Emma Pierce-Hoffman, is a recipient of the School Committee’s Outstanding Achievement in Scholarship Award, focused on her class’ commitment to camaraderie, demonstrated at sporting events where the level of participation did not reflect that likelihood of winning the event or remembering to come back from Starbucks with a coffee because someone was having “a rough day.”

“As one teacher told me ‘The leadership and camaraderie of our class have truly left a positive legacy on Belmont High School.'”

Pierce-Hoffman recalled the difficulty moving from Pennslyvania to Massachusetts, and how a second move in the state to Belmont made her “so much more open to the change,” allowing herself to explore new experiences such as theater and to change as a person.

“Whatever the future holds for us, whether it’s college, work, moving to a new place, it will be different and we will be different people after experiencing it. And that’s OK. It’s not just OK, it’s awesome,” she said. 

When members of the Class of 2016 meet in the future, “we’ll stll have common ground as Belmont High School graduates. We’ll share the memories of crowded cafeteria tables, walking around the Pond …”

Graduation is also “an amazing opportunity to leave other things behind, as memories and make way for new experiences. Change and be scary … but also sometimes the best thing in the world,” said Pierce-Hoffman.

“So welcome, Class of 2016, to life beyond Belmont High. Let the new adventures begin.”

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Graduation 2016: One Parent’s Graduation Reflections

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Editor’s note: Ms. Gibalerio was a columnist for Belmont Patch with a distinct and clear-eyed view of domestic life in Belmont. Here is her parent’s view of graduation. 

By Lisa Gibalerio

My son Benjamin will graduate from Belmont High School on Sunday. Like so many of my fellow Belmont parents at such a juncture, I am a mishmash of emotions: proud, bewildered, excited, and concerned.

High school graduation is one milestone among a lifetime of milestones. As parents, we cajoled and cheered and bore witness as our babies learned to sit up, to crawl, to walk, to run, to zoom off on bikes, to glide across slick ice on skates at the Viglirolo Rink, to pass the deep end test at the Underwood Pool, and to (finally) pass the driving test.

We watched our children enter elementary school, then, in the blink of an eye, they were “Moving On” to the Chenery. And all the while there were the innumerable play dates, music lessons, soccer practices, BYBA practices, and orthodontia appointments. Lots and lots of orthodontia appointments.

Finally, the high school years arrived: a blur of academics, activities, afterschool jobs, stress, duress, late nights, Driver’s Ed, SATs, AP courses, ACTs, the Common App, Senior Thesis, and, in our case, rehearsals, hours upon hours of rehearsals.

About raising kids, someone has said: “the days are long, but the years are fast.” That was spot on.  Raising a child is relentless and at the same time it’s over in a nanosecond.

So in less than 12 weeks, I will drop Benjy off on a college campus and wonder if I taught him enough in the 18 plus years he was in my care.

There are a few things that I hope he knows: To wear sun block. To floss. To say Thank You and Please.  That hard work often yields good results. That sunsets, full moons, and star-filled skies are universe freebies and must be relished.

But I also fear I am sending him off into the world armed with a bundle of contradictions: “Exercise good judgment, but for goodness sake take some risks!” “Be humble, but confident!” “Work hard, but stop and smell those flowers!”

He’ll figure it out the way we all do, by engaging in this gift called life. There will be missteps and mishaps and triumphs and joys. And, I hope, many more milestones waiting down the road.

[To Benjamin, if you’re reading this: I wish you all good things! Be brave and kind and daring and resilient. And please, remember to floss and wear sunblock!]

Sports: Peterson (2nd), Macauley (3rd) Podium at All State Track Meet

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Photo: Meggie Macauley’s third place podium finish at the All State Track Meet.

 

A pair of seniors celebrated their final day as students at Belmont High School with podium performances at the All State Outdoor Track Meet held Saturday, June 4 at Westfield State University.

Luke Peterson used his consistency in jumping long at each big meet while his competitors fell off while benefiting from the fastest tailwind of the day to finish second in the Boys’ Long Jump. Peterson’s 21 foot, 8 1/2 inch leap beat the third place jump of North Andover’s Matthew Manteiga by a 1/4 inch. Newton South’s Anthony DeNitto won the meet with a 23′ 9 1/2″ jump. 

