Generals Win 2024 ITL Championship

Mariners swept by Hamilton as stellar season comes to close

• By Matt Williams Staff Writer

 

After stunning the Rockport Townies in the semifinals last week, Manchester Essex jolted into the ITL championship series against top-seeded Hamilton with confidence. But after dropping two competitive games to open the decisive series, the Mariners faced a win-or-go-home situation on Wednesday night and were unable to keep their season alive.

The result was a 13-6 setback on the road at Patton Park, with Hamilton securing the finals sweep and a third straight ITL crown to boot. The Generals finished the year at 24-4-1 and now have a pretty good claim to being the best team in the 95-year history of Hamilton’s ITL outfit.

“To not drop a playoff game, and outscore our playoff opponents 48-20 ... that says a lot,” said Generals player/manager Brian Nicoll. “We had a great group of guys, a nice mix of guys with experience and some newcomers. It’s been a pretty incredible run these last few years.”

Looking to force a Game 4 this weekend, Manchester grabbed a 1-0 lead on Wednesday but Hamilton answered back by going ahead 4-1 after one. The Generals then exploded for six runs in the fourth, led 12-2 after five and held off a late Mariners rally to sweep for the first time in their current three-peat.

Will Frain tripled, drove in a run and scored while Nick Freni was 2-for-3 with three runs and two RBI. Ryan Monahan added two hits, Connor McClintock doubled and collected three RBI, Carter Coffey scored a pair and Hunter Wilichoski and Luke McClintock collected RBI.

Adam Green threw the first five innings and fanned four to earn the championship clinching win. Coffey and Wilichoski closed it out.

For Manchester, both EJ Field and Cory Burnham mashed doubles, while Tom Connors connected for a big triple. Both Jack Shaw and Cory McCollum were steady on the mound, but the Mariners shot themselves in the foot with a number of costly fielding errors which allowed the majority of the Generals’ runs to score.

If there were an ITL MVP this summer, Luke McClintock (a rising senior at Babson) would be near the top of the list of candidates. Besides going 4-1 with a 1.19 ERA and 53 strikeouts over 41 innings, he batted .362 with 20 RBI. Green was the other horse of Hamilton’s pitching staff, throwing 53 2/3 innings and 53 punchouts and a 2.21 ERA. Coffey, Ryan Hutchinson, Aidan Clarke, Nicoll and Wilichoski all gave the Generals valuable innings over the course of the summer.

Offensively, Nick Freni led the way in run production by hitting .395 with five homers and 22 RBI. Hutchinson contributed a .464 average with 15 RBI while Connor McClintock drove home 15, Wilichoski had 13 RBI and Frain and Tobin Clark-Goldfeld each knocked in a dozen. Aidan Cann also hit .424 with 13 RBI and Will Cooke had a solid summer at .444; the Generals had six regulars bat over .400 and ten players both play at least 10 games and hit over .300.

Hamilton is now the first ITL team to win three straight championships since Manchester claimed five in a row from 2012-16. The Intertown Twilight League goes all the way back to 1929 and has been recognized by the National Baseball Hall of Fame as the longest running active amateur baseball league in America.

— Sports Editor Nick Giannino contributed to this report

Generals 13 Mariners 6

 Hamilton wins Game 3 13 to 6 and secures the 2024 ITL championship.

Generals 4 Mariners 1

Luke McClintock pitched a complete game striking out 4 and allowing just 3 hits while Nick Freni was 3 for 3 with a home run to lead the Generals.

Caulin Rogers (2) and James McKenna (2B) had the mariner hits. Craig Carter (4ip) and Cory McCollum (3ip) pitched well for the Mariners.

The Generals are now up two games to zero. Game 3 is Wednesday 5:30pm in Hamilton.

Generals 11 Mariners 8

In the bottom of the 6th Hamilton was trailing 8 to 6, Hunter Wilochoski hit a grand slam to push the Generals ahead. He then came in to pitch and got the save.

