NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- The La Festa Baseball Exchange each summer unites two ends of the commonwealth ... and generations of baseball families.

 

On Saturday, the latter was on full display before North Adams hosted the North End Dodgers at Joe Wolfe Field.

 

North Adams head coach John Marlowe made an early mound visit to throw out the ceremonial first pitch to his son, North Adams second baseman Jack Marlowe.

 

Later, after the Bostonians earned a 12-6 win in the first of two games at the Joe this weekend, the elder Marlowe, who played in the La Festa in 1997, talked about the moment and what the event means.

 

"It was pretty cool," said Marlowe, now a firefighter in the city. "It was great to be a part of this again and be a part of it with my son."

 

The pregame ceremonies are always special at the mid-summer classic, and Saturday night was no different, as event founders George Canales of North Adams and John Romano of the North End shared the microphone and shared a hug before the 33rd edition of the exchange, which will see the North Adams squad head to Boston the weekend of Aug. 10 and 11.

 

Canales had his own intergenerational moment leading up to the opener, as he told the crowd about a recent visit from his grandson Brayden and a few of his friends -- La Festa alumni all.