The Grand Island 14U baseball All-Stars have advanced to the New York State Little League Junior Division Championship Tournament in Brewster, New York beginning August 1st. They are now one of only six teams remaining in NYS competing for the right to be called State Champs and to move on to the Eastern Region Little League Tournament.

It was a wild weekend in Penn Yan, New York as the boys defeated teams from Batavia and Cuba, New York to win the state Section 1 championship. Saturday’s game saw GI jump out to an early 7 – 0 lead against Batavia and then hang on at the end for a 9 – 6 victory to advance to Sunday’s title game against a Cuba team that had won its first two games by a combined score of 24 – 3 to reach the finals.

The championship game, while not the prettiest game by baseball standards, was certainly the most exciting game of the season. GI committed nine errors during the game, but still came away victorious with an improbable 10 – 8 win. The lead changed hands five times during the game. GI’s Alec Buffamonte scored a run in the first, but Cuba went ahead 4 – 1 in the third. A three-run All-Star rally in the fourth, triggered by Jesse Ciffa’s first of two hits, tied the game at four. Buffamonte scored again in the top of the 5th to give GI a 5 – 4 lead.

Cuba scored two runs of its own in the bottom of the sixth to grab a 6 – 5 lead heading into the last inning. Winning pitcher Connor Frascatore led off the seventh with a single, stole second and advanced to third base with two outs. GI was down to its final strike when Alex Kovacs legged out an infield single, driving in Frascatore to tie the game. After a walk to Nick Soos and another single by Ciffa, Anthony Yarussi drove in Buffamonte with the go ahead run with a single to right field. The All-Stars went on to score three more runs to head into the bottom of the seventh with a 10 – 6 lead. Cuba did not go down without a fight, however, scoring two runs to cut the margin to 10 – 8. The tying run was on second base with two outs when AJ Jasek fielded a ground ball at third base and threw to Donny Killian at first for the final out to seal the win.

The sunny Penn Yan sky filled with baseball gloves and the dugout emptied as the boys piled on top of one another behind the pitcher’s mound in celebration. It was a magical scene and a memorable moment for twelve boys whose dreams of becoming State Champions became one step closer to reality.

The Grand Island All-Stars 14U baseball team, coached by Mike Chorey and Paul Jasek, defeated Lockport on Tuesday night to win the New York State District 1 Junior Division Championship.

During the tournament, held in Tonawanda, the GI team won all four games they played by a combined score of 45 to 6. Led by the excellent pitching of A.J. Jasek (11 innings pitched, no runs allowed) and John McGinty (9 innings pitched, 1 hit allowed), the team played great defense and had timely hits and contributions from everyone in the batting order.

In game one, GI jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, beating the host Tonawanda team 12 – 0. Game two saw more of the same as the All-Stars beat the Lake Shore Juniors 18 – 3.

The stage was then set for a matchup with long-time nemesis and defending champion Mel Ott. Both teams played exceptional defense and the game was scoreless through 5 ½ innings, with Jasek pitched masterfully. GI broke through to score three runs in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a two out triple off the bat of Connor Frascatore. Drew Chorey pitched a scoreless 7th inning to earn the save and preserve the shutout.

Tuesday’s Championship game got off to a great start with GI scoring three runs in the top of the first. Donnie Killian provided the power with a two run double in that inning to go along with his three other hits on the night. McGinty then pitched five innings of no-hit ball and left the game with a 4 – 0 lead. GI broke open a close game by scoring four runs in each of the sixth and seventh innings and Jesse Ciffa pitched the final two innings to close out a 12 – 3 victory.

The next stop on the journey is the state sectional tournament in Penn Yan, New York on July 25th and 26th. Our boys will be well rested and ready to take on five other teams from around the state for a chance to go to the New York State championship tournament in August.

July 17^th

Grand Island's Memorial Baseball Tournament started last night with exciting games throughout the park. In the 12U division, the Cheektowaga Cobras and Grand Island Vikings were victorious in nail-biting, edge of your seat 3-2 games. Hopefully the rains hold off tonight and through the weekend as the tournament is sure to offer more of these fun-filled games.

For the latest results, please use the links below:
12U Standings and Results
11U Standings and Results
Home Run Derby Standings

Please use the links below to obtain information regarding the tournament.
Participating Teams
Revised Schedule.
2009 Tournament Schedule - Original
2009 Tournament Rules
Home Run Derby Rules
Map - Veterans Park
Veterans Layout

2009 GILL Tournament Managers

Baseball Divisions

Softball Divisions