Powerhouse Bulldogs show flash when Raymond dashes

By DN WRITING STAFF | August 6, 2024

By Rich Bevensee

He is his team’s No. 3 hitter and shortstop, and has been since the summer season began. His coach calls him the anchor of the team.

But Jack Raymond’s real talent is being a pest, a nuisance, a headache for any opposing pitcher unfortunate enough to be on the mound when he reaches first base.

Raymond, the sparkplug of the Powerhouse Bulldogs 18U ballclub, was off and running just as soon as his first base coach gave him a fist bump for stepping on the bag. His speed and aggressive baserunning were the key ingredients in every inning in which the Bulldogs scored. 

Raymond accounted for 13 total bases and three runs scored to propel the third-seeded Bulldogs, playing in their summer farewell tournament, to a 5-2 victory over the fourth-seeded Berks County Bulls and the 17/18U Wood Bat Blue Division championship at the August Showdown, Powered by Victus on Sunday at Diamond Nation in Flemington. 

“There’s not much to it – I like causing problems and putting runs on the board,” said Raymond, a rising senior at Enfield High in Enfield, Massachusetts. “Knowing I can mess with a guy, get him off balance, anything I can do. I love it.”

Powerhouse, a program based in Longmeadow, Mass., rolled into Diamond Nation with a full head of steam. It went a combined 8-1 in southern trips to Georgia and Florida. Bulldogs coach Ken Weir said their southern tour was the catalyst for the team’s chemistry. 

“This team now looks nothing like we did when we started,” said Weir, who accepted a new post as assistant coach at UMass-Amherst. “We had a rough start, but that Georgia trip made the kids realize our potential.” 

That confidence may explain why the Bulldogs were able to play through a jam-packed weekend with no more than 10 available players at any time, and nine in the final. 

Despite its apparent lack of depth, the Bulldogs finished 3-0-1 in the August Showdown after earning the third seed for the semifinals and dispatching the Jersey Shore Wildcats, 5-1. 

“We’ve played together all summer so we have the energy to do it,” said Bulldogs catcher Jayden Leveille, a rising senior at Longmeadow High who was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. “We were short all summer with guys so we just adapted to it. This is our last tournament so this means a lot.”

“Having nine guys was a good thing for us,” Weir said. “Some of these games, when you get into the dog days of the summer, it’s about deciding if you want to win the game.”

The Bulldogs’ James Leveille earned MVP honors in the 18U August Showdown.

The Berks County Bulls, who call Reading, Pennsylvania, their home, finished the Showdown weekend 2-1-1 after one game was washed out due to inclement weather. The Bulls earned the fourth seed and defeated All-Star Baseball Academy Futures 2026 Navy, 4-2, in the semis. 

Once the Bulls reached the final, it wasn’t long before Raymond introduced himself. In the bottom of the second inning, he entered as a courtesy runner for Leveille who walked. On three consecutive pitches, Raymond stole second and swiped third and home on wild pitches. 

Raymond’s tear around the bases was the trigger for the Bulldogs taking a 3-1 lead. 

In the third, Raymond singled up the middle, raced all the way to third on an errant pickoff throw, and scored on a Leveille double for a 4-1 lead. 

The Bulls scratched out a run in the top of the fifth on Daniel Noey’s sacrifice fly. But the Bulldogs would soon get that run back.

In the bottom of the fifth, Raymond was at it again, earning a walk, stealing second on the first pitch and taking third on an error, although he was left stranded that time. The Bulls did learn their lesson, however, as two off-target pitches prompted the pitcher, first baseman and third baseman to charge in to protect the plate from Raymond.

In the sixth, Raymond entered to run for relief pitcher Jack Harmon who reached on a throwing error. He advanced to second on a groundout, stole third and scored on a Matteo Cuccovia two-out single. 

“As soon as I can, early in the count I want to take off,” said Raymond, who boasts a 6.9 60-yard dash time. “I don’t want to wait until late in the count and then take off. Two strikes and then you take off? Strike em out, throw em out – nobody wants that. It catches them off guard if you go right away.”

“He’s our Energizer bunny,” Weir said. “He’s as good of a player as I’ve been around. We go where he goes.”

Leveille was recognized for his bat as well as being a solid receiver. Weir said he caught every inning of every game in the team’s nine-game southern trip, and the same for the Showdown weekend at ‘The Nation.’ Leveille homered and doubled twice for the Bulldogs in their four-game run to the title. 

“He was our only catcher in Florida and Georgia, and it was 100 degrees and he didn’t complain. Stayed on his feet the whole time,” Weir said. “This weekend he gave us a little bit of juice in the middle of the order.”

Right-hander Josh Misiaszek got the win for the Bulldogs after going five innings and allowing two runs on three hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. It was his first extended start since straining a ligament in his pitching arm three months ago. 

Misiaszek, a rising senior at Belchertown High, had not pitched more than a couple innings in any appearance since, and that inexperience may have been the cause for a rocky first inning. The Bulls began the game with two walks and a base hit off Misiaszek and took a 1-0 lead on Joey Berg’s fielder’s choice RBI. 

“I was too in my head in the first inning,” Misiaszek said. “I was stressed, so I settled down and trusted what I could do, then I was throwing better.”

“Josh has a steady pulse,” Weir said. “Nothing fazes him. He doesn’t get worked up over good or bad, and that’s huge when you’re on the mound.”

Misiaszek said he gave himself a pep talk and came out of the dugout for the second inning with a much shinier outlook. He allowed one run on two hits and one walk in his last four innings of work.

He said he felt a little fatigued but “adrenaline kept me going. I’m always excited to play baseball,” Misiaszek said.

“I told myself to lock it in and that’s all I did,” Misiaszek said. “I sat down and told myself, ‘I’ve been here before, I can do this.’ I wasn’t mad. You get mad at yourself, you take yourself out of the game. You just keep going, keep fighting, keep pushing.”

Harmon pitched the final two scoreless innings for the Bulldogs and allowed one hit and two walks and he struck out two.

For Berks County, Tyler Jones lasted one inning and yielded three runs on one hit and two walks while striking out one. Riley Civiello permitted two runs in five innings on three hits and two walks with one strikeout.

Share With A Friend:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *