Mustangs

An interesting and exciting week for sure in Westford Over 30 Softball. The Nashoba Valley Veterinary Mustangs are no longer undefeated, losing to Short Cut Landscaping. Pro Sports Therapy continues to be the hottest team in the league and now has fifth place locked up. The biggest game of this upcoming week is clearly between Burton's Grill and Drew Farms as they face off on Wednesday with the winner likely taking the final playoff spot. Short Cut and Floral Arts will battle to grab the second place spot and the important first round bye that comes with it.

Floral Arts 23 - CSA Graphics 7 Floral Arts beat CSA Sunday night, 23-7. Larry Mardany pitched well for Floral. Ryan Dunn (two), Kenny Delaney (two), Simon Tripp (two), and Geoff Pavao each homered for Floral. Floral Arts jumped to an early lead after scoring three in the first and then piling on 10 in the second. CSA Graphics, playing with only nine for the game, hung in for a bit, before falling to the run rule in the bottom of the fifth inning. Gary Lavelle, of CSA, playing in his first game this year, pitched well for CSA Graphics and added a couple hits (including a double). Rey Vienneau also coming off the reserve list for his first game, hit a home run on his first swing of the year, and played solid at shortstop. Jim DeMarco was four for four at the plate.

Pro Sports Therapy 22 - Floral Arts 15 In a game with playoff implications for both squads, PST continued on their hot streak with a 22-15 victory over perennial power Floral Arts. PST jumped out immediately with lead-off hitter Ben Armstrong going deep for the 1-0 lead. PST kept the pressure on, pushing three more across before leaving the bases loaded. Floral, not to be fazed, kept at it and after three took a 7-6 lead. After Larry Mardany shut down the PST offense again in the 4th, Floral hit their 6th and 7th home runs in the bottom of the inning to increase their lead to 10-6. Then came the inning that may define the PST season- in the top of the 5th, PST exploded for 10 runs to go up 16-10. Shortstop Donald Slate was the offensive star of the inning with two hits (single and three-run home run) and two runs scored. Other highlights were a booming James Chen double over a drawn in outfield and another Ben Armstrong home run. Out of home runs after reaching the league limit, Floral had to chip away, and they did, responding immediately with two more to close the gap to 16-12. But, an energized PST squad immediately posted another four to increase their lead to 20-13 at the end of six. Brian Dubey homered again to increase the lead and then PST hung on, giving up two in the bottom of the 7th for the final score of 22-15. PST had four players with four hits (Armstrong, Mark Urlage, Ryan Steele, and Tim Schutt) and another five with three hits each. In a game that would seeming be dominated by offense, it was the defense that provided some of the biggest highlights. Floral’s Mike Alonardo made a spectacular diving catch in centerfield to end an inning, only to see PST LF Armstrong rob the Floral hitter leading off the next inning with an equally dazzling dive. Floral turned two double plays, PST one. And, PST 3B Steele and 2B John Bodi both laid out to corral ground balls and throw out a runner at first to get big outs late in the game. Floral Arts hit seven home runs including blasts from Mike Alonardo (two), Chad Kirby (two), Roger Whittlesey, Frank Lancelotta, and Ken Delaney.

Nashoba Valley Mustangs 16 - CSA Graphics 3 The Mustangs jumped to an early 13-0 lead against CSA Graphics, who could never catch-up. Don Cusano, Mike Kennedy and Corma Bordes all homered for the winners. CSA did quiet the bats of the Mustangs by deploying a short-fielder strategy, but in the end fell to the run rule with a walk-off run in the bottom of the fifth. No big heroes for CSA, although Jeff Bernier was perfect at the plate (1-1 with an RBI), and a now two-time contributor for CSA in games versus the Mustangs. Interestingly, the addition of one of the Mustang's sons (Paul) led to another solo homerun for the CSA scoreboard. Outstanding defense for the Mustangs was highlighted by Don Cusano at third base. Winning Mustangs pitcher Paul Liguori kept his three year undefeated streak alive

