Coach Jim DeBonis and the youthful members of his 2014 Derry Post 9 Junior American Legion baseball squad knew that there would be nothing easy about their campaign this summer.
But the locals did plenty of learning and developing while taking on older and more experienced opponents, giving DeBonis quite a few opportunities to praise them and let them know that their baseball futures could be bright.
The young Derry squad exhibited its mettle in a tough, 10-7 loss in Newmarket on Thursday, July 17.
“The offense was working well, and we were leading up until the bottom of the sixth,” said DeBonis. “Dave Currier threw well for us, and the defense was good up until the bottom of the sixth.”
The local hardball squad began its campaign with consecutive victories over Nashua, Windham (a 9-2 blowout) and Salem (a 4-2 edging) but then went on to drop decisions in its next 10 contests.
However, DeBonis had been honest with his young men from the start of the short summer season and he remained so as the end of the campaign neared.
“I cannot be too disappointed in the players this year,” he said. “I believe they did their best, being so young in a 17-year-old league. As I’ve told them, ‘You are playing older kids, take your lumps now but you’ll realize that it only made you better.’”
Along with Currier, the hard-working local Junior Legion crew’s players included Brandon Gerossie, Brian Walkey, Eli Sorensen, Eric Reardon, Justin Paleno, Kenny Twomey, Kyle Vachon, Mark Comeau, Matt Wright, Mike Jellison, Pat McCarty, and Ryan Simard.
