The Reading Summer Rockets won the Middlesex Senior Babe Ruth Junior Division Championship with an 11-3 victory over Woburn in the championship game on August 5th. The Rockets pounded out three home runs in the contest, one by James Reilly and two by Joe Bradley, including an inside-the-park home run on a ball that one-hopped the centerfield fence at the 405 foot sign. Pat Jordan pitched six strong innings on the mound after not pitching for four weeks due to an arm injury. Mike Rainone, who went 10-0 this year, finished up with a scoreless 7th.
After compiling the best regular season record in the league at 15-5, the Rockets went 3-0 in the playoffs to finish with an overall record of 18-5. The team often succeeded against teams mostly made up of players one to three years older. Manager Jack Webster exclaimed, “I am constantly amazed at the quality of ballplayer that the Town of Reading produces. These kids were a lot of fun to be around. They worked hard all year long and never gave up, no matter what the score.”
Webster continued, thanking coaches Dave Clivio, Chris Cameron and Roy Sletterink, and explained, “The amount of time and effort these gentleman put in was off the charts. These boys are much better prepared to play for the Reading Varsity next year because of the expertise they passed on to the boys, not just about hitting, throwing and fielding, but also how to prepare, how to compete and how to play with class.”
