The Glenside Ghost 8U & 9U Travel teams jointly hosted the first annual Glenside Ghost Spring Slam 8U & 9U Baseball Tournament at the Glenside Weldon Baseball Fields on Saturday, March 29 and Sunday, March 30.
According to the event’s organizers, 10 teams from Glenside, Jenkintown, Upper Moreland, Upper Dublin, and Huntington Valley were joined by 120 athletes from surrounding areas and over 400 fans.
The tournament’s format included random seeding games on Saturday followed by single elimination matchups on Sunday. A championship game was held in each age division. The results:
- 9U: Upper Dublin defeated Upper Moreland 11-5
- 8U: Glenside defeated Upper Dublin 9-7 (after trailing 6-0 in the 2nd inning)
The Glenside Ghosts’ 8U coaching staff included Mark Tompkins, Derek Denneny, Dave Zimmaro, and Dave McGuire. The 9U coaching staff included Jon Knell, Sean Bratton, Tim Duffy, and Mike Bruton.
“Hosting the first annual Glenside Ghosts Spring Slam Baseball Tournament was an incredible experience. This event provided local preseason games within a competitive, but fun, environment to our neighboring travel organizations and brought together their players and fans, creating lasting memories and setting the stage for future tournaments,” Coach McGuire said. “It’s amazing to see the community come together, and I’m already looking forward to making next year’s tournament even bigger and better. It was an added bonus to see our 8U boys defend their home facility and bring home the championship.”
According to McGuire, local Keswick business saw an uptick with the added traffic.
“Roosters was packed on a normally slow evening due to the tournament traffic,” he said.
“The support we immediately got from the other coaches was great,” Coach Knell said. “The highlight for me was to see all the kids. A lot of them knew each other from past years and other sports watching and cheering each other on. Nothing like it. hopefully we can make it even better next year.”
The funds raised during the tournament will help to pay for tournament fees, postseason play, and upgraded equipment for the 8U and 9U teams.
The tournament’s organizers would like to extend appreciation to the following:
- Grin and Wear It: designed and supplied the tournament shirts that we available for purchase by all tournament participants and their family members
- A Taste of Philly: Supplied all soft pretzels and hot dogs for the tournament
- GYAC and their President, John Pickford: Approving and supporting such a big undertaking just one week before the scheduled opening day of the regular season for GYAC In-House baseball and softball. (I also provided his contact information below in case you want to reach out for comment).
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Photos: Glenside Ghosts