From AYF Olympics 2012 Special Issue
BOSTON, Mass.—Mercy! Will somebody please stop the bleeding. The New Jersey “Arsens” have turned the AYF softball tournament into a regular transfusion.
They “mercey-ed” all three opponents, meaning they won each of their 3 games by 15 runs or better to preserve a trend that started three years ago.
The “Arsens” have been totally in a class by themselves, thanks to a cadre of talent, an infield composed entirely of the four Sarajian brothers, and the crisp coaching of veteran Mark Alashaian.
And to top things off, they trounced Providence in the finals, 19-4, in a game that was expected to be tight, judging by how the “Varantians” fared in previous games.
Of the 18 players New Jersey fielded this year in a co-ed venue, 12 were guys and six were gals. Prior to the championship game, the “Arsens” whipped both Philly and Detroit by 15 runs.
Against Providence, it was 5-0 after one inning and 10-1 after two. Action was stopped before the seventh inning ever resumed.
The Sarajians played a prominent role but had plenty of help. Ara went five for five, including a home run. Raffi was four for four, while Garo produced a run-scoring double and played stellar defense. Also credited with fine defensive play were Kyle Dinkjian and Adam Boyajian.
Dinkjian hit a walk-on RBI single in the sixth to seal the mercy rule. Haig Sarajian made his debut as a 16-year-old and contributed his share.
Alashaian has now coached all three championship teams, and has brought a source of pride to this community.
“Our team is all about siblings,” remarked Ara Sarajian. “Each of us lives somewhere close and we come together for New Jersey softball. It doesn’t get much better than this. We’re good softball players who enjoy having fun. With Mark coaching us, we haven’t lost a game in three years.”
“The most rewarding part is that we grew up in Jersey and all the players are best friends,” Sarajian added. “We cling to our roots.”
Being the lone event on Saturday, many fans piled into Newton North High School for a day of frivolity and family hype. Plenty of good food and friendships were in vogue.
Special notice was paid to the Canadian team, comprised of a large contingent of Montreal and Toronto players. One guest was North Andover’s Mgo Kassabian, who stroked a pretty good ball.
For the record, New Jersey did share the title last year with the Canadians when rain cancelled the title game.
Tom Vartabedian
Latest posts by Tom Vartabedian (see all)
- Vartabedian: My Final Column - November 13, 2016
- A Hat to Match Any Occasion - October 19, 2016
- More Smiles Keep the Frowns Away - October 12, 2016
Be the first to comment