Date: Fri 01-Sep-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: KIMH

Illustration: I

Quick Words:

Slo-Pitch-Playoffs-1995

Full Text:

1995 Slo-Pitch Playoffs

It wasn't a good day to be a No. 1 seed.

Both of Newtown Slo-Pitch Softball's No. 1 playoff seeds - Catering by George

in the 'A' Division and Tilford Piano Movers in the 'B' Division - saw their

hopes of a 1995 championship vanish with their second losses in the

double-elimination tournament.

Catering by George, sent to the loser's bracket after a 16-12 upset victory by

Gervais Bros in the opening round, lost a tough 17-12 decision to Newtown

Exxon as a ninth inning rally died on a double-play with the bases loaded.

Tilford's, which finished the regular season with a 14-2 record, was

eliminated from the 'B' Division tournament on the first day of action,

suffering an 11-4 loss to fourth-seed Steve's Liquor and a 14-6 loser's

bracket loss to No. 2 seed Apex Glass.

That left Newtown Exxon, the No. 2 seed in the 'A' Division, and Apex, the No.

2 seed in the 'B' Division, as the highest-seeded teams left in the playoffs.

But both Exxon and Apex have one loss heading towards the championship.

Gervais Bros, the No. 4 seed in the 'A' Division, advanced into the finals by

virtue of an 8-5 win over Exxon Sunday and now will face Exxon in the

championship Sunday, September 3, at Dickinson Park. But Gervais has the

advantage, since Exxon must win twice in order to claim the title.

'A' Division

It was slow going in the early game at Treadwell Park.

With Exxon and Gervais squaring off for the right to go the championship game,

both offenses came out flat in the first three innings, mustering a total of

six hits between them before things started to heat up.

Down 1-0 in the top of the fourth, Gervais opened with a single by Chris Daly,

who advanced to second on an outfield misplay and then scored on a single by

Jeff Wyatt. Jeff Saputo singled Wyatt over to third, who then scored on a

single by Brian Leavitt. Saputo was singled home by Bill Clark and Gervais had

a 3-1 lead.

Dave Kingsley and Dave Green opened the bottom of the frame with singles, but

Green was erased on a 4-6-3 double play and Kingsley died on third when an

infield grounder ended the inning.

Neither team scored in the fifth, but Gervais added to its lead in the sixth.

Tom and Jeff Wyatt opened with singles, with Tom Wyatt being driven home on a

single by Saputo. A fielder's choice and a walk loaded up the bases and Steve

Powers blooped a two-run single that handed Gervais a 6-1 lead.

Gervais then scored a pair more in the top of the seventh when Matt Daly

homered to lead off the inning and Chris Daly tripled, later coming home on a

sacrifice fly by Tom Wyatt.

The 8-1 lead seemed secure, for a moment, but Exxon mounted a comeback in the

bottom of the eighth. Rick Matern was walked to start the frame and Gene

Chappell kept things going with a follow-up single. A single by Phil Basso

drove in the first run and walked loaded up the bags. Jack Matern's fielder's

choice grounder drove in the second run while John Grimardi's double sent the

third run scampering home. Exxon finished its scoring, and its threat, with a

sacrifice fly by Andy Shpunt.

Gervais did not score in the ninth, but was able to stave off Exxon as it sent

the meat of its order - Green, Andy Bilotto, George Matern and Ed Andrews - to

the plate in the bottom of the ninth.

Exxon must have felt some frustration over the loss as it exploded for 14 runs

in the first four innings - 11 coming in the top of the fourth alone - in a

17-12 victory that knocked Catering by George out of the playoffs.

Already holding a 3-0 lead heading into the top of the fourth, Exxon collected

10 hits, including a leadoff homer by Dave Green, sending 13 men to the plate

and taking a 14-0 lead.

George's got a couple runs back in the bottom of the frame after leadoff

singles from Doug Otton and Scott Terrill. Exxon scored two more in the top of

the sixth to take a 16-2 lead, but George's scored three runs of its own in

the bottom of the frame, two coming off a triple by Tom Egan and the third off

a single by Chris Dennis.

