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The Nashoba Valley Veterinarian Mustangs (12-0) outscored their opponents 42-13 this week to add two more wins to their undefeated season. Now, as the league goes into hibernation for 11 days for its annual mid-season break, most teams have played 12 or more of the 24 games in the regular season. At the break, Floral Arts (10-3) remains in second place. Drew Farms (8-7) and Shortcuts Landscaping (7-7) continue to play musical chairs with the third and fourth spots in the standings. Willis Tent (5-7), Mario’s Restaurant (4-8) Gutcheck (4-8), Pro Sports Therapy (4-9) and Healy Oil (4-10) enter the break knowing that each is in striking distance of earning one of the six playoff spots.
Willis Tent 17 - Mario’s Restaurant 14
On Sunday, Willis Tent and Mario’s Restaurant were knotted up at 13 before Willis prevailed 17–14 by scoring four runs in the eighth inning and then withstanding a Mario’s rally in the bottom half that brought the tying run to the plate. Mario’s made up a seven-run deficit in the last two innings to send the game into extra innings. Murph McKeon had a season best two homer and 5 RBI to pace the Mario’s offense. Dave Batchelder and Keith Reynolds also homered, and Brian Collamore capped a three-hit night with a triple.
Nashoba Valley Veterinarian Mustangs 25 - Drew Farms 5
In a well-balanced offensive attack, every Mustang had at least one hit and scored at least one run in the five-inning run rule victory over Drew Farms. Bill Knute led the attack with three home runs and 8 RBI. Paul Selfrige and Jim Ward set the table at the top of the Mustangs’ order, combining for six hits, seven runs scored, and 6 RBI. Mike Kennedy, Jack Erickson (3-for-3, HR, 3 RBI), and Craig Smith each had three hits apiece.
Shortcut Landscaping 27 - Gutcheck 11
In the Sunday nightcap game, Shortcut offense came out swinging, scoring nine runs in the top of the first. Carl Dean returned from a few weeks absence to go 4-for-4 at the top of the order for Shortcuts. Chris Clark (4-for-4) and Steve Harrison (GS) helped build up the score for the winners. Gutcheck responded with seven runs in the second inning, but could only muster two more runs before falling to Shortcuts via the mercy rule in the fifth. Thanh Nguyen went deep for Gutcheck, and Billy Cullen had a multi-hit game.
Mario’s Restaurant 3 - Shortcut Landscaping 2
On Tuesday, in a worthy reprisal to the previous encounter—a 2-1 Short Cut win—Mario’s evened the regular season score with a 3-2 victory in a game when the bats were all but silenced and pitching ruled. Mario’s scraped together a single run in the second, third and fifth innings to support pitcher Jerod Colley, who kept Short Cut hitters off-balance all night. Team defense was key for Mario’s as Rick Waldron played a flawless short, Tim Scott and Brian Collamore ran down every fly ball, Raghu Mantena made a crucial catch in right, and catcher Brian Haley fielded a swinging bunt to throw out a Short Cut batter to end the game.
Nashoba Valley Veterinarian Mustangs 17 - Gutcheck 8
The Mustangs rallied from a three-run deficit with a nine-run sixth inning to defeat Gutcheck, 17-7. Mark Cusano struck the big blow with a grand slam, the only home run of the game for the Mustangs on a windy night at the field. Jim Ward and Cormac Bordes had three hits apiece for the Mustangs, while Jack Erickson added two hits and three RBI for the winners. Paul Ligouri pitched out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the fifth inning, while the Mustangs still trailed in the game. This allowed the Mustangs to rally in the next inning, giving Liguouri the win on the mound. Gutcheck carried a narrow lead into the sixth inning but the Mustang bats came alive and scored nine runs in the top of the frame. Gutcheck threatened in the bottom of the sixth, with the bases loaded and two outs, Liguouri threw a pitch that was caught in deep left field to end the inning. Gutcheck 14, Healy Oil 5 On Wednesday, the Gutcheck defense came ready to play, holding the Healy Oil offense to just five runs. Bats were alive for Gutcheck as Thanh Nguyen went deep twice, and Matt Sepe, Jim Curley, and Gary Lavelle all had multi-hit games. Mike Martin hit a home run for Healy.
