Local Pirates take fifth in doubleheader sweep to start new fall season on dreamy upbeat note
September 6, 2023 at 11:24 p.m.
It may not rank up there with Beethoven's mighty fifth symphony, but a local age group baseball team will take what happened in the fifth any day along with any money you can donate for a worthy cause.
They took the fifth to start a doubleheader sweep, raised $703 in a previous lemonade sale, and still have $2,500 to come up with to make the first monthly payment on a tween baseball dream that hinges on an ongoing fundraising drive.
But you have to start somewhere to make that dream happen, and for the Port Chester Youth Baseball League 12U Pirates, that somewhere is Lyon Park and the start of the fall baseball season.
That's where they have been making beautiful music with their bats and gloves in a way that has them playing baseball on an upbeat note.
Begin at beginning
The best way to understand what all that means is to start at the beginning.
The local Pirates swept the Greenwich Cardinals in the opening doubleheader of the new Greater Hudson Valley Baseball League fall season Sunday (9/3) at Lyon Park with fifth inning rallies helping them score and soar.
It was a positive first step towards achieving their baseball dream—to compete against some of the nation's best age group players next August during a prestigious weeklong tournament on the playing fields at Cooperstown, hallowed Upstate home of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame.
The high G talks
But to get there costs money, anywhere from $20,000 to $25,000 to provide the local Pirates team with room, board and all the other expenses needed to bankroll that one-week stay in Cooperstown.
That doesn't have to come in one single payment. The Pirates coaches have made a $1,000 deposit to reserve a Pirates spot in the Cooperstown tournament for the end of August. That leaves them with approximately $20Gs to go to pay for the $1,500 per week for each of the players and their coaches with five more monthly installments due on the 15th of each month starting in November and continuing in January, February, March and April.
Fundraising events
That means a lot of fundraising events like the initial lemonade sale Aug. 23 that raised $703 with Port Chester Mayor Luis Marino coming out to support the kids. Other September events include the team marching in the Firefighters Parade Sept. 23 and a tag sale on Haines Boulevard Sept. 30. There's also a special Venmo account to which people can submit dollars and an address to send checks payable to the PCYBL at the end of this story.
But first let’s explain what taking the fifth means at the outset.
That's a reference to the fifth inning when the Pirates blew open what had been a close game against the Cardinals by scoring nine runs with the kind of rally that gives an insight into the kind of team that wants to play against the age-group best in Cooperstown.
Aaron and Alex Malhotra got the key base hits in that inning, both knocking in two runs apiece, with Tyler Varbero and Fabio Garcia also making important contributions. Alex was the winning pitcher, allowing just two hits, one unearned run, struck out five batters and had two base hits. Aaron also had two base hits. Braden Squillace walked three times, showing the kind of plate discipline that allowed the Pirates to draw 12 walks. And the team ran wild on the bases with Wesley Loizeaux and Ross Kantor making multiple steals as did Garcia, Varbero and Aaron Malhotra during the 11-1 win.
Fifth times two
The Pirates took the fifth again in the 14-3 second game win by scoring six runs in that inning, the big hit coming on a three-run triple by Kantor who also tripled in the fourth inning to drive in three runs as part of a three-hit day. This time around it was Aaron Malhotra who picked up the pitching win, scattering two hits, striking out two batters and allowing no earned runs. Garcia had two base hits and Maikel Herrera stole two bases to lead an offense that included 10 walks and six stolen bases with Louis Rytelewski and Juan Garcia playing important roles in the outcome.
But everybody on the team buys into playing as a team while dreaming the dream of making it to Cooperstown, according to head coach Fabio Garcia and assistant coaches Steven Rytelewski, Dan DeBari, George Varbero and team motivator Zach Brenzel.
How to help Pirates
They have set out to raise the funds to get the Pirates to Cooperstown. The donation information:
Venmo: @PC-Pirates-12U.
Checks payable to Port Chester Youth Baseball League, Box 3, 222 Grace Church St., Port Chester, NY10573.
Further information: [email protected] or [email protected]
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