LYNN — Stop number one: Fraser Field. The Babe Ruth team took on the North Shore Giants in a not-so-normal game. The game only went to roughly seven innings, give-or-take a half inning, and there was no score kept. In fact, the scoreboard wasn’t even on.
“It was a fundraiser set up. I guess these two teams did it in 2016 when the 2016 team went. This is a good fundraiser and it was cool,” said Lynn Babe Ruth Coach Rich Avery. “You know those guys they’re older but they still can play baseball. So yeah, we just wanted to have fun, get some reps and get our pitchers some work. Just you know, have a good time.”
Even though this was a scrimmage game, it didn’t stop the team from taking it seriously. “Just play the game how we normally play,” said Avery. “I think they were a little intimidated by the older guys at first but they settled in after that. We’ve been off for two weeks now. We’re ready to go down to Virginia and start playing.”
The North Shore Giants were more than eager to help the team get to where they were trying to go.
“Many of us on this Giants team is a men’s 18 plus wood bat team. Many of us are from the Lynn area and have played Lynn Babe Ruth before. None of us were lucky enough to go to the World Series, so when something like this comes along, you know, we’re more than happy to lend our time and try to donate and get them anything they can,” said player Mark Roberts.
“Because we’ve all played baseball tournaments, it’s expensive to have teams travel, meals, etc. We were only able to donate a small portion but it was good to get them some work on the field against some decent competition. It generates some money, it was good for the fans to come out and see them as the New England Champions. So we’re more than happy at any time to assist and get the kids where they need to be.”
Roberts made multiple trips to the 15-year-old dugout throughout the game to give them tidbits of advice.
“I was trying to get them amped up a little bit, telling them to play with a little bit of intensity. You know they’re playing with guys that are twice their size and some of us are even twice their age. So I was trying to tell them, don’t be intimidated,” said Roberts. “You’re gonna face talent, you know, it’s going to be throwing just as hard as us, they’re just gonna be the same age as you. Play with intensity, and don’t be afraid of anyone. Hopefully they’ll go down to Virginia with that mindset and hopefully represent the city well and come out with a championship.”
Maddi Filip can be reached at [email protected].