Floral Arts 19 - Healy Oil 4
On Friday night, Mike Alonardo smacked two home runs to lead Floral Arts to a 19-4 win in five innings over Healy Oil. Jim Peloquin and Rob Beaudette each hit a home run. Larry Mardany was masterful on the mound, giving up no runs until the fourth inning, and Bill Luppold continued his hot-streak, collecting two more hits.
Willis Tent 21 - Drew Farms 6
Willis Tent’s bats came alive as they went deep nearly a half a dozen times to defeat Drew Farms in runaway fashion, 21-6.
Drew Farms 12 - Pro Sports Therapy 8
After Drew Farms put up four runs, Pro Sports Therapy scored six runs in the first inning, but Drews then held PST to only two additional runs for the balance of the game to post the 12-8 win. Drews played solid defense, as Bill Faherty, Sal Buonacore, Pat Pawlak, Rob O’Neal, and Joe Welch each made great plays. Blake Buxton, Welch, Mark MacAleese, Pawlak, Todd Shepherd, Buonacore, and Mark Kost each had multiple hits for the winners. Derek Donegan and Jerry Cressman both went 3-for-3 in the loss for PST.
Mario’s Restaurant 20 - Gutcheck 5
Mario's offense scored in every inning to support pitcher Jerod Colley in a five-inning run-rule victory over Gutcheck. Murph McKeon continued to swing the bat with authority as he added a pair of doubles and a home run, crossing the plate four times. Luke Boulanger, Dave Batchelder and Brian Haley each contributed three hits, and rookie Tim Scott went 4-for-4 from the leadoff spot. Colley allowed a two-run homer to Thanh Nguyen in the first but held Gutcheck in check the rest of the way as Mario's tightened up the standings by moving into a tie for sixth place.
The question everyone in the league is asking: Will the 10-0 Mustangs go undefeated this season? The well-balanced team has done nothing a persuade anyone to think otherwise. This week they won two more games, including a nail-biter against their perennial playoff rival, the second place Floral Arts (9-3).
Floral Arts 8 - Pro Sports Therapy 4
On Tuesday night, Floral Arts defeated Pro Sports Therapy, 8-4, in a game without any home runs. Floral pitcher Larry Mardany and Pro Sports hurler Dave Chirokas mixed it up all night, keeping most of the batters off-balance. Billy Luppold went 2-for-3 and scored two runs. Floral shortstop Jim Peloquin made several nice plays in the field.
Gutcheck 7 - Drew Farms 6
The rivalry thickened as fifth place Gutcheck edged third place Drew Farms in come-from-behind fashion, 7-6. Both teams played solid defense—hits and runs were hard to come by for most of the game. Then, in the top of the seventh, and down by two, Gutcheck’s Jim Curley belted the game’s only home run, sparking his team, which then three more that inning to go ahead, 7-6. Gutcheck shut down the Drew Farm offense in the bottom of the inning to secure the win.
Mario’s Restaurant 13 - Healy Oil 8
Mario’s jumped out to an early 7-0 lead after three innings against Healy Oil, scoring just enough runs every other inning to withstand a late Healy rally to come away with the 13-8 victory. Dave Batchelder led the way offensively with two home runs, and the trio of Murph McKeon, Luke Boulanger and Jon Russo also went deep. Rookie Jerry Breen continued to impress with a three-hit night, including his first triple. Mario’s outfield defense played flawlessly to help pitcher Chris Brooks keep Healy Oil off of the scoreboard in five of the seven innings.
Nashoba Valley Veterinarian Mustangs 14 - Shortcut Landscaping 13
After Shortcuts rallied for seven runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a one run lead, the Mustangs scored two runs to win the game on a walk-off single by Jack Erickson. Erickson went 4-for-4 with a homer and 4 RBI. Dan Crogan added another grand slam and five RBI for the Mustangs. Paul Liguori chipped in with three hits and Don Cusano hit a solo home run.
