Norwood American Legion Crushes Weymouth 12-4 in State Tournament Opener-August 14, 1978

A taste of its own medicine. That’s what Weymouth received yesterday, as Norwood clubbed three home runs on its way to a 12-4 laugher in the opening game of the state American Legion Baseball Championships. Weymouth previously defeated Plymouth 17-3 earlier in the South Sectional Tournament, and Weymouth coach George Christensen tried to remain optimistic despite the lopsided defeat, recalling a similar tournament blowout five years prior when his own team recovered to win the title. But while Weymouth remained alive in the double-elimination tournament, Norwood firmly established itself as the team to beat by banging out 15 hits—including six for extra bases—backed by stellar pitching from John Balerna and Dan Kennedy, who combined to scatter six hits. “We really hit the ball today,” said Norwood manager Minty Kuporatz, whose squad surged to a 10-1 lead after four innings. Two-run homers in the fourth frame by catcher Chris Collins and Kennedy turned the contest into a rout, while Balerna capped the offensive fireworks with a solo blast in the fifth, complemented by second baseman John Salvatore collecting three hits from the leadoff spot.

Pitching with an early 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first, Balerna struggled initially with his command, walking leadoff hitter Greg Burr and falling behind Greg DiBona. Burr eventually scored on Scott Fitzgerald‘s double to center, but that proved to be the only walk Balerna surrendered all afternoon. “I found my control and I was throwing hard,” said the Norwood southpaw, who improved to 11-1 on the season and notched four strikeouts across seven strong innings. Norwood jumped on Weymouth starter Mike Haney right away in the first. Salvatore singled, Paul Yelapi sacrificed, Balerna singled, and a wild pitch brought home the game’s first run. Following an intentional walk to Phil McAvoy, Collins doubled to right-center to drive in two more runs.

Norwood expanded its advantage in the second inning when two errors and a Yelapi single loaded the bases for McAvoy, whose single up the middle chased Haney from the mound and stretched the lead to 5-1. Relief pitcher Jim McCauley entered for Weymouth but fared no better as Larry Copponi singled and Salvatore doubled in the third to make it 6-1. The fourth-inning power surge featured McAvoy drawing a walk before Collins launched a 345-foot home run to left-center. Shortly after, Copponi singled and Kennedy followed with a majestic shot over the left field fence. Balerna added his solo home run in the fifth to make it 11-1. Weymouth managed late runs in the eighth and ninth innings against reliever Kennedy, fueled by a single from Burr, errors, a sacrifice fly by Steve Bell, and an RBI double by Billy McHoul, but it served as mere token resistance against Norwood’s overwhelming display. (Reporting by Seth Livingstone for The Patriot Ledger).

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger