PHOTO BY BOB ROCHE
Lynn Shore’s Aiven Cabral holds the winner’s trophy presented by Wyoma president Tony Luciano.
By MIKE ALONGI
LYNN — In keeping with his great play in the Lynn City Series tournament, Lynn Shore’s Aiven Cabral brought out the big bat to win the Lynn Little League Home Run Derby under the lights at Reinfuss Field on Thursday night.
Cabral hit 10 home runs in the final round and 21 homers in total, edging out East Lynn’s Nolan Mulcahey by three homers, to win the trophy. He hit the clinching home run with over 30 seconds left in his round, leaving the final swings as a show for the fans.
There were seven contestants to start the Derby. Leading off the night was West Lynn’s Ethan Almandarez, who hit seven total homers. The highlight for him was his final shot, which reached a house past the left field fence. Following him was Damian Guadarrama from Lynn Shore. While he was only able to hit four home runs, he did a decent amount of damage outside the lines, putting dents in several cars.
Mulcahey was up next and whacked 11 homers, including a string of four in a row, to almost ensure himself a spot in the final round. He was followed by the only left-handed batter of the night, Pine Hill’s Willie Miller. Miller cracked four homers, as did the next batter, Wyoma’s Jesse Mags. Then, Cabral stepped in and hit 11 homers to give himself a chance at the final.
The final batter was Aaron O’Connor of Wyoma. O’Connor almost gave himself a shot to reach the final by hitting nine homers with three pitches to go, but he couldn’t get enough done in the final swings to sneak into the final.
Mulcahey went first in the final, hitting a few bombs right off the bat. After finishing with seven homers, Cabral stepped in and blasted his way to victory.
It wasn’t just a night to celebrate the best power hitters in Lynn though. It was also a night to honor the Lynn 15-year-old Babe Ruth All-Star team, which won the New England regional championship earlier this week and will be traveling to North Dakota to play in the Babe Ruth World Series. Each player was introduced with his name and the name of the Little League he previously played in.
Parents and friends gathered to watch as Lynn Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy presented each player with a certificate of accomplishment at home plate. Lynn Ward 2 Councilor Billy Trahant addressed the team after that, then Lynn native and Boston College women’s hockey goalie (and 2009 Derby champion) Katie Burt gave a pep talk to the players before the festivities got started.
All proceeds from all sales at the concession stand during the Derby went to help fund the Lynn 15s’ trip to North Dakota.