Game 2 is today at 4 in Essex.

Mariners Advance

Brett Moore pitched the final 3 innings allowing zero runs to help the Mariners beat the Townies 9 to 7 in 9 innings, advancing to the championship.

Wild One in Rockport

In the decisive Game 3 of the ITL semi finals, the score was Rockport leading 7 to 2 entering the 7th inning. The Mariners started the rally on a Luke Leavitt double into the woods. Then with two outs, two men on and the score 7 to 4 James McKenna stepped up to the plate. McKenna smacked a fastball to the center field woods capping off the 5 run comeback.

With the score tied in the bottom of the 7th the game was called due to rain.

Caulin Rogers of the Mariners and Zack Morris of the Townies also had home runs.

Game will be resumed tonight at 6:30pm in Rockport.

From the news

ROCKPORT — It was all over ... until it wasn’t.

Now, the Rockport Townies and Manchester Mariners will have to wait another day to see who advances to this year’s ITL championship.

Deadlocked in a 7-7 tie heading into the bottom of the seventh, the decisive Game 3 of their semifinals series at Evans Field was suspended due to steady rain. At the time of suspension it was unclear whether or not the two teams will pick up right where they left off or start things over entirely. Regardless, things are set to resume on Friday.

Before the inclement weather struck, Rockport was one strike away from a championship berth against the Hamilton Generals. But Manchester delivered in the biggest moment, as Jack McKenna blasted a three-run homer to deep center to cap off a five-run seventh inning that knotted the score. Rockport finally got a strikeout to escape the disastrous frame, but before its first batter took the plate in the bottom half of the inning the rain started to come down heavier and the umps were forced to call it.

The Mariners huge seventh inning was ignited by an RBI double from Luke Leavitt and an RBI single up the middle from EJ Field. Craig Carter then walked, and McKenna stepped up and whacked one into the woods with two down in the inning.

Prior to Manchester’s stunning and explosive stanza, it was all Rockport. Kyle Beal drew the start on the mound and turned forth a great effort, going five innings while allowing just two runs. He got many outs on ground balls and pop outs, mixing up his pitches well and keeping the Mariners’ guessing at the plate.

Offensively, Zach Morris mashed a two-run bomb in the fourth to give the Townies a 3-1 lead at the time. After Manchester got within one in the fifth on an RBI single from Leavitt, Joe Muzio delivered for Rockport again with a monster bases clearing double in the bottom of the inning to make it 6-2. The hosts tacked on one more run in the sixth on an error.

Whoever comes out on top on Friday will take on a Hamilton team that took care of business against Rowley in their semifinals series, 2-0. The Generals were the top team in the ITL all summer and will have home field advantage against either Rockport or Manchester.

Mariners 6 Townies 2

Deadlocked at 2-2 in the 6th, Cory Burnham’s bases clearing triple pushed the Mariners ahead. Tate Ostrowski lead the way on the mound going all 7 innings.

Game 3 is tomorrow night in Rockport.

Rockport at ME postponed

 Tonight’s game in Essex is postponed due to field condition and rain, will be played tomorrow 

Rockport 3 M-E 0

 Rockport wins game one of semis 3-0 behind a CG shutout by Kenzie Quinn.

From the news

 

Rivalry renewed: Rockport, Manchester Essex to face off in ITL playoffs

By Nick Giannino | Sports Editor

 

 The 2024 Intertown Twilight League playoffs are set.

Just the top four teams in the league qualify for the postseason, which will commence with a pair of best 2-out-of-3 semifinal series this Sunday. The Hamilton Generals garnered the top seed and will host No. 4 Rowley to kick things off on Sunday at 4 p.m.

With Beverly and Ipswich each eliminated from postseason contention, that means both the Rockport Townies (the No. 2 seed) and the Manchester Essex Mariners (No. 3 seed) will face off with each other in the other semifinal round. Game 1 of that series will be held at Evans Field on Sunday at 6 p.m., with Manchester then hosting Game 2 on Tuesday at 5:30. If the series is tied after two games, Rockport would host the win-or-go-home finale on Wednesday evening.

“It came down to the wire for home field and obviously in the ITL it makes a big difference, especially having lights because we can play later and get a bigger fan base which is huge,” said Rockport’s Kyle Nelson, a right fielder who also serves as one of the team’s coaches. “With Manchester in particular there’s a rivalry that goes back into the 2010’s, that era, when we played them in the finals back to back years and beat them in 2017-18. So it’s been sort of an ongoing rivalry since.”

Rockport won 13 games this season against just six losses and one tie. From a pitching perspective, they relied on the arms of MacKenzie Quinn and Derick MacDowell, both of whom have had stellar summer seasons on the mound.

“They’ve been workhorses for us; they’re pretty much going every other game and have been all year,” said Nelson. “And in that third starter role Kyle Beal has been great as of late eating some big innings for us.”

Offensively the Townies don’t lack bats. Shortstop Jameson Kamm has been one of the best hitters in the league, Keady Segel is always a consistent and big bat in the middle of the lineup, MacDowell has been hitting great, as has Jack Sperry.

Manchester, meanwhile, counters with a strong lineup of its own. Player/coach Cory Burnham, a first basemen, spoke on the rivalry of the upcoming series and what it’ll be like playing at the unique Evans Field in Rockport to kick things off.

“It’s just been a great rivalry over the last couple of years. Everybody knows each other on the teams which makes it a lot of fun, but once the start of the game rolls around it’s just baseball for a couple hours,” said Burnham. “(But) right field is definitely like no other field there (in Rockport), and they defend their home field well. They do a great job defensively playing their home field and they know it better than anybody, so that’s the biggest challenge.”

Mariners’ ace Tate Ostrowski has been as reliable as they come on the mound, churning out multiple complete games and spinning a 14-strikeout gem in an earlier season win over Rockport, among his other strong starts. Brett Moore has served as the No. 2 pitcher and has done a great job coming off a college season at Gordon, while Jack Shaw has stepped up in a starter role from time to time as well and yielded positive results.

“Tate’s been our No. 1 all summer long and he’s pitched great; everybody has had a lot of trouble with Tate,” said Burnham. “(And) we’re looking forward to having Brett and Jack for the playoff run, too.”

It’s been a collective effort at the dish for a Mariners’ team that Burnham says probably has an average age of about 26. Both Caulin Rogers and EJ Field have been super consistent at the top of the order; Tom Connors has filled in and done a great job; and some of the newcomers like Matt McKenna (a recent MERHS graduate) and Brendan Chauret, the team’s oldest player at 42, have found their way into the everyday starting lineup.

Burnham also shouted out Ryan Marques and Craig Carter, the latter of whom has served as a utility type asset after not stepping on the field in quite some time before this summer.

“Craig’s been a big part of this. He’s a new addition and hitting the ball very well for us after eight years of not seeing a baseball,” Burnham said of Carter, who’s an Army Ranger.

If Manchester is going to steal Sunday’s Game 1 on the road, they’ll rely on experience — something Burnham feels separates his squad from the rest of the league.

“We have a lot of guys that have been here before and I think we’re going to lean on the veteran leadership of this team to show the young guys how to get it done,” said Burnham.

Mariners 7 Generals 5

Bob Whynott went 2 innings allowing 1 run to close the win out for the Mariners. Brett Moore had 3 hits and Caulin Rogers had 2. 

Huntwr Willochoski had a homerun for Hamilton

Generals 5 Mariners 2

 Hamilton beat Manchester-Essex 5 to 2 on Tuesday.

Rams-5, Chiefs-3

 Rams win Monday night in Ipswich. The 2 teams will finish out their regular seasons Wednesday night in Rowley.

