BHAA Tournament 2008
Official Home of Brighton Heights Athletic Association's 2008 Tournament Teams
| BHAA SENIOR TEAM |
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This page is the online home of BHAA's Senior Little League Tournament Team. This team will represent BHAA in 12u play. The roster is comprised of players from BHAA's Cubs, Padres, and Yankees regular season teams. A Truly Grand Finale A really good thing happened in Brighton Heights tonight (July 22). It involved no umpires, no visiting teams, no perfect baselines. Just a bunch of boys celebrating their time in little league. When Peters Township forfeited out of BHAA's tournament, it left an opening on the Senior All-Stars' social calendar. Instead of playing against another team in a consolation game, they had pure fun just playing together. After collectively receiving their third place team trophy and hearing an inspiring season-ending speech from their coaching staff, the boys grabbed their gloves and just played. The 13-man squad split into two and welcomed participation from moms, dads, coaches, little brothers, cousins, and even one grandma for a fun-filled, smack-talking scrimmage. Shawn Tunstall and Mike Albright squared off in a pitching duel, while all-stars Tommy Barnabi, Jeremy Davis, Marcus Dean, Mark Lodge, Ryan Kirby, Nick Tunstall, Thorin Knupsky, Brody Miller, Jake Matschner, Andrew Kocay, Sean McGrath, Devonte Stackhouse, and Ian Cherkes anchored the opposing squads. Joining in the fun were Roy, Julian, Ray, and Jayson Dean; Shawn, Missy, and Nathan Tunstall; Jordan and Drew Albright; Dave and Patrick O'Malley; Dodie Smith; Nicole and Aidan Knupsky; Randy Davis; and Trinity O'Dell. Grandma Dodie went 2-for-2; Roy Dean strapped on the catchers equipment even though it fit more snuggly than in his playing days; Nick Tunstall batted wearing a hockey style catchers helmet; and Sean McGrath ran the bases in shin guards. Randy Davis went yard on his own son, and Mike Albright waved to the girls as he rounded the bases after his two-run homer. The strike zone was wide, the score didn't matter, no umpires were needed, and they lost track of innings. The evening was testament to the joy of baseball that the little league class of 2008 has shared since it began its ascent through the ranks from teeball. There were no Yankees, Cubs, or Padres. Just teammates and friends enjoying the game that brought them together. |
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| SENIOR ROSTER | PRACTICES & GAMES | ||
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Coaches Roy Dean Joe Knupsky Shawn Tunstall Assistant Coaches Chuck Cherkes Maurice Blair Players Tommy Barnabi Brendan Blair Ian Cherkes Jeremy Davis Marcus Dean Ryan Kirby Thorin Knupsky Andrew Kocay Mark Lodge Jake Matschner Sean McGrath Brody Miller Devonte Stackhouse Nicholas Tunstall Kyle Watts |
Tournaments Sto-Ken-Rox beginning June 28
 Coaches Shawn Tunstall and Chuck Cherkes contemplate lineup changes on July 13. |
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| NOTEBOOK | |||
 A dugout ain't a dugout unless the floor is covered in sunflower seeds. The Senior All-Stars make an effort at redecorating on July 13. July 20 Senior All-Stars squander leads to Mt. Lebanon 12u, fall 12-11 (BHAA Tournament) - Despite leading 9-6 and then 11-9, BHAA could not hold onto its leads at late-game and must settle for third place at best in the tournament. They meet Peters Township on Tuesday in the consolation game, while Mt. Lebanon advances to the championship vs. Crafton Ingram Thornburgh, also on Tuesday. July 15 Senior All-Stars top Mt. Lebanon, 13-2 (BHAA Tournament) - Virtually every member of the Senior All-Stars contributed to the offensive output tonight, coupled with strong pitching by Brendan Blair to seal a four-inning victory over Mt. Lebo. Nick Tunstall took home the game ball for a pair of extra-base hits that generated five RBIs. Ryan Kirby knocked a double, while Devonte Stackhouse, Marcus Dean, Thorin Knupsky, and Jeremy Davis also hit when they needed to. Blair stretched a would-be single to a four-bagger by challenging Mt. Lebo's defense in the third. July 13 Senior All-Stars top Ninth Ward, 7-2 - Devonte Stackhouse stood strong on the hill and contributed a triple to lead BHAA's strong start in its 12u tournament. Brendan Blair added a solo homerun, Jake Matschner made a nice grab in left, and Jeremy Davis added a single and a run at late game. Sean McGrath suffered a concussion during a frightening first-inning collision at first base and will be out for the week. Stackhouse was voted game MVP for his six-inning pitching performance. July 12 Senior All-Stars top Peters Township, 4-0 - Brendan Blair threw six scoreless innings, surrendering only one hit to the frustrated Peters Township Indians. Sean McGrath performed well defensively at first, while Ryan Kirby, Nick Tunstall, and Kyle Watts were robbed of solid hits by the Peters' defense. Blair was voted game MVP by the Peters' coaches. July 10 Thorin Knupsky (.500), Sean McGrath (.400), and Andrew Kocay (.333) led the team in batting during the Sto Tournament, while Ian Cherkes turned in the best on-base percentage (.800). July 7 Senior All-Stars Score Big at Sto Skills Competition - Members of BHAA Senior All-Star team returned to the Sto-Ken-Rox Tournament on July 7 for the skills competition finals. Devonte Stackhouse, who held the homerun lead throughout the tournament with 19 points, did not disappoint. He bettered his own score to 27 points and secured the homerun derby title. Then Stackhouse joined teammates Sean McGrath, Jeremy Davis, and Kyle Watts to post a 48.6-second score in the fastest team baserunning relay. BHAA edged out Bellevue-Avalon, which held the speed lead all week with a 49.1 score. July 5 Senior All-Stars eliminated from Sto Tourney, 9-6 - BHAA got out to a strong start in this losers bracket contest with Rochester, putting four runs on the board with aggressive baserunning. The seniors got strong hitting from Thorin Knupsky, Jeremy Davis, and Andrew Kocay, solid pitching from Devonte Stackhouse, and thrifty baserunning from Kyle Watts and Marcus Dean. But Rochester exploded at mid-game, scoring seven unanswered runs and taking a 7-6 lead. Rochester added two insurance runs in the fifth. June 29 Senior All-Stars long-balled by Greenfield, 14-2 - The seniors couldn't shake the Sunday morning sleepies soon enough to generate offense and combat six homeruns by Greenfield. Nick Tunstall performed well defensively and on the mound. Ian Cherkes played a strong game at first and scored a run for BHAA. June 28 Senior All-Stars lead skills events - BHAA's Senior All-Stars had their tourney-opening game at Sto-Ken-Rox washed away in the second inning when a torrential downpour chased players off the field and flood waters into the dugout. The game will begin from the start tomorrow at 10 a.m. Before the game, the seniors strutted their stuff in the skills competition. Sean McGrath and Devonte Stackhouse took part in the homerun derby. McGrath posted 14 points, while Stackhouse holds the current tourney title with 19 points. Kyle Watts, Jeremy Davis, Stackhouse, and McGrath combined to post a 50.2 second score on the fastest team relay. This score held up as the day's best. | |||
| 2008 Brighton Heights Athletic Association | |||