Slugger Stefano Weber gets support from his biggest fan — his sister Sofia! Photos courtesy of Melissa Palazzotto
By Matt DiGrigoli and Melissa Palazzotto
In addition to their impressive run at the Bergen County Charity Classic Memorial Day Tournament, members of the Brooklyn Blue Storm participated in a charity relay race and home run derby.
The 8U Boys and 10U Boys competed in both events, which raised thousands of dollars for various charities and scholarship programs.
The 8U participants came in first in their division for the relay race with a time of 14.5 seconds. Running for the 8U squad were Antonio DiGrigoli, Antonio Morin, Michael Sirota and Jacob Alers. The 9- and 10-year-olds who ran in the 11U Division came in third with a time of 13.4 seconds. The runners in the 11U division were Chris Papadopoulos, Justin and Allison Moreno and Thomas Palazzotto.
In the home run derby, Jonathan Lauren competed for the Blue Storm in the 8U Division while Ricardo Ducasse competed for the 11U squad. Coaches said they were extremely proud of how well the children did in these events, especially since their efforts helped raise money for a good cause.
Some of the players who participated in the charity relay race and home run derby are pictured on the field.
In other tournament news, the Blue Storm Hurricanes 12U team went 2-1 in the BCCC tournament and missed out by only a two-run differential due to a tie. The kids did, however, beat the champions of the BCCC in an earlier game.
The Hurricanes are Tommy Papadopoulos, Randy Flores, Julian Kilichowski, Chris Moreno, Joseph Platania, Christian Spruance, D.J. Gonzalez, Jalen St. Claire and Ron Gallucio.
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In a doubleheader this past weekend against the Bonnie Braves, the Brooklyn Blue Storm Elite 10U Thunder team came out with fierce enthusiasm. The Thunder lost a heartbreaker in game one by a final score of 5-4. It was a tight game from the start, as the Blue Storm took the lead early on with two runs and held it until the fourth inning. Ricardo Ducasse threw an excellent game, allowing only two runs in. Thomas Palazzotto came in for a short stint on the mound in the sixth inning with three outs to go, registering one strikeout before walking one and giving up a hit. Sergio Rodriguez came in for relief, but several infield errors caused the Storm to lose the lead and the game.
No tournament championship victory is complete without an ice bath for the coach!
In game two, Billy Rozakis took the mound for the Thunder and the team’s bats came alive. Chris Pops, John Traina, Justin Moreno (who was back to play after getting hit in the face by a pitch at the Bergen County Charity Classic) and Ducasse all contributed for big hits. At the end of the fourth inning, time ran out and the Blue Storm won by a final score of 10-2.
Also this past weekend, the 8-Year-Old Blue Storm Lightning team swept the SFX Huskies by scores of 13-1 and 12-0.
In the first game, the team was led by the pitching of Jakob Anderson, Michael McGowan and Jacob Alers. Offensively, the hot-hitting Michael Sirota started things off with a double, and consecutive hits by Antonio Morin, Daniel Corona, Jonathan Larrea, Antonio DiGrigoli and Ryan Melendez quickly put the Lightning up 5-0. Adding to the onslaught were Reid Heyman, McGowan, Alers and Anderson.
In the second game, the Lightning continued its torrid hitting with a 12-0 mercy win in four innings. Sirota, Heyman and DiGrigoli starred on the mound and, offensively, the entire team contributed. The first 16 batters on offense reached base and Coach Danny Corona challenged the kids not to make an out.
On Sunday, the Lightning defeated Our Lady of Grace by a score of 14-4. Antonio Morin and Jacob Alers starred on the mound, while Daniel Corona, Morin and DiGrigoli led the attack with three hits apiece. Antonio DiGrigoli had the big blow with a bases-clearing triple. Anderson, Alers, Melendez, McGowan and Heyman each had two hits, while little 6-year-old Joseph “Jo Jo” DiGrigoli reached base twice.
The team improved to 19-0 on the season with the impressive victories.
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