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The big surprise of the afternoon’s meet was Belmont’s Meggie Macauley. Seed 23rd for the event, Macauley raced in the first of three heats with the slowest qualifying times. Undeterred by her placement in the inaugural heat, Macauley blasted over the ten 30-inch tall hurdles in 1 minute, 5.28 seconds, breaking her school record by 1.2 seconds. And when the second heat finished, Macauley remained in the lead. In the third heat, only Cynthia Aroke of Peabody (who finished 2nd in the 100 hurdles earlier) in 1:02.68 and Shannon Meisberger of Lenox Memorial in 1:04.08 could best Macauley’s time.

“Meggie has excelled from the first opportunity she had to race the 400 hurdles. During her first race this season, she broke the previous school record by approximately two seconds,” said Melissa Glotzbecker, Belmont’s Girls’ Track Head Coach. 

“Today Meggie displayed a great deal of grit, determination, and focus on running the third-fastest time of the day. Today was her breakthrough race we knew she was capable of, a result of her hard work and ability to find another gear even when she is most tired,” said Glotzbecker.

High hopes were anticipated for the girls’ 4×400 relay which came into the meet ranked number one in the state. But relays are funny events as many teams will run with less skilled runners to make the finals then change the lineup with speedier runners. In the finals, Belmont’s quartet of Danielle Kelly, MacAulay, Sara Naumann and Julia Cella took 7th, running a second slower than its best time set last week at the Eastern Mass. Division 3. 

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“Coming into the meet as the number one seed was a lot of pressure on our athletes, but a challenge they were prepared,” said Glotzbecker.

“We are very proud of the girls for placing at the statewide level, especially for being the only team to break the four-minute barrier three times this season. Although I know they were hoping to improve on their performance from last week, they were still able to post their second-best performance of the season,” she said.

Other Belmont tracksters at the All State meet included senior Katrina Rokosz who came in 13th in the javelin with a throw of 108 feet and 6 inches; junior Naumann finishing 16th in the 800 meters in 2:19.81 and sophomore Calvin Perkins in 16th in 51.09 in the 400 meters. 

And for two Belmont representatives, the next stop will be the New Balance Outdoor Nationals on June 17-19: Rokosz qualified with an earlier PR of 121′ 1″ while the relay team will compete in the sprint medley relay and the 4×400. 

Belmont High Graduation Set for 3 PM Sunday

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Photo: Graduation in the Wenner Field House.

A total of 303 Belmont High School seniors – the largest number in more than three decades – will receive diplomas this afternoon, Sunday, June 5, at the school’s 2016 graduation.

The ceremony will take place in the Wenner Field House at Belmont High School at 3 p.m. The class of 2016 will be led by Class President, Richard “Trey” Butler. 

Later tonight, the newly-minted alumni will participate in the All-Night Party in the High School’s cafeteria.

Sports: Belmont Baseball Wins In Extras Over Beverly, #1 Danvers Monday

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Photo: Cal Christofori.

Resiliency – the ability to bounce back after getting punched in the gut – is a quality discovered only when tested by adversity. In sports, after an opponent’s blow has turned the tables on the game, some teams will fall apart. But others show that ability to return to the fight with determination and a will to win.

When Belmont High School sophomore pitcher Nate Espelin threw what he called later “a fat one” which Beverly High School catcher Luke Samperi sent over the short left field fence for a two-out, two run, game tying home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, the blast could have done in the visiting Marauders in their first-round matchup of the MIAA Division 2 North sectionals.

But as Samperi crossed the plate and joined the wild celebration on the field, Belmont’s senior captain Cole Bartels – who just saw his seven innings, two-hit, 11 strikeout dominate performance go for naught – began yelling, “We’re still in this. We’re going to win this. Stay in the game!”

And his teammates responded, soon speaking confidently that they would come away with a victory in this unexpected away game.

It just took a while. Like five extra, extra innings. But the combination of outstanding relief pitching from junior Cal Christofori, solid defense, and clutch hitting by the middle of Belmont’s lineup resulted in a 13-inning 4-2 victory from the Marauders over the Panthers.

“Our guys plugged away, scratched and clawed and finally got a little bit of a timely hit in the 13th inning,” said Jim Brown, Belmont’s head coach. 

“This was awesome, playing in games like this, extra innings when everthing is on the line. This is why you play sports, these are most fun games,” said Christofori, the team’s starting catcher who has yet to give up an earned run in relief this season.

The game – which began at 1 p.m. on a school day to accommodate the Beverly High senior prom scheduled for that night – between a pair of 14-6 teams was expected to be a close one. Facing Belmont’s southpaw was Beverly’s sophomore phenom Spenser Brown (1-6, single and three strikeouts) who was named the league’s co-MVP earlier in the week batting over .450 as well as being a starting pitcher.

