Week 11:
Dalton Rd 13 Kampersal 1:
Behind the bats of Steve Cotto and Jack Kober (3 hits apiece) Dalton whipped up on a depleted Kampersal squad to knock Kampy’s down to 4th place in the ‘A’ division. Kampersal was down so many players, manager Tom Kampersal had to put C Brian McShane in fair territory for the first time in 6 yrs and the veteran turned in a stellar performance at 2B with 4 put outs and initiated a double play as well. Kampy 3B Keith Carlton was the victim of an apparent sniper shooting in the 2nd when he attempted to field a grounder but collapsed in agony before he could field it. A pulled quad will do that to you. Dalton P Dave Birmingham had the dubious honor of making all 3 outs in the 5th. Probably not a good idea to use the burly pitcher as a pinch runner…
Braggville 19 South 10:
In a game that was closer than the score indicated, Braggville came from behind to win their 5th straight title (’16, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’21) thanks for the correction, Ted Mottor). South jumped out to a 7-2 lead after 3 innings as Steve Lawless and Jason Smith each had back-to-back RBI doubles in the 2nd. Braggville tied up at 7 in the 4th behind a clutch 2-out double into the gap in right center by RF Kevin Lamuscio. They then pulled ahead 11-7 in the 5th behind a 3-run bomb off the bat of LF Dan Kittredge. South answered right back in the 6th with 3 to make it 11-10 with Lawless, again, adding a timely double to start the scoring. But, in the Braggville half of the inning, the Champs strutted their stuff, and put up 8 runs, all with 2-out to put the game away. C Johnny Marsell kicked off the scoring with a 3-run blast to left that gave him a 4-hit night. The left side of the Braggville infield was stellar once again as SS Jason Cooper and 3B Greg Greenberg made all the plays to squash any hope of a South comeback. Congrats to Braggville on yet another title! Seems some shenanigans took place at the yr-end banquet as the HSS trophy mysteriously disappeared from the Braggville table. …
Brentwood 16 Lions 5:
Brentwood pounded Lions to finish in sole possession of 3rd place in ‘B’ division behind the bat and arm of P Ken Engstrom. The veteran P had 3 hits and 5 RBI while giving up just 2 ER in 7 innings of work.
DYR 8 Mudville 7:
For the second time in 3 weeks, DYR nipped Mudville by a run to seal their fate and drop them to ‘B’ division. In a ‘must win’ game for Mudville, only 9 players showed up and manager Eric Kuharich was none too pleased. 1B Errick Spada, who said he’d be at the game, was a no-show and that send Kuharich into a rage. His texts and calls to Spada pregame went unanswered and Mudville had to start the game with 9 -just 3 outfielders. Kuharich felt betrayed, for sure. After jumping out to a quick 4-0 lead after the 1st, the lack of a 4th outfielder eventually caught up with them as DYR chipped away at the lead. Mudville did get the tying run to 2nd base with 2-out but a soft liner back to pitcher ended the rally.
Downtown 7 The Hood 0: (forfeit)
Facing a demotion to the ‘B’ division with a loss, Downtown lucked out again as The Hood failed to field a team. The league will meet via zoom to determine if The Hood should face some time of penalty for this forfeit. Consensus is a 1-yr ban seems in order. You would think Downtown would’ve thanked DYR for their win over Mudville that ensured their ‘A’ division stay with a round of beers ($1 each, btw) but, you’d be wrong. Not until half my team left and me pointing this out, did I then get ONE Bud Lite at the end of the night. Thank you, John Potemri.
Johnson North 11 Queens 6:
3 in row for the young guns!! Derek Darling and SS Chris King each had 3 hits and 3 RBI as Johnson North secured 4th place in ‘B’ division. Remember, you heard it here first, these guys will be a force in the years ahead. Play Fall Ball guys!!
Anthony’s East 10 Jasper Rock 4:
In a meaningless game for both teams (as they will both be moving up to ‘A’) Anthony’s scored 5 in the 1st behind LF Mike DelPrete’s key 2-out, 2 -run double. Filling in some big shoes on the mound for Anthony’s, P Alan Lisak twirled a gem in his first start since legend Jim ‘Pipes’ Cormier retired giving up just 6 hits and 2 ER in 7 innings of work. Jasper Rock was led by CF Jeremy Cordon’s 2 hits and 3 runs scored from his lead-off spot. Great to see Anthony’s SS Dan Higgins in attendance at the banquet. Higgs had a health scare back a few months back but looks like he could hop back in his lead-off spot and collect 3-4 hits… Hope to see you out there next year, Higgs!
2021 Final Thoughts:
- So great to get back to ‘normal’ and play a full season.
- Whoever took the trophy, please return it to Braggville’s Ted Mottor. His mantle has an empty spot right now.
- Maybe next yr, we play the championship gm at 7pm and move the other games to 5:30 so the whole league can then go
hecklethe 2 finalists. We then all head to Anthony’s afterwards. Derek, comment? - Or, how about a Final Four? Top 4 teams in A Division – 1 plays 4 & 2 plays . Winners meet at 7:30 under the lights..
- Sign up for Fall Ball! Your Spring coach should have emailed the link to you by now. If not, ask him for it.
- Thanks to Commissioner Derek Cordon for all his efforts in scheduling, equipment needs, and securing the fields with the town.
- ONE LAST THING: A big OLE MAN SOFTBALL ‘Thank You’ to Mike Ficco and his crew (Teri, Emilee, Shauna, and Shea) at Anthony’s on the Green for all your support (food & beer) these last 11 weeks. Pizza is delicious, the beer ice cold, and the banquet food was terrific. See you next April!!
Anthony’s East and Jasper Rock are promoted to Division A – congratulations!
The Hood and Mudville are relegated to Division B
Congratulations to Braggville for winning the Division A championship game
and congratulations to Anthony’s East for winning the Division B championship game!
It looks like rich cordani is mounting me?