Alexandria Little League players visit historic Doubleday Field in Cooperstown, N.Y. last weekend. Shown (back row, standing, fron left): coaches Paul Kopp, Bob Mannell, and Gus Chiarello; (middle, standing, from left) players Will Kopp, Oliver Barwell, Evan Sarchio, Jack Reardon, Zachary Bosland, Brenham Daniell, Cooper Bosland, Gus Chiarello, Michaela Mannell, Baden Reynolds, Ethan Bauman, Ethan Reynolds and Peter Chiarello; (kneeling, from left) "batboys" Branson Daniell, Keenan Reynolds, Walker Kopp and Charlie Barwell. Photograph by Laura Kopp
Alexandria — Alexandria Little League ballplayers, aged 9-11, traveled to Cooperstown, N.Y., this past weekend, playing a series of exhibition games and experiencing the history of the birthplace of America’s pastime.
Their own season recently concluded, members of AAA team Jones Lang LaSalle joined with fellow ALLers for the trip, which was organized by their coach and Cooperstown native, Gus Chiarello. In this historic setting, the Alexandria squad played two “friendlies” against their peers, one against a team of Cooperstown All Stars and one against Unadilla Valley Little Leaguers at Chobani Field in New Berlin, N.Y. Despite dropping both games by just one run, Chiarello’s team had a great time: exchanging Alexandria pins and T-shirts for similar mementos with opposing players, and post-game pizza at Sal’s Pizzeria on Main Street.
The trip also included a tour of the Cooperstown Bat Company to see baseball bats being made, and an on-field photo-op at Doubleday Field, where the annual Baseball Hall of Fame Classic is played and the former cow pasture on which Gen. Abner Doubleday reportedly laid out the first official baseball diamond. The Alexandrians also toured the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum.
The travelling squad included Jones Lang teammates Oliver Barwell, Ethan Bauman, Peter Chiarello, Brenham Daniell, Will Kopp, Michaela Mannell, Jack Reardon, Baden Reynolds, and Evan Sarchio. For the trip, they were joined by ALL Majors players Gus Chiarello (Shamrock Supply) and Ethan Reynolds (Carlyle Club), and by fellow-AAA players Cooper and Zachary Bosland (Woodbine). In addition to Chiarello, assistant coaches Paul Kopp and Bob Mannell made the trip.