Coaching a team of 9- year-olds, plus one 8-year-old, against squads of 10-year-olds, Jamie Vulgamore’s expectations were understandably tempered.

So when Bow defeated Concord National, 4-3, in the Jimmy Fund tournament opener on July 1, he admitted he was pleasantly surprised.

And even though the team lost its next two contests – 15- 2 at Pelham on July 5, and 7- 6 against Salem American on July 9 – and was bumped from the tourney, Vulgamore said the games offered a positive learning experience for those on the field.

“Most of these kids are probably going to be on the Jimmy Fund team again next year, and for a number of them, they saw a lot things for the first time. I mean, they’re not allowed to bunt in the minors, and here, for the first time, they only play nine in the field and have a nine-person batting lineup … They’re used to batting through the entire roster,” said the manager.

“They were a little bit wideeyed, but now that they’ve played in it one year, they know how it works.

“They weren’t used to practicing every night and stuff like that, and for some of them it takes some getting used to,” he added. “But now they’ve played true team baseball for the first time.”

Vulgamore’s son, Evan, was the lone player to compete in last year’s tournament. In Bow’s victory against Concord National, it was Evan who notched a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning to give the locals the victory. But the Pelham loss four days later may have been just as beneficial to the psyche of the young players, said Vulgamore.

“It was a great chance for them to see that you’ve got to show up at every game and play every inning,” said the coach. And the tournament concluded on a positive note.

“We lost to a really good Salem (American) team, and we were really making some great improvements from the first practice,” said Vulgamore. “The game was really slowing down for them. It’s a shame they couldn’t continue playing.”

Griffin Connor, as much as any player, made great strides, said Vulgamore. The catcher quickly adapted to making throws across the infield that he’s never utilized in the minors, where the ball is dead when not in play.

Others improving throughout the tournament include Derek Tillotson, Dan Smith, Brendan Winch, Doug Champagne, Jeremy Duhamel, Corbin Provost, Chris Mead, Spenser Sloane, Kieran Fahey, Benjamin Segal and Kadin St. Germain.