Pro Sports Therapy 7 - Willis Tent 5
On Friday night, Willis Tent jumped out to a 2-0 lead over Pro Sports Therapy in the first inning. PST came back in the fourth to go ahead, 4-2, powered by a Nate Frazee three-run homer. Two solo homers in the bottom of the sixth gave Willis a 5-4 lead, but the bottom of the PST order found ways to get on base setting the stage for Mark Urlage to deliver another three-run bomb to give PST a 7-5 lead. The bottom of the Willis order tried to provide the same spark, but PST hurler Jeff Fuller managed to retire the top of the Willis order to escape with the win. PST Rookie Mark Pelosky quietly played a solid game, going 3-for-3 and adding the other RBI.
Healy Oil 19 - Shortcut Landscaping 16
The return of key players from the disabled list made all the difference for Healy Oil, as they erupted for 10 runs in the sixth inning to beat Shortcut Landscaping, 19-16. Mike Finegan and Bill Eaton each went deep twice for Healy. Tom Hudson pitched well, allowing only two SCL homers—Dave Silton and Chris Clark.
Nashoba Valley Veterinarian Mustangs 8 - Floral Arts 6
Bill Knute hit the ball that broke Floral Arts’ back, a three-run shot in the bottom of the sixth over the right field fence that put the Mustangs up, 8-6. Floral was up 5-0 after three innings, but the Mustangs tied it in the fourth on two homers. Pitcher Don Cusano hit a two-run blast, and Paul Selfrige hit a three-run shot. Mike Alonardo hit a solo shot in the sixth inning to bring the score to 6-5, but it was a short-lived Floral lead thanks to Knute’s heroics in the bottom of that inning.
With a third of the season now in the rear-view mirror, surging Drew Farms (7-3) moved into sole possession of third place with an important win this week again Shortcut Landscaping (6-4). Undefeated Nashoba Valley Veterinarian Mustangs (8-0) and Floral Arts (8-2) sit in first and second place. Rain outs on Friday shortened the schedule this week.
Willis Tent 16 - Gutcheck 14 On Tuesday night, Gutcheck’s winning streak was halted at two games thanks to a seventh inning come-from-behind walk-off hit—a three-run blast—by Willis Tent’s Jeff Briggs. Thanh Nguyen, Jim DeMarco and Mark Lupien each hit homers for Gutcheck.
Nashoba Valley Veterinarian Mustangs 8 - Healy Oil 4 In a well-pitched defensive battle, the Mustangs pulled out an 8-4 victory over a determined Healy Oil squad. Mustang rookie Cormac Bordes struck the big blow with a three-run home run in the fourth inning. Bordes, Paul Selfrige and Bill Knute all had three hits for the winners. Mark Cusano added two hits and two RBI. Paul Ligouri got the win on the mound for the Mustangs, while Jack Erickson threw out a Healy runner at the plate from his outfield spot to thwart a potential rally.
Drew Farms 11 - Shortcut Landscaping 7 Outstanding defensive play and timely hitting propelled Drew Farms to an 11-7 victory over Shortcuts on Wednesday night. Defensive highlights from Todd Shepherd, Joe Welch, Sal Buonacore, Pat Pawlak and Mark MacAleese were key in the victory. Shepherd also contributed two home runs, while Tom Menicci, Scott Cole, Rob O’Neal, Pawlak, and Buonacore contributed with multiple hit nights.
Floral Arts 15 - Willis Tent 12 Floral rallied late to defeat a pesky Willis team. Rob Beaudette, Mark Chambers, and Simon Tripp (2) homered for Floral, and Roger Whittlesey and Larry Mardany chipped in multi-hit nights. Dave Janowsky made an incredible over the shoulder catch at the fence to help preserve the win in the seventh. Rob Swinamer (2) and Jeff Briggs (GS) homered for Willis.
With weather causing yet another postponement on Friday night, the slate of games orginally scheduled for June 13th will now be played on Sunday, July 27th.
5:30 PST @ GutCheck
6:45 Mustangs @ Mario's Restaurant
8:00 Drew Farms @ Floral Arts
The sixth week of play was the most competitive this season, as five of the seven games finished with a score differential of no more than four runs. Drew Farms (6-3) won two of three games this week to move into a third-place tie with Shortcut Landscaping. The redoubtable Nashoba Valley Veterinarian Mustangs (7-0) remain the only undefeated team in the league and sit atop of the standings, a game ahead of Floral Arts (7-2).