Rockport sweeps DH at Beverly

 Townies closed out the regular season with a sweep of the Giants in the double header at Beverly on Sunday 7/28 behind a strong nite on the mound for Rockport.  

Game 1: Rockport 4 Beverly 2. Kyle Beal with another outstanding performance going 6 strong innings with Sam MacDowell closing it out.

Game 2: Rockport 6 Beverly 0 as veteran Derick MacDowell shut out the Giants.

Rams 6 Mariners 1

 Going down swinging 

By Tyler Rourke

» Correspondent

ROWLEY — The Rowley Rams continue to climb the ITL standings after defeating the Manchester Essex Mariners on Wednesday night.

Following a darkness shortened tie against the same opponent on Tuesday, the Rams picked up a 6-1 victory, inching closer to .500 at 8-9-1 on the season. They continue to put pressure on the Mariners, who are right in front of them in the standings at 11-6-1.

“You know, sometimes the hits just don’t go your way, but you got to tip your hat to (Rams’ pitcher Jake) Baressi; he’s a great player,” said Manchester’s Alex Ray. “I have a lot of confidence in our players and we’ll definitely bounce back.”

The aforementioned Baressi was terrific in Rowley’s win to back up an elite offensive performance from his squad. Tossing all seven innings, he only allowed one run and had six strikeouts.

“Jake tends to keep other lineups in check; he threw the ball really well,” said Rowley head coach Jeff Wood. “This was a big win for us. This game was a lot more important to us than it was to them.”

There was plenty of offense to go around Wednesday night for Rowley, and it didn’t wait long to put runs on the board. The second inning is where things got started for the Rams, as this is where they did most of their damage.

Ty Gilmore kicked things off with a walk, but wasn’t pleased with having just first base. He stole second and third on consecutive pitches putting himself in scoring position with no outs.

Curtis Putnam was then hit by a pitch and stole second himself. After one more walk to Marc Wood, Rowley’s ninth batter and first year player, Jack Germinara came to the plate. He hit a bases clearing triple that would start the Rams’ surge.

“He’s a first year player, he’s worked really hard. He’s played some really good baseball this summer and he got us off and running today,” Jeff Wood capitalized on Germinara’s batting performance.

Dmitri Hunt capped off the scoring in the second inning for Rowley with an RBI single to right that drove in Germinara following his triple.

Three scoreless innings later for both ball clubs, Rowley struck again in the fifth.

Rich Williams led things off with a double, and directly after that Tim Cashman had one for himself sending Williams to score. Joe White then reached first on a fielder’s choice, where Manchester smartly got the lead runner out at third. History then repeated itself because like in the second inning, Ty Gilmore earned himself a walk, Curtis Putnam was hit by a pitch, and to wrap it up Marc Wood was walked as well which forced White in.

This all was against threeseeded Manchester Essex, a very talented squad, who just weren’t able to pull one out tonight.

The Mariners’ lone run came in the sixth inning, where they looked to use some of their “Mariner Magic” as the players call it.

For them, Thomas Connors started the inning off promisingly with a single. Then E.J. Field reached first on a fielder’s choice, and immediately stole second. Craig Carter eventually drove in Field with an RBI single, which wound up being the visitors’ lone run.

Manchester Essex is off until next Tuesday when it hosts first place Hamilton at 5:45 p.m.

Draw in Essex

The game ended due to darkness with the Rams and Mariners knotted at 3.

Brett Moore went 6 strong innings for Manch

Rockport 17 Ipswich 5

 Townies beat the Chiefs Monday nite, 7/22 in Ipswich 17-5 with the bats of Jack Sperry, Jameson Kamm, and Will Cahill leading the way; all with great nites at the plate. 

Rockport sweeps DH vs Ipswich

 Rockport wins both games of DH vs Ipswich at Evans Field Sunday, July 21st

Game 1: 4-3 walk-off win behind a strong outing by Warren Adams after falling behind 3-0 in the first inning. 

Game 2: Kyle Beal with a CG NO HITTER gem in a 7-0 win.

With both wins Rockport improves to 10-6-1 on the season.

Next Townies game - Monday July 22nd @ Ipwsich.

Rowley 6 Rockport 0

 Townies lose 6-0 at Rowley Wednesday nite 7/17. 

Again Mariners 5 Giants 4

 Tate Ostrowski worked around multiple errors to pitch a complete game leading Manchester-Essex over Beverly 5 to 4. The Mariners were trailing 4 to 2 in the 5th when 3 runs came across on big hits from Caulin Rogers, EJ Field, Tommy Connors (triple) and Craig Carter as well as a deep sac fly from Mike Quill.

Brennan Frost went the distance for Beverly and added a double that scored 2 runs. Luke Macdonald had a big RBI single in the 5th.

Mariners 5 Giants 4

 Beverly jumped out to a 3 to 0 lead after 2 innings. A 4th inning Bradley McCaffery home run extended the lead to 4 to 2. The Mariners took a 5 to 4 lead in the 6th and held on. Matt Smith started (1ip 3k), Jack Shaw (3ip 3k) and Ryan Marques (3ip 7k win) pitched for the Mariners. Caulin Rogers and Matt Smith had 3 hits while James McKenna added 2 hits. Andy Brown had 2 hits for Beverly. Will Corkum pitched well for the Giants going 6 innings and allowing 2 earned runs.

TOWNIES 2 Rowley 1

Townies top the Rams 2-1 Sunday 7/14 at Evans Field. 

Rockport sweep DH with Beverly

 Rockport wins both games in the twin bill vs Beverly at Evans Field Fri July 12th. 10-0 and 11-4. 

Mariners over Chiefs 7-0

Mariners improve to 9-5.

Walk off in Essex

Mariners win 4-3 in the bottom of the 7th over the Townies when a towering infield fly from Brendan Chauret fell scoring EJ Field from second.

Jack Shaw went 6 innings 6k 1 unearned run for Manchester-Essex.

Chauret 2 rbi and Cory Burnham 2 rbi both had good days at the plate.

 

Sunday night baseball Mariners 1 Townies 0

Tate Ostrowski pitched a 1 hit 14k shut out to lead the Mariners over the Townies 1 to 0.

Caulin Rogers had 2 hits and the lone rbi on a 4th inning clutch single scoring Matt McKenna

Brendan Chauret 2 hits and Cory Burnham 1 hit had the other hits for Manchester-Essex. Keady Seagel had the Rockport hit.

Mariners 1 Townies 0

 Mariners beat Townies 1-0 Sunday July 7th at Evans Field.

Tonight’s Game Rescheduled

 Ipswich at Manchester/Essex is rescheduled to July 11th. Happy 4th !

Mariners 8 Chiefs 4

 Brett Moore picked up the win last night (6ip 9k) for the Mariners. The score was 4 to 2 into the 5th before the Mariners pulled away. Caulin Rogers had 3 hits, Matt McKenna and Tommy Connors both added two hits while rookie Matt Smith crushed a double.

From the News

Hamilton tops Manchester Essex in battle of two elite ITL teams

By Tyler Rourke Correspondent 14 hrs ago 

   

SOUTH HAMILTON — The Hamilton Generals topped the Manchester Essex Mariners, 5-1, in Thursday’s Intertown Twilight League (ITL) clash as both teams now head into the second half of the season.

Both sides scored early, each mashing a home run in the first, but it was the first place Generals (now 8-2-1) that continued rolling at the plate.

It started off with Harrison O’Brien cranking one over the fence for a two-run blast. He drove in William Cooke who had a deep double to open their offensive game.

“Harrison got us going in the first, that really sparked us,” Generals head coach Brian Nicoll stated.

It was a terrific performance overall for O’Brien, who likely played his last game on Thursday. His nine years in the ITL will come to an end, and the Generals will have a hard time filling that third base/second hitter slot as he seemingly has been in that role since his time with the team began.