Short Cuts Landscaping 25 - CSA Graphics 12  On Wednesday night, a similar story for CSA of not being able to keep up with the opposing offense and eventually losing to run rule. CSA Graphics and Short Cuts Landscaping exchanged punches over the first few innings, leading to a 6-5 lead by CSA.  Short Cuts then mounted an attack with 10-run inning, benefitting from some poor defense on the other side.  CSA Graphics worked their way back into the game, led by Matt Sepe (2-2, two homeruns, five RBI), Bill Cullen (2-3 with a homerun and double), Jim DeMarco (3-3 and three runs scored), and Tim Piwowar (2-2, with a double).  In the bottom of the fifth, Short Cuts turned a 15-12 lead into a 25-12 win.  The men in black put up a hitting display and hit nine home runs. A 10 run fifth inning finished the night with a big three run home run by Donny "White Shoes" Morash and a walk off two-run home run by Rob Prendergast.  Prendergast also made his season debut at first base and fielded the position as "smooth as sandpaper."  Other Short Cut notable performances for the night:  Mike Gross, 4-4 with two home runs, and John Ablondi, 4-4 and a home run.
 

Burtons Grill 19 - Healy Oil 14 Burton's Grill narrowly edged a very competitive and energized Healy Oil squad 19-14. Healy jumped out early putting up eight in the first but Burton's quickly recovered with a massive 12 run inning sending 17 to the plate. The 12 runs were all scored with two outs and were much needed as the game remained close from there on as Healy scored another five in the third inning. Offense for Burton's was highlighted by Tim "Usain" Scott with an inside the park three-run homer, Eric "lets play two" Cataline, 4-4, fours runs scored, Charlie, "the Big Hurt", Chungo, 4-4, three runs scored, Dave, "scoop", Batchelder 3-3, two RBI, three runs scored, Murph,"Giuseppe," McKeon, 2-3, three run homerun and five RBI, Jerod, "it's pizza night, right?" Colley with a key three run homerun, and Peter, "all fields," Morano 2-3, and an RBI. Healy Oil, out of the playoff race, came to play the role of spoiler. Contributing with home runs were Matt Dowling, Tony Pantoja and Steve Cuzziere executing a sweet lefty swing resulting in a three-run blast. Healy pitcher Wayne Meadows contributed with home runs and pitched well for most of the night.

Floral Arts 24 - Healy Oil 4 Floral Arts beat Healy Oil, 24-4, in five innings on Friday night. Simon Tripp, Jeff Moore, and Frank Lancelotta homered for Floral. David O'Keefe hit the only home run for Healy.

Short Cuts 17 - Mustangs 15 Short Cuts and Mustangs battled late into the night in a classic Friday summer showdown. Mustangs jumped out early with five runs but Short Cuts answered with eight in the bottom of the first highlighted by a big two-run home run from Pat Flaraty. Defense was the key to the game as Short Cut continuously made the big defensive stops all night. The men in black turned three double plays. Don Morash, Jason Humphrey and John Proulx were stellar all night with their leather. Donny Aiken also made a Willie Mays over the shoulder grab in left. A monster three-run home run by John Ablondi gave Short Cuts a five run cushion late in the game. Mike Martell had a key two out double in the bottom of the sixth and Jason Humphrey knocked him in to give the winners a six run cushion through six. To top off the night the legend Carl Dean came out of retirement to be the 10th player for Short Cut and he proceeded to do his typical 3-4...just awesome!!!!  

A surging PST team beat Burtons this week and jumped into a relatively comfortable fifth place knocking Burtons down into the sixth position and fighting for their playoff lives with a Drew's team only one game behind. Both Burtons and Drews need to have a solid finish, highlighted by a game versus each other during this final run.  Second, third and fourth place are all still up for grabs with the winner earning a first round bye along with the Mustangs.

Floral Arts 22 - Willis Tent 11
Floral Arts defeated Willis Tent on Sunday evening, 22-11. Jeff Moore, who has been smashing the ball in the second half, hit two home runs and knocked in five for Floral Arts. Ken Delaney, Ryan Dunn, Mike Donaruma, Mark Chambers, and Rob Beaudette also hit home runs for the winners. Pitcher Larry Mardany kept the powerful Willis bats in the park until the sixth inning when Dennis Kane homered. Rob Swinamer went 4-4 (with four singles) and Keith Wauters, 3-4, (three singles) for Willis in the loss.

Nashoba Valley Veterinary Mustangs 29 - Floral Arts 16
Floral jumped out to a quick 9-4 advantage, blasting four home runs through the first two innings, but the Mustangs came storming back with a ten run third inning and a 12 run fifth inning to pull away.  Paul Selfrige and Jim Ward set the tone at the top of the Mustang order as they usually do by reaching base in all 12 of their plate appearances and scoring 9 runs combined.  Selfrige had six hits, including two bases loaded, bases clearing three-run doubles.  Bill Knute had a key grand slam (after Don Cusano was walked with the bases loaded) and a three run home run, and made a great running catch at the foul line in left field for the winners.  Mike Kennedy and Mark Cusano also added home run blasts for the Mustangs, while Dan Crogan (three runs scored and two RBI), Craig Smith and Cormac Bordes all chipped in with three hits apiece.  Crogan also snagged a scorching line drive at second base to aide the Mustang defense and to end a potential big inning for Floral.  

Willis Tent 16 - Healy Oil 2
With a combination of a stellar pitching performance  by Willis Pitcher Bob Fluery and solid defense, Willis  was able to hold Healy to just two total runs.  This game saw eight out of the 12 Willis players putting in a 2 - 3 night.  In addition, Willis reached the seven home run maximum, taking a 5th inning run-rule win over Healys 16-2.  Contributing to the win with single home runs were Rick Devanna, Brian Gallardo, Jeff Briggs, Roger Neild, and Glen Harding.   Also, John Mangiaratti had two home runs on the night. Healy could only muster 2 hits as the bats were silent.  Wayne Meadows pitched well and hit a two run shot over right in the 4th.

Short Cuts Landscaping 15 - Burtons Grill 13
Burton's Grill nearly pulled out an important win versus a very good Short Cuts team losing by just two, 15-13. Burton's fell behind as Short Cuts used all seven of their allowed home runs including several during an eight run inning. Burton's fought back, tightened up the defense, and were behind by six coming into the bottom of the seventh inning. Burton's offensive contributors included lead off standout Tim Scott, 3-4 with a double and three runs scored, Private Eric Cataline, 3-3, double, sac fly and three runs scored, Charlie, "Ivan Putski"  Chungo 2-3, a double, grand slam and six RBI. Brian Haley, 2-3 and two runs scored and John "single eye" Geary 2-4 and two RBI.  Down six in the last inning, Chungo hit the light pole with the bases loaded and brought Burtons to within two with two outs.  Unfortunately, this author let the boys down grounding out weakly to second and ending the comeback.  Dave Batchelder went 2-2 and other fine Burton's efforts were put in by Greg Fitzgerald, Peter Morano, Mike Jerzlyo and Jason Lenicheck.  On an outstanding defensive note,  Charlie Chungo took a throw from Raghu Mantena and pitched a tailing laser beam over the shoulder of the runner to a waiting Fitzgerald at third to get the runner.

Pro Sports Therapy 17 -  Drew Farms 14
In a battle of two teams trying to get the last play-off slot, PST jumped out to a 8-2 lead after three and then put up six more runs in the fourth to go up 14-5.  Drew’s fought to make it a game, but a six run rally in the bottom of the seventh came up just short.  For PST, Donald Slate’s three-run home run in the first started PST off on the right track (part of a 3-4, five RBI night for the rookie).  In the third, Steve Sawyer (2-4, three RBI) and Ryan Slate (4-4, two RBI) hit back-to-back home runs.  Also having big nights for PST were Ben Armstrong (3-4) and Andrew Fletcher (3-4).  Dave Chirokas got the win on the mound and contributed two hits.  Drews had an off night defensively but saw offensive contributions from Jason Gothwaite, 3-3 including a home run and a double, Kurt Camblin, 2-2 and two home runs, Tom Menici 2-3, and Middle Schools Rec Basketball coaching champ Todd Shepherd 2-3 with a home run and a double.

Floral Arts 18 - Short Cuts Landscaping 14
Floral arts beat Shortcut Landscaping on Friday night, 18-14. Simon Tripp and Ryan Dunn each homered twice for Floral, Frank Lancelotta and Rob Beaudette also homered. The big hit of the night came in the top of the seventh, with Floral down by one, when Mike Donaruma smacked a go-ahead three-run shot over the left field fence.

Drew Farms 18 - Healy Oil 12
At a time in the season when every win is needed, Drew Farms outlasted Healy Oil 18-12.  In a game that didn't end until 10 PM on Friday night, Drew Farms gained an offensive push from several players.  Mark Kost 3-4, Tom Millante, 2-4, Mark McAleese, 3-4, Scott Cole 2-4, and Todd Shepherd 2-4 with a home run and a double. Sal Bonacoure went 2-4 and Alex Lachook pitched well for the winners as they had to finish the last four innings with only nine in the field. Healy gave up 11 in one inning, but kept Drews at bay for 6 out of 7 innings. Tom Hudson returned to the mound and pitched a solid game for Healy. Matt Dowling added two solo shots over center field as well as providing great defense in left field including throwing out a Drew's runner at 2nd on a one hop single to left.  Glenn Robinson went 4-4 at the plate as well for Healy.

Pro Sports Therapy 22 - Burtons Grill 7
In a game that didn't see its first pitch until 10 PM, PST played one of their best games in years in a battle for playoff positioning with Burton’s Grill, taking a run rule win 22-7 in five Innings.  Burton’s jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead, hitting everything in sight (three batters, three runs).  PST came right back with seven- big blows including Burton's killer Jerry Cressman’s three-run home run (3-4 with two home runs and five RBI) and Ryan Steele’s two-run blast (2-2 with five RBI).  PST settled down on defense and limited the potent Burton’s offense to just two more runs and continued to pile on the crooked numbers, highlighted by three in the second after the first two were set down- a rally that was sparked by an infield hit by John Bodi (4-4 with three runs scored) followed by eight in the third led by a Ben Armstrong home run (2-3 with three RBI), Donald Slate’s triple (3-4 with two doubles, a triple, and three runs scored) and Governor Al Nudler’s two RBI single.  Also having big nights for PST were Dave Chirokas (3-3 with a double and two RBI) and Derek Donegan (3-3 with three runs scored). Burton's strong first inning start was quickly stalled but contributing to the seven run total were Tim Scott 2-3 and two runs scored, Charlie Chungo two-run dinger, Eric Cataline, now a sergeant, 2-2, double, triple and 3 RBI, Jason Lenicheck 2-2 and two runs scored and dog-watcher Murph McKeon 1-2, including a double and run scored. Chris Brooks came in from the bullpen and pitched well in the final two innings for Burtons.



 

With most of the regular season behind them, the Nashoba Valley Mustangs remain undefeated at 18-0 and 6.5 games up on the second place Short Cut Landscaping the Mustangs now have 400 runs scored on the year. Third, fourth and fifth place all have nine wins and include Floral Arts, Willis Tent and Burton's Grill in that order. Six places earn a playoff spot and the race is still far from over. Pro Sports Therapy currently has the sixth spot with eight wins followed by Drew Farms with six. In the upcoming week's games, Drews faces a tough Short Cut team and then two days later PST. Floral Arts has two tough opponents having to face off against both Willis and the Mustangs. Highlight of the week was a Floral Arts comeback being down 16-0 in the bottom of the first versus Shortcut and pulling out the win.

