Baseball Tourney Kicks off Saturday, August 1
An MIT athlete prepares to hit a pitch coming toward him during the Challenger Division Game last year. Photo by Alexander Svirsky.
Twelve Teams to Compete in More Than Two Weeks of Baseball
The Medford Invitational Tournaments, Inc., in its fourteenth year, kicks off on Saturday morning at Columbus Park.
The day begins with opening ceremonies at 9AM, followed by four games at 2PM, 4PM, 6PM, and 8PM. The Medford All-Star team will play in the first game, at 2PM against the Woburn All-Stars.
Each August, the MIT has hosted its annual 12 year-old all-star tournament. This year’s tournament will include all-stars from Malden, Wakefield, Tewksbury, Charlestown, Somerville, Medford, Saugus, Billerica, Newton, Melrose, East Boston, and Woburn. The tournament runs for over two weeks, from August 1 through August 17, and is played at Columbus Park in South Medford, the official home of the Medford Invitational Tournament.
A special Challenger Division game will be played on Sunday, August 16, for the third year in a row. The Challenger Division is a separate division of Little League Baseball that enables boys and girls with mental and physical disabilities, age 5-18 or the completion of high school, to enjoy the game of baseball with the help of other athletes. All participants will receive hats, T-shirts, and trophies.
“The first Challenger Day was filled with an incomparable spirit of fun and athletic achievement. It was the greatest day of baseball I had ever seen,” said MIT President Ron Giovino before last year’s game.
The tourney will conclude with championship games on Monday, August 17.
According to Giovino, all proceeds from the tournament are given back to the community to support and promote youth sports activities.
– InsideMedford.com
More…