Both pitchers got out of early jams with Bartel facing Panthers reaching third in the second and third innings. In the bottom of the third, Christofori smelled out an attempted squeeze bunt and threw to third base David Bailey to get the runner attempting to return to the base. The junior All-Star than ended the inning by easily throwing out Panther’s Sean Hanlon attempting to steal second.

But for most of his time on the mound, Bartels’ fastball – reaching 90 mph – and a nasty slider that looped in to hit the outside corner on right handers put the team’s ace in position to sit down batters. In his seven innings, Bartels struck out two Panthers in five.

On the other side, Brown kept Beverly in the game as Marauder batters could not figure out the youngster, sending lazy flyballs in the outfield or grounders to the Panthers’ air-tight defense.

In the first extra frame, Belmont got started with one out when Christofori’s high infield pop fly was dropped for an error. Left fielder Connor Dacey (2-7, two singles) singled followed by Bartels who was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Second base Noah Reilly then took a full count offering for a ball that allowed Matt Kearns, who ran for Christofori, to walk home with the game’s first run. Shortstop Steve Ruzzuto followed with a slow roller to third that allowed Dacey to race home with what appeared to be the all-important insurance run.

In the bottom of the eighth, Espelin hit shortstop Garrett Desmond with a pitch before getting the next two Panthers out on long fly balls. But his one mistake to Samperi – who would go 1 for 6 in the game with a home run and five strikeouts (!) – set into motion what would be consecutive extra-inning playoff marathons between the teams as they played a 16 inning game in 2014.

Coming into the game in the ninth, Christofori relied on his fastball and changeup to keep the hosts off the bases, finishing his five innings with three strikeouts while giving up only one single with only one runner reaching second.

“He’s tough as nails. He’s one of those throw back players, he always wants the ball. He may not have the best stuff but he has the best determination out there,” said Brown of Christofori, a three-sport starter (football, hockey, baseball).

In extras, Belmont began hitting their stride at the plate against Beverly’s reliever senior captain Dylan Stevens. The Marauders collected 10 of their 13 hits – all singles – from the ninth inning on.

“We just wanted to continue to string hits together and look for someone to make a big play,” said Brown. 

It would be a lucky 13th inning for Belmont which started with a sharp single up the middle by center fielder Bryan Goodwin (2-6, two singles) who advanced to second on a passed ball. Pinch-hitter Trevor Kelly beat the throw to first on a sacrifice bunt to give Belmont players at the corner with no outs. After Christofori popped out, Dacey’s infield hit that pinballed around the mound brought Goodwin home for the go ahead third run. Bartels followed with a long sacrifice fly to right that had Kelly waltzing home for the final run.

Christofori allowed the Panther to finally head off to their prom with a 1-2-3 final half inning.

Belmont will again be on the North Shore on Monday, June 6, to meet the number 1 seed Danvers in a repeat of last year’s quarterfinal that Belmont lost in extra innings, 3-1. In last year’s game, Bartels and Danvers’ ace Andrew Olszak pitch dual one-hit masterpieces over eight innings.

“If [Bartels] can go [Monday], he’ll go,” said Brown.

The game starts at 4 p.m. at the town’s middle school playing field.

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Belmont Yard Sales, June 4 and 5

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Photo: Yard sale in Belmont.

Yard sales in the “Town of Homes.”

• 29 Bay State Rd, Saturday, June 4, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• 19 Broad St., Saturday, June 4, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

• 9 Little Pond Rd., Saturday, June 4, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• 41 Marlboro St., Saturday, June 4, 9 a.m. to Noon.

• 159 Slade St., Saturday, June 4, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

 

 

Belmont’s Loose Moose Highlights Serious Wildlife Space Concerns

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Photo: The moose Wednesday. More to come? (Photo: Ann Rittenburg)

When John Maguranis answered his cell phone on Wednesday morning, June 2, he was a busy driving around Belmont Hill attempting to find a moose on the loose.

Belmont’s Animal Control Officer was working with a team from the state’s Environmental Police in tracking down a young female who took an early morning stroll from near the Charles River in Watertown up into Belmont via the roads adjacent PQ Park. The cow – that’s what you call a female of the species – would spend several hours galloping and hiding in backyards in Belmont until she reached the Habitat, the Massachusetts Audubon’s Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary on Belmont Hill.

“Our best guess is she walked along the Charles from the western suburbs,” said Maguranis, who added that he had not heard of a moose in Belmont in any town records or from older residents.

“This is very rare,” said Maguranis, who said the state is looking to tranquilize the cow and transport her to a location in the western part of the state as a moose in an urban setting is a danger to herself and front seat occupants of vehicles if they wander into traffic.

