By Sean Reilly
Watching Mason Brouillard pitch on Monday afternoon at Diamond Nation, it was hard to tell which was more impressive, his fastball command or his calm demeanor.
Both were extremely on point for the right-hander from the Garciaparra Baseball Group Northeast 10U in facing the powerful Wolfpack Elite in the final of the 10U Memorial Day Classic, Powered By Savo Schalk.
The result was a no-hitter, as GBG Northeast gained a 4-1 victory in Flemington.
Brouillard threw just 66 pitches while finishing with seven strikeouts and no walks for his team from Foxboro, Massachusetts. He allowed only two base runners — Lucas Vulcano was hit by a pitch leading off the third, and Zach Soberal reached on an error and scored on a wild pitch with two out in the sixth.
Brouillard never had to press, since his team received a two-run double from T.J. Stanley with nobody out in the first inning, and a two-run double from Griffin Allen with two out in the second.
“This was hard, but fun at the same time,” he said. “I was just throwing fastballs. I didn’t feel nervous, and I had a great defense behind me.”
GBG Northeast closed out the weekend with a 5-1 record and 62-18 run difference. After losing their second of four pool play games, GBG Northeast needed to sweep its final two, and also benefit from favorable results in other games. It is now 22-6 overall in 2024.
The first-place pool finish garnered GBG the third seed in the three-team playoffs, and the team advanced to the final with a 15-7 win over second-seed North Jersey Diamondbacks 10U Prime earlier on Monday.
Top-seeded Wolfpack Elite was a very formidable championship opponent. Aside from entering with a 4-0 weekend record and a 50-13 run differential, the Wayne-based team was also 32-5 overall this spring, with double-figure run totals in 23 of those games.
GBG struck quickly in the top of the first. Jonah Guay led off with a single to right field. Griffin Allen was credited with a single on a ball hit to deep third base. A throw attempting to force Guay at second was late and off-line, sending him to third and Allen to second. Stanley followed with a grounds rule double to left center for a 2-0 lead.
Thomas Daly led off the second inning with a single to center. After a strikeout, he was sacrificed to second by Gavin McGonagle. Guay hit a single to left field. Daly was held at third, and Guay took second on a throw to the plate. Allen then doubled to left, scoring both runners for a four-run lead.
Brouillard, meanwhile, was in complete control, helped immensely by pitching with the lead and the firm backing of his defense. Not one ball was hit by Wolfpack Elite beyond the infield.
“The defense behind me really helped,” he said. “Getting the lead was great. It helped my confidence through the whole game. This was a great experience. The fields are very nice and the competition was good.”
Colton (Rooster) Connor was selected tournament MVP for GBG Northeast. He hit safely in all six games on the weekend, going 10-for-16 with seven runs and 10 RBI. His hits included two doubles, a triple and home run.
“This feels very good,” he said. “Scoring early really helped us. And once we made it to this game, we had a lot of confidence.”
Connor went home to Massachusetts with a championship medal and MVP trophy after making his first visit to ‘The Nation.’
“This was a lot of fun,” he said. “I liked playing on the turf and with lots of fans.”
Wolfpack Elite starter Jacob Zudkevitch allowed seven hits, with six strikeouts and no walks over 4⅓ innings. Eric Espinal Jr. pitched the remaining 1⅓ innings, allowing no hits, with five strikeouts and one walk.