The offense didn’t stop there, however, with the McClintock brothers getting it going in the first as well.

Luke McClintock opened with a single to left, and his brother Conor drove him in immediately after with a single of his own. Later on in the third they kept the momentum going and each had a pair of RBI singles. Luke drove in Ryan Hutchinson, who had previously singled, and Conor drove in Nick Freni, who also reached on a base hit.

Luke’s reign of terror wasn’t just on the offensive side. He also delivered a stellar pitching performance helping the Generals give up just the one run in the first. He totaled nine strikeouts, as he used a variety of pitches and speeds to throw off the Mariners batters.

In a threatening situation where the Mariners (5-5) had the bases loaded in the second inning, he managed to throw two consecutive strikeouts to leave Manchester scoreless.

“We got a great pitching performance from Luke,” said Nicoll, praising McClintock’s performance on the mound. “He’s always a bulldog when he throws.”

It was an overall team effort to stop the Mariners, who have a strong squad of their own.

As previously mentioned, those Mariners were able to get off to a good start. EJ Field had a solo shot to give them their only run of the day, but there were multiple instances where they put pressure on Hamilton and were threatening to take this game.

A team this good, they have big expectations for themselves.

“We didn’t do enough to help ourselves,” said Mariners head coach Dom Cirone. “Too many strikeouts and we didn’t put the ball in play enough, plain and simple.”

Ryan Marques started on the mound and Tom Elliott closed it out, battling hard against such a tough team. The Mariners gave it their all and had a combined eight strikeouts. They adjusted to the Generals hitting but it wasn’t enough for them to claw back into the game.

It was a great game played between two elite teams on Thursday, and they will each look to continue their success as the second half of the season begins.

Rams take two from Chiefs

 On Monday, Rowley scored 5 times in the 7th to overcome a 3-0 deficit. Dave Ingraham went 7 for the win. 

In Wednesday, Jake Baressi struck out 19 in a complete game effort. Rams won 3-1

Mariners 6 Generals 2

 Harry Painter’s second inning grand slam lead the way for Manchester-Essex and Brett Moore went 5 solid innings (1 run 5k) for the win over Hamilton.

Generals, Townies Tie 0-0

 A pitcher's duel at Evans Sunday night resulting in a 9-inning scoreless tie.

Hamilton 0 Rockport 0

 Generals and Townies played to 0-0 tie in 9 innings Sunday nite 6/23 at Evans Field.

Mariners 1 Rams 0

Tate Ostrowski of the Mariners and Kyle Greenler  of the Rams were locked in a dominate pitchers duel last night in Rowley. Both pitchers had 13 strikeouts and allowed 1 hit each. The Mariners pulled ahead in the 4th inning on a Cory Burnham single and a James McKenna RBI.

Rams 5 Mariners 1

 Jake Barressi shut down the mariners and Justin Bolla hit a home run for Rowley.

Rockport 12 Ipswich 6

Townies beat Chiefs 12-6 Monday nite, 6/17, behind a strong out outing from Sam MacDowell to move to 5-2 on the season.

Hamilton 7, Ipswich 6

 Down 6-1 in the third, the Generals battled back and earned a walk-off win over the Chiefs.  7-6 final.

Generals 7, Rockport 1

Generals win the make-up game over Rockport 7-1 on Tuesday night.  Generals were able to get a win in Ipswich Monday night.

Rockport 3 Rowley 0

Townies shut out Rowley on Wednesday nite 6/12 behind a CG by Kenzie Quinn.

Mariners 3 Giants 1

 Tate Ostrowski threw 6 innings striking out 9 Giants as the Mariners won 3 to 1 over Beverly. Brett Moore recorded the save with a perfect 7th. Brennan Frost pitched 5 solid innings for the Giants.