In 2007, MassWildlife biologists estimate 850-950 moose live in Massachusetts, with the majority of them found in northern Worcester County.

Thursday’s stroll by the cow through Belmont became, for at least one day, a media sensation. All of Boston televisions stations and New England Cable News used short videos from Watertown and Belmont Police of the moose striding on streets in their reports. A photo of the animal taken by Belmont resident Anne Rittenburg garnered 550 likes, 207 shares and 33,200 views on the Belmontonian Facebook page. Comments and views of Belmont’s “Moose on the Loose” came from as far as Canada, California and Japan. The moose has its own Twitter account, Belmont Moose, with nearly 300 followers.

And while most people online and in broadcast reports were good natured about the moose’s walk about, Maguranis said the event had a serious undertone. 

“The real story here is the effect of loss of wildlife habitat,” said Maguranis, who has spoken about the impact on native animals of expanding suburbs, in particular on the number of coyotes now residing in Belmont and inside Route 128.

Marguranis said that on average “40 acres of land is being developed each day, land that supports native wildlife.” When wild areas are turned into housing or commercial development, the new uses reduce or eliminate the land’s usefulness as a habitat for the other species that live there.

By moving into native habitat throughout the Route 495 corridor, wildlife is forced to seek food and shelter where it can. Belmont is an attractive location as it has protected conservation land – Lone Tree Hill, Rock Meadow – and is situated on the eastern end of the Western Greenway Trail that runs through neighboring Waltham to Route 128. 

“It’s not so much that a moose came to Belmont [Wednesday], it was that it didn’t happen sooner,” he said. 

Snubbed By MIAA, Belmont On Road Against Familiar Foe Thursday in Playoff Opener

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Photo: Cole Bartels is on the mound today.

The bunting and flags are still on the fences and poles of Brendan Grant Field in Belmont.

“Leave them up,” Belmont High School Baseball Head Coach Jim Brown told the facilities department a day after the end of the regular season this past weekend. 

With a 14-6 record and a .700 percentage winning record, the long-time Marauders manager was certain this Belmont team had earned a first-round home game for the 2016 Division 2 North Sectional playoffs.

“Last year, that record was a five seed,” said Brown as he oversaw practice on Wednesday afternoon. (The first eight ranked teams are rewarded with a home game.) “It would be great to our fans who come out in big numbers to support us.”

Well, no one told Brown or Belmont that the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, the governing board for all high school sports, could find a way to place the Marauders on the outside looking in.

With Marblehead, Melrose and Beverly also with 14-6 records and three spots left in the top eight, the MIAA used a combination of coin flips and numbers out of a hat that resulted in Belmont being relegated to the 9th seed, which is the third year in a row Belmont has found themselves in the inevitable position. 

The ninth position is the cruelest seed as it finds a winning program forced to go on the road against an equally proficient team. And if victorious, the next game will be an away game against the number one seed, which this season is Danvers. 

“Call it Belmont luck,” said Brown.

Unlike a growing majority of athletic conferences which are using data (such as using a team’s “power” ranking which gives greater weight to wins against stronger teams) and head-to-head competitions to determine rankings with teams of equal records, the MIAA continues to use coin-flips to pick team positions.

“They didn’t take in consideration that we beat Melrose (9-2) in the regular season,” said Brown. Melrose is the seven seed in the sectionals. 

Not only is Belmont back in the ninth seed, they will be playing against a very familiar post-season opponent. Thursday’s opening round match will be against Beverley High School, marking the fifth time in the past seven years the Marauders and Panthers have clashed in the first round of the playoffs.

The last time they met in 2014 resulted in a four hour, 16 inning ultra-marathon (a regular game is seven innings) that the Marauders won 4-2. Belmont then met first seed Gloucester 17 hours later and lost 3-2. 

And if there wasn’t enough adversity facing Belmont, the game will be played today, Thursday, June 2 at 1 p.m. at Beverly High School rather than Friday due to Beverly’s prom which is scheduled for tonight. 

Brown said he and Beverly’s head coach, Dave Wilburn, are similar in each likes to put pressure on opposing defenses by playing “small” ball in the post season. 

“There’s not a lot of runs coming from this game so every run will count big,” said Brown. 

Belmont will face a Beverly offense sparked by their league co-MVP, sophomore third-base Spencer Brown (.438). Brown will counter with starting senior ace Cole Bartels who has struck out 75 batters this season with a 1.00 ERA . 

“They’ll see a lot of Bartels,” said Brown.