Exxon scored its 17th run in the top of the eighth and held a seemingly

insurmountable 12-run lead, but George's wasn't giving up without a little bit

more of a fight.

Jerry Reidy reached on an error to lead off the bottom of the frame and the

flood gates opened. Back-to-back singles by Chris D'Angelo and Otton followed,

then came singles by Egan, Dennis, Jim D'Angelo, and Tim Powell, and all of a

sudden, with seven runs, George's had cut the Exxon lead to 17-12.

George Matern singled home an insurance run in the top of the ninth and then

it was up to Exxon to hold off George's in the bottom of the inning. With one

out and men on first and second, though, it looked as if George's was creating

another rally. Terrill rapped a sinking line drive to right center that was

scooped by Exxon's Andy Bilotto, but Bilotto - taking advantage of some

confusion on the base paths - came up throwing and was able to double off both

runners to end the game.

Shpunt led Exxon with three hits and two RBI. Green added a homer, a pair of

singles and three RBI while George Matern had three singles and two RBI.

Dennis led George's with three hits and three RBI while Egann had a triple,

single and three RBI. Otton collected three singles.

'B' Division

The score was all knotted up at 4-4 when Steve's Liquor erupted for seven runs

in the top of the ninth and saddled Tilford's Piano Movers, the No. 1 seed,

with an 11-4 loss.

John Truchess led off the top of the frame with a double and scored on a

double by Chris Meyers. Singles by Al Rocca and Gene Meyer kept the rally

flowing, as did singles by Larry Rice, Jim Chappius, and Bob Jerolman. Dave

Taylor added a double in for good measure.

Rocca was 4-for-4 with four singles and three RBI to lead Steve's. Rice had

three hits while Chappius had a pair of singles and two RBI. Don Hammond

doubled in a pair of first-inning runs.

Tilford's was able to collect just eight hits in the game, two each from Glenn

Dean and Brian Maciolek. Kevin Morgan tripled to lead off the bottom of the

first, but it was the loudest hit Tilford's was able to muster.

It was a shootout between the top two teams in the 'B' Division's North

Conference -Apex Glass and My Place Pizzeria - with My Place having enough

ammunition to win, 15-12.

My Place held a 13-6 lead heading into the last two innings, but had to hold

off an Apex rally that got started with one out in the eighth. Singles by Rich

Stook and Carl Strait and a double by John Seman fueled the rally, which was

aided by a pair of My Place errors.

Then, down 15-9 in the bottom of the ninth, Apex got singles by Dave Marcinek,

John Fretas and Dennis Van Zilen to start a rally, which died when only three

runs had crossed the plate.

My Place got a lot of its juice off the bats of Mark Steinfeld and Tim March,

Steinfeld singles three times and drove in three runs while March clubbed a

pair of homers and drove in three runs. Steve D'Amico singled three times and

drove in two runs. Rich Treadwell added a homer, a pair of singles, and two

RBI as John Zadrovitz added three singles.

Leo Spinelli, who led My Place with a .560 average during the regular season,

added a solo homer - the second in a back-to-back thing with Treadwell in

five-run third inning.

Tilford's had its back to the wall, needing a victory to advance into the

loser's bracket final, but Apex was in the same situation and one team had to

advance. Apex decided it had to be them.

Without scoring more than three runs in an inning, Apex scored in all but two

innings en route to a 14-6 win over Tilford's, knocking the Piano Movers out

of the playoffs.

Apex scored three runs in the third and ninth innings and two in the first,

fourth, and sixth innings, spreading out its offense while subduing Tilford's,

allowing just 12 hits over the nine innings.

Carl Strait had a big stick for Apex, with a homer, two singles and four RBI.

John Seman added a two-run homer while Rich Stook singled three times. John

Hasselburger, Mike Hasty, Chris Thompson, and Dave Marcinek had two hits

apiece. Larry Miller, Maciolek, Tim McMahon, and Steve Bigham collected two

hits apiece for Tilford, which scored three of its six runs in the bottom of

the ninth.