A Caulin Rogers leadoff double in the first lead to a Mike Quill RBI ground out to get the scoring started. Harry Painter, EJ Field, Cory Burnham, Matt Mckenna, Kevin Carter all had hits, Craig Carter added an RBI sac fly.

Beverly 9 M/E 6

 Beverly scored 9 first inning runs to beat the Mariners 9 to 6 last night.

Rowley 5 Rockport 0

Rockport takes 1st L of the season as Rowley wins 5-0 at Evans Field Sunday June 9th.

Rams 5, Generals 6

 Generals edge the Rams in a close game at Patton Park, 6-5.

Generals 7, Rams 4

 The Hamilton Generals went to Erias Park on Wednesday night to pick up the win 7-4 over the Rowley Rams.

Townies 2 Mariners 1

Rockport beats M-E 2-1 in 9 innings on Tuesday nite to move to 3-0 on the season.

Beverly 9, Ipswich 5

 The Giants win at Bialek Park Monday night.  9-5 over the Chiefs.

(5/30) Rockport @ Hamilton - Rain

 Make-Up Date set for Tues. June 11th at Patton Park, 5:45pm start.

Sunday, June 2nd Action

 Ipswich over Beverly 6-2 on the road.  Rockport takes control over M/E, wins 10-3.

Rockport 10 M-E 3

Rockport beats M-E 10-3 on Sunday June 2nd

Rockport @ Hamilton PPD

 Rain postponed the Generals home opener Thurs. night at Patton Park.  Make-up TBD.

Rams 8 Giants 0

 Rams win their home opener 8-0 over the visiting Beverly Giants.

Mariners 9 Chiefs 6

 The Mariners were down 6 to 4 to Ipswich after four innings but stormed back to win 9 to 6. Ryan Marques picked up the win for the mariners who move to 2-0 on the season, EJ Field and Kevin Carter 3-4 with 2 doubles each. Also Michael Quill hbp twice and scored both times.

Rockport Wins Opening Night

 Rockport 17, Hamilton 5

Ralph Bates

 

BATES, Ralph E. Benevolent Philanthropist Ralph E. Bates, age 92, born May 30 1931, died April 29 2024. Ralph was the son of Ralph O. and Leah G. Bates. He was predeceased by his sister, Evelyn E. Dowell (1926-2010) and brother, George K. Bates (1928-1929). He leaves his nephew, Steven Dowell; his nieces, Bailey and Whitney Dowell; and his cousin, Bob Bates and his wife, Janice. He was very grateful for his close friendships with George Eramo and Bob Willing. Ralph was born in Watertown, Massachusetts and grew up in the Boston area. He attended Nichols College and Boston University. He made his living in real estate by purchasing and managing apartment buildings and creating the real estate newspaper Greater Boston House Buyers Guide. Ralph was a benevolent philanthropist and his charitable donations were very important to him. He wanted to help those less fortunate and enjoyed giving back to the community. His generous donations have ensured that his name will be remembered for many years. In his earlier days, he enjoyed athletics such as tennis, basketball and softball. Ralph was unique and had a great sense of humor. He used to enjoy driving around in his Hummer with his large stuffed tiger in the front seat – going to the Century House, Prattys in Gloucester or the Legion in Manchester. In his more recent years, he liked the simple pleasures such as eating Pirate's Booty, ice cream and candy, doing puzzles with a roaring fire and watching the deer in his backyard. He also loved running his indoor trains and cuddling his cats, Lefty and Spooky. Ralph was very grateful for Aberdeen Home Care and the loving care he received from their caregivers until his final day. Funeral Services for Ralph will be held in New Brunswick, Canada. Arrangements by the Campbell Funeral Home, 61 Middle Street, GLOUCESTER. Condolences at www.campbellfuneral.com

2023 Season Recap

 

2023 PLAYOFFS

• FINALS
• (4) M/E vs. (2) Hamilton
• Generals win series 3-1
• SEMI-FINALS
• (4) M/E vs. (1) Rockport
• Mariners win series 2-0
• (3) Rowley vs. (2) Hamilton
• Generals win series 2-1