Nashoba Valley Veterinarian Mustangs 11 - Drew Farms 9 It took eight innings for the Mustangs to pull out a tough 11-9 victory over a determined Drew Farms team. Craig Smith tied the game for the Mustangs in the top of the sixth inning with his second homer of the year. The Mustangs added three runs in the eighth to secure the win. Mark Cusano and Cormac Bordes each had three hits. Paul Selfrige (home run) and Jack Erickson also contributed two hits each for the Mustangs. Paul Liguori played well defensively.
Gutcheck 15 - Floral Arts 13 Gutcheck scored an impressive 15-13 victory as Gary Lavelle's seventh-inning walk-off grand slam capped a two-homer night for the pitcher of record. Thanh Nguyen and Billy Cullen also went deep for Gutcheck. Strong team defense and a good outing on the mound by Lavelle kept Floral Arts in check. Nguyen played impressive defense in left field, making about a dozen putouts, and cutting down a runner at the plate late in the game.
Shortcut Landscaping 15 - Willis Tent 14 Willis’ John Mangiaratti hit his second homer of the night to give his team a one-run lead in the seventh, but it was not enough to keep SCL from surging ahead and winning it in the bottom of the inning. Steve Damiani had three hits for Willis, and Paul Duato, Andrew Metters, and Brian Anderson each had two hits. Anderson pitched a great game and Damiani made a fine diving catch in the sixth to keep the score close.
Drew Farms 18 - Healy Oil 9 Drew Farms scored in every inning, including a six-run third to overcome an early deficit in defeating Healy Oil, 18-9. All 12 Drews’ players collected hits, with three hits each coming from Tom Menicci (including a home run), Rob O’Neal and Mark Kost. Blake Buxton, Bill Faherty and Joe Walsh provided the necessary stops to provide solid defense. After scoring in each of the first three innings, Healy was held to one run.
Pro Sports Therapy 19 - Mario’s Restaurant 3 Pro Sports Therapy scored in all but the second inning as they defeated Mario’s Restaurant Tuesday night, 19-3. The offense was powered by Nate Frazee’s big offensive night. Frazee hit the walk-off grand slam in the sixth to cap off a 4-for-4 night with 3 runs scored and 5 RBI. Jeff Fuller got the win for PST and contributed a two-run triple as PST got contributions from he entire lineup. Dave Chirokas added a homer and 5 RBI, John Bodi had 3 hits and 2 RBI, and coach Gary Royal got on base all night and drove in a pair.
Shortcut Landscaping 13 - Pro Sports Therapy 10 A tightly contested battle saw SCL push across three runs in the top of the eighth to take control of the contest and seal a 13-10 win over PST. Dave Chirokas pitched well in defeat for PST, supported by his defense, which threw out two runners at the plate. Nate Frazee continued his tear at the plate, hitting another home run. John Bodi and Tim Schutt added three hits each and Andrew Fletcher contributed a rocket of a home run off the light pole in centerfield.
Drew Farms 22 - Mario’s Restaurant 21 In a long, wild game, Drews withstood a furious couple of rallies from Mario’s to hold on for the win. Drews led 17-6 after four when Mario’s scored nine in the fifth to draw within two. Drews scored two in the bottom of the fifth and two more in the sixth to go into the seventh ahead by six. Mario’s scored six in the top of the inning to tie the score, but Todd Shepherd hit a walk-off home run (his second homer) in the bottom of the inning to finally close out the game. All Drews players recorded at least one hit, with Pat Pawlak leading the way with a 4-for-4 game, including two home runs. Mark Kost, Tom Menicci, Bill Faherty and Scott Cole each had three hits. Jon Russo and Murph McKeon hit homers for Mario’s, and Dave Batchelder went 4-for4, with four runs. John Geary, Brian Collamore and Jerod Colley each had three hits. Colley held Drews in check from the mound over the late innings to enable the comeback.
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