Story and Photos
By John Lynds
The East Boston High School baseball team lost to Newton South 12-0 in the
first game of the annual Strike Out Colon Cancer baseball tournament Saturday at East Boston Stadium but bounced back in their second game to beat Revere 7-3.
Malden shutout Revere 8-0 in their first game and beat Newton North 3-1 to be crowned champs of the charity tournament.
Three years ago EBHS baseball coach Phil Brangiforte’s wife was diagnosed with colon cancer after give birth to the couple’s fifth child. She never came home after delivering baby Alexandria.
“She was moved to Boston Medical Center three days after child birth and had emergency surgery to remove a cancerous tumor the size of a softball,” said Brangiforte. “Dr. James Petros and the staff at the Boston Medical Center saved her life.”
After that experience Brangiforte and his wife, Carrie, decided to start a baseball tournament to give back to BMC for saving her life.
“This tournament will be much more than a baseball game–it is about giving back and raising money to support the BMC Colon Cancer Foundation to help find a cure. All of the proceeds are donated directly to BMC colon cancer research over the last two years we have raised over $7,500 for colon cancer research at BMC,” said Brangiforte. “I sat down three years ago with Derrick Brodin from First Priority Credit Union and he agreed to help us out. First Priority Credit Union under the help of Derrick stepped up to sponsor this great event and every year they have sponsor the entire event.”
The opening ceremonies started at 12 noon Saturday with the first pitches thrown by Carrie Brangiforte, former NFL and New England Patriots player Jermaine Wiggins, EBHS Headmaster Michael Rubin, First Priority’s Paul Travaglini and Carrie’s mother, Jacki Anthony before the start of the East Boston and Newton North game.
This year in the United States there will be 147,500 new colorectal cancer cases and 57,000 deaths. Colon cancer has challenged 2 million survivors in the U.S. Increased awareness means more survivors.