2023 ITL Standings

• TEAM - W-L-T - POINTS
• Rockport 15-4-1 (31)
• Hamilton 15-4-1 (31)
• Rowley 12-5-2 (26)
• Man./Essex 10-9 (20)
• Beverly 5-15 (10)
• Ipswich 0-20 (0)

Mariners 13 Chiefs 4

 Manchester-Essex opened the season with a 13 to 4 victory over the Ipswich Chiefs. Brett Moore picked up the win with 7 strikeouts, Caulin Rogers was 3-3 with a stand up triple, while Ej Field 2-3  3 rbi and  James McKenna 2-3 3 rbi had big games. Rematch is tonight in Essex.

Cal Grimes

Former ITL president, ITL Hall of Famer, single season HR record holder, longtime umpire, Cal Grimes passed away peacefully this morning at his Florida home.  Thank you Cal for your contributions and support of the ITL, you will be missed.  

 

We will share more information when available.

Gelean "Bud" Campbell

Gelean "Bud" Campbell

Born in Wenham to the late Gelean Goodwill and Margaret (Massie) Campbell, Bud shared many fond memories growing up with his cousins in Wenham. He was raised and spent most of his life in Hamilton. He attended the Hamilton public schools and was elected captain of the football, basketball, and baseball teams his senior year at Hamilton High School, graduating with the class of 1949.

He then studied at Boston University, where he played for a short time on the football team. Prior to his senior year, during the Korean War, he served two years in the army with the 716th Military Police Unit. Returning to BU, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1956, with majors in Mathematics, Physical Education, and Biological Science. In 1969, he earned his Master’s degree in Administration from Salem State College.

Bud’s career focused on educating children and serving the town of Hamilton. Hired to teach mathematics at Topsfield High School in 1956, Masconomet Regional High School in 1959, and Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School in 1971, he thoroughly enjoyed every day of his 38 years in the classroom with his students. He is remembered for his enthusiasm, wit, and ability to connect with his students, and for his service as a golf and tennis coach. He also served on several boards for the town of Hamilton, including the recreation department (3 years), finance committee (7 years), and board of assessors (25 years). Bud was also a member of the John T. Heard Masonic Lodge in Ipswich, the Arab Patrol Unit of the Aleppo Shriners in Wilmington, and the A. P. Gardner American Legion Post 194 in Hamilton.

Bud was the devoted husband of Eileen (Hannon) Campbell. He is survived by their three sons Gelean (and his wife, Holly Sinton) of Amesbury, Chris (and his wife, Brenda Doyle) of Hamilton, and Jeff of Bel Air, MD. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Cailin of Brooklyn, NY, James, Lindsay, Eileen, Alison, and Gaby, all of Hamilton, and his nieces and nephews.

After his retirement from teaching in 1994, he and Eileen began to travel. He also was at her side throughout her courageous ten-year battle with cancer. He would often comment on how blessed he was to have spent 37 years of marriage with Eileen, whom he met on the dance floor at the Kosciuszko Club in Ipswich. After her passing, he says he was blessed for a second time - this time on a dance floor in North Reading. In 2003, he and Juanita Vreeland married. Through 20 years of marriage, they enjoyed dancing, traveling, visiting with her extended family, and helping to keep each other young.

His funeral service will be held at the First Congregational Church of Wenham at 11:00 AM on Saturday, February 10. Relatives and friends are invited to attend. Visiting hours will be held at the Campbell Funeral Home, 525 Cabot Street, Beverly, on Friday, February 9th between 4:00 and 7:00 PM. For those who wish, donations may be made in Bud’s memory to Aleppo Shriners Children’s Transportation Fund, 99 Fordham Road, Wilmington, MA 01887-0578. Information, directions, condolences at www.CampbellFuneral.com.