Righthander Jake Scanlon surrendered a lead-off single, then slammed the door shut, allowing no more hits while striking out 13 Golden Tornadoes, to lead East Boston to a 3-1 win over Malden to take the Strike Out Colon Cancer Tournament this past weekend at Memorial Park East Boston.
Scanlon, named the Tournament MVP, did his part with the bat, too, knocking in what proved to the be the winning run in East Boston’s two-run third inning.
The Jets advanced to the championship game with a 10-3 win over Mystic Valley Regional while Malden topped Saugus. Sunday’s championship match featured stellar defensive baseball on both sides and just enough offense for the Jets to prevail.
With Scanlon baffling the Malden offense, East Boston notched two runs in the third inning. With one out, Joe Giardina and Joe Serpa singled to set up an Izzy Vega single that knocked in the first run. Scanlon followed with a single that gave him all the cushion he’d need. Malden made it interesting in the sixth when Scanlon lost a bit of his control, walking two and hitting a batter that set up a run on a fielder’s choice.
But East Boston regained the two-run advantage in the bottom of the sixth after Jonathan Pimental led off with a single, got to second on an error, reached third on a fielder’s choice, and scored on Gio Arcevedo’s sacrifice fly to left field. Scanlon struck out the side in the seventh to preserve the win.
East Boston began hosting the Strike Out Colon Cancer tournament in 2009 after Carrie Brangiforte, wife of Headmaster Phil Brangiforte, battled cancer after the birth of the couple’s daughter Alexandria. Grateful for the care and expert care Carrie received at Boston Medical Center, the couple established the baseball tournament to raise awareness–and money–in the battle against colon cancer. Carrie and Alexandria threw out ceremonial first pitches before Sunday’s game.