Belmont baseball coach Matt LeBlanc looked up at the scoreboard and saw that his Red Raiders had scored 11 runs against Winnisquam. He felt a chill move up his spine.

On May 6, the program had partnered with the Jake Deware Kindness Project to carry on the legacy of a 2019 Belmont High School graduate who died in a dirt bike accident on Nov. 8, 2020. When Deware played baseball, he always wore number 11.

“I don’t know if that was a sign or what,” LeBlanc wondered, “but it’s something.”

The Deware family started the foundation to continue Jake’s legacy as an avid outdoorsman and highly-involved member of the Belmont community. This particular fundraiser gathered youth fishing gear and wiffle ball equipment to help provide children in the area with the opportunity to get outside during the summer. The organization has also previously donated money to the Belmont Robotics Club and created scholarships to help kids participate in hunters’ safety courses, mountain bike events and numerous other activities that Deware loved to take part in.

“Jake’s just a fantastic kid. Just a genuine, genuine person,” LeBlanc said. “Heart of gold. Would do anything for anyone. … He was so outgoing. And the short time that he was here, he touched a lot of lives. Just a really good, genuine person who just did a lot of things right.”

Danielle Embree, who works at Belmont Elementary School and is a close family friend of the Dewares, helped lead the way in planning the event. She thought it fitting to pair the fundraiser with Belmont’s game against Winnisquam, coached by Fred Caruso, who also lost his son, Bryan, unexpectedly in 2022. All of the Red Raider players and coaches wore jerseys with Deware’s name on the back and had “BC12” patches on their right sleeves to commemorate Caruso as well. Caruso’s family was invited to attend the game, and Bryan’s son Colton and nieces Layla and Ava had the chance to throw out the first pitch.

“I choked up, I admit,” Caruso said. “I cried a little bit. … It really touched us.”

It’s not often the opposing team’s family is asked to throw out a first pitch. To everyone involved, though, it was a sign of just how much both Deware and Caruso meant to the surrounding communities.

“He worked with several of our players and coaches throughout his years, just such a genuinely great guy,” Embree said of Caruso. “It sort of seemed natural to include them and honor both Jake and Bryan who are people who have impacted our community greatly and just both have legacies and attributes that are qualities that we would want our players and our community to possess and to continue to pass on.”

Fred Caruso’s relationship with LeBlanc dates back roughly 15 years, since LeBlanc took over the head coaching duties at Belmont. Even though their teams often battle it out on the field, their connection transcends just being competitors.

When Bryan died in 2022, LeBlanc took his entire team to the wake in their uniforms, straight from a game.

“I will never forget that,” Caruso said, “and my family won’t forget that either.”

Overall, the fundraiser for the Jake Deware Kindness Project collected $511 — that number 11 once again checking in. They also collected 78 items, between fishing poles, tackle boxes, wiffle ball bats, balls, tees and bases to help the organization’s goal of spreading kindness and excitement about the outdoors throughout the community.

“The support that everyone came out and showed meant a lot. I think it meant a lot to Fred, and it meant a lot to the Dewares to know that we’re not forgetting the impact that their children had,” Embree said. “It’s not anything that any of us can ever truly understand what they’re going through, but we are working hard to keep their legacy going.”