Sports
Pearl River, Tappan Zee Continue Memorial Game Tradition
Pearl River will play Tappan Zee in the Kayser-Bello Memorial baseball game 4:30 p.m. Friday at Veterans Field in Orangeburg.
Just over 10 years ago, Pearl River High School student and baseball player Billy Kayser passed away due to injuries suffered in a car accident.
At first, Pearl River honored Kayser's memory with a four-team tournament, but that became a scheduling problem when the maximum number of games was reduced.
That led to the annual Kayser-Bello Memorial game between Pearl River and Tappan Zee, honoring the memory of Kayser and 2001 Tappan Zee graduate Chris Bello, who also passed away after an automobile accident.
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"I spoke with (Tappan Zee Coach) Mark Stanford and we decided to just do the game together," Miller said. "We named it for both of them and one hosts one year and the other the next.
"We usually invite the parents and we present the moms with flowers. Everyone goes up to meet them."
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Normally it is played under the lights, but this year's Kayser-Bello Memorial game will start Friday at 4:30 p.m. due to the SAT testing Saturday morning.
"We can't keep kids out to 11 or so and have them up early the next morning for six hours of exams," Miller said. "That's not educationally sound."
Tappan Zee entered the season with high expectations based on a strong pitching staff and they improved to 6-4, 3-0 in league play with Tuesday's 11-3 victory over Nanuet. Miller also expected pitching and defense to keep Pearl River in contention and the Pirates are 8-3-1.
"We're on a nice little roll," Miller said. "We've been steady."
The Pirates and Dutchmen will play their league games against one another at the end of the regular season, May 14 at Tappan Zee and May 16 at Pearl River, but Miller is happy to have the third matchup on the schedule.
"I told Mark I don't mind playing them three times. It means more for the kids playing kids they grew u playing with or against," Miller said. "Everyone knows everyone. It's a nice rivalry, a friendly rivalry. We could play them five times and (the players) wouldn't mind at all."
Pearl River won the last two Kayser-Bello games.
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