Floral Arts 31 - Shortcut Landscaping 27 On Sunday night, Short Cut Landscaping hit four home runs and scored 16 runs in the top of the first inning, but then Floral Arts clawed their way back and claimed the victory, 31-27! The game, which last nearly two hours, was a slug fest. Floral hit seven home runs, Short Cuts blasted nine. Simon Tripp hit two 3-run homers for Floral, which also got home runs from Larry Mardany, Frank Lancelotta, Rob Beaudette, Jeff Moore, and Mike Donaruma. Tom "Tank" Lester went 4-for-5 and made several nice plays in the field, including starting a 5-3 double play at third. Chad Kirby was 5-for-5 hitting from the lead off position. Ken Delaney, in his first game since knee surgery, went 3-for-4 and played well at short.

Burton's Grill 20 - CSA Graphics 7 In an important playoff race game, Burton's beat CSA by 13 and kept their lead in the standings. Burton's hit the ball well and played strong defense in marching to the convincing run rule win. CSA simply left too many men on base and committed costly errors. Burtons posted six, four, and nine run innings over the first four of the game and CSA could not keep pace. Dave Batchelder continued his torrid hitting blasting a grand slam , Murph McKeon 3-3 with a two run homerun and 3 RBI, Tim Scott 3-4, three runs scored and threw out a runner at home plate to Jason Lenicheck. Eric Cataline 3-4, another two doubles and game winning RBI in the fifth, Luke Boulanger 2-2, a double and three RBI, and Greg Fitzgerald, 2-3 and a pair of doubles. Fitzgerald also played great D at third. Chris Brooks led the team by stepping in as the starting pitcher and put in a Cy Young performance. For CSA Graphics, Thanh Nguyen (playing in his second game of the year) had a solo homerun, and Mike Cioffi was 3-for-3.

Pro Sports Therapy 14 - Healy Oil 4 PST jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead in the first and cruised to a 14-4 win over Healy Oil. The middle of the PST order exploded, with Donald Slate once again led the way for the surging PST squad. Slate hit a three run bomb in the opening inning and another two run shot in the third on his way to a 3-3, five RBI night. He also proved his value to the PST defense, making an outstanding over-the-shoulder catch on a blooper and then taking a relay throw from the outfield and gunning down a Healy runner at the plate. Steve Sawyer was 3-3 with a homerun and Ryan Steele drove in three with two homeruns.

Nashoba Valley Mustangs 22 - Willis Tent 9 The Mustangs again won convincingly and this time over a top tier squad in Willis Tent. Strong hitting across the board as usual an included Mike Kennedy with two homeruns and six RBI, Mark Cusano two homeruns, four RBI and four runs scored, Jack Erickson, a homerun and three runs scored. Leadoff hitter Paul Selfrige, two hits and a homerun, lefty Bill Knute a homerun and three RBI and Cormac Bordes, four hit, three runs scored and a homerun...that counted as a single. Knute also contributed with the glove making a nice diving catch in left field. Player highlights for Willis included Dennis Kane, 3-3 with three homeruns and Brian Gallardo, 2-3 and two homeruns.

Pro Sports Therapy 16 – Healy Oil 13 In one of the sloppier games of the year, Pro Sports Therapy and Healy Oil went back and forth in a tilt more reminiscent of many of their games circa 2004. The Oilers put up crooked numbers in the 2nd, 4th, and 6th to take a 13-8 lead, but PST exploded for eight in the bottom of the sixth, keyed by a hustle single by the Governor Al Nudler to go ahead 16-13 and ultimately close it out. PST had contributions up and down the lineup including a triple from Ben Armstrong to start a three run outburst in the first, two-hitter John Bodi on base four times, Jerry Cressman with two doubles and three RBI, Derek Donegan, two hits and three RBI, Ryan Steele, three hits with two doubles, Brian Dubey, three hits including a double and a homerun, and the aforementioned Governor, who had two hits in the critical sixth inning and whose hustle sparked the PST squad all night.

While the Mustangs remain undefeated at 17-0, they did face a formidable challenge this week in a Burtons squad who took them seven innings and scored 19 in the loss. The middle of the pack remains exciting as CSA won twice this week and pulled secret weapon, Thanh Nguyen, off the reserve list