The Gloucester 12U Little League all-stars started off their District 15 journey with a bang at home on Monday evening against Ipswich.
In what was the first game of pool play to open the summer, the Fishermen came out hot at the plate, cruising to a convincing 10-0 win in five innings.
The boys had the bats swinging all night long as they were dominant from start to finish. On the mound it was Luca Aberle returning for his third year with yet another dominant performance.
“Luca pitched great, lights out today,” said Gloucester coach Jody Curcuru.
En route to the victory, Aberle tallied 12 strikeouts racking up 77 total pitches. He showed extreme compassion on the mound as well as great speed and accuracy; he was able to paint corners all day, confirming why he is one of few players to ever play three years with the Williamsport 12-year-old all-star team.
On the other hand, Gloucester provided immediate support for Aberle as they scored in four out of the five innings played in the contest. Shortstop Joey Bellisimo had a stellar day, opening the first inning with a two-run homer, driving in lead off batter Callan Howard after he had previously singled.
“Bellissimo’s big home run led us off early in the game,” coach Curcuru exclaimed. “First one of the year in Little League so that was great to see.”
Bellissimo didn’t stop there, either. In the third inning he had an RBI single driving in Aberle after he was walked. He followed that up with another RBI single in the fifth after Aberle ripped a double into left field.
The rest of the Gloucester crew chipped in as well. Cameron Curcuru helped open the game in the first with an RBI double of his own.
“Curcuru had a big hit, he helped chip in both offensively and defensively,” said the coach.
Clean up batter Nick Aiello had it going at the plate as well. He singled in the first and third, and had himself an RBI double in the fifth.
“Aiello was a beast behind the plate today,” coach Curcuru said. “He was making great contact all day.”
On the other hand, Ipswich gave it its all, and despite the shutout, it was still able to have some takeaways from the tournament opener.
“When we talked in the huddle, we never let them have any of those runaway innings,” Ipswich head coach Brian Carver said. “We had good defense, pitchers were terrific, and stayed in control all game. At the end of the day we just had some trouble putting the bat on the ball.”
It was a tough day for Ipswich offensively as they were unable to put any runs on the board, but there certainly were some positives. The Tigers were able to get three different pitchers on the mound, starting with Owen Wallen, bringing in Rocco McKinnon for relief, and closing the day with Simone LaRoche. In a combined effort they racked up a total of 89 pitches with five strikeouts.
Overall it was a great game between the two teams, both of which will both look to learn from it and carry it into the rest of the tournament.