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The weather wasn’t the only scorcher for the droves of fans, players and coaches during the fourth annual Ricky Lombardo baseball tournament this past weekend. Teams lit up the scoreboard, led by the Arlington Admirals, who won the tournament with a 10-5 victory over the Roy C. Ketcham Indians on Saturday, May 24.
Lombardo, a 1997 Ketcham High School graduate and athlete, was killed in 2004 while on the job for Con-Edison in Yonkers.
Poughkeepsie and Our Lady of Lourdes high schools participated in this year’s tournament as well.
The local baseball community has honored Lombardo’s memory with the tribute tournament for the past four years.
“He (Lombardo) was an outstanding person, very well-liked, and he comes from a great family,” said Ketcham athletic director and baseball coach Pat Mealy.
Mealy said he coached Lombardo for two years in both football and junior varsity baseball. Lombardo’s merits while at Ketcham included earning All-Section in both sports. The high school also built and dedicated a clubhouse for the baseball team to Lombardo.
Jared D’Aleo, one of Arlington’s assistant varsity baseball coaches, said he played Little League with Lombardo and remembers his devotion to the game, and Phil Benante, one of the Admirals’ other assistants, said he played against Lombardo in high school, and said it was “wonderful to honor his legacy.”
Game action
The Admirals first defeated the Poughkeepsie Pioneers 19-4 on Saturday afternoon, fueled by impressive performances from several players. Joe Gatewood went 4-for-4 with a double and 3 RBIs. Dylan Britton went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer in the top of the fifth inning that made the score 15-3, Arlington. The Admirals scored four runs in the first, second and fifth innings.
Nick Camastro and Tyler Albrecht each went 2-for-3 for Arlington.
Poughkeepsie coach Justin Jones, who is in his first year as head coach for the 1-16 Pioneers, said his team’s approach to Saturday’s game was to just go out and have fun.
“We knew they (Arlington) were good. We played their “B” team before,” Jones said.
Also that day, the Indians defeated the Lourdes Warriors, 14-7, while the Warriors defeated the Pioneers, 8-7 in a consolation game.
Later that evening, the Admirals defeated the Indians at Robinson Lane field to take home the championship.
Arlington senior Charlie Boettcher, who pitched a complete game in the win over Poughkeepsie, credited his teammates with the victory.
“I try to work hard, and my fielders help me out,” Boettcher said.
Admirals coach Dave Iorlano, in his final season as varsity head coach, has stressed to his players the need to stay focused and competitive.
He said his team needed the big wins last Saturday to get ready for Sectionals, which begin this Saturday, May 31. The Admirals will open at home as the No. 8 seed, against Saunders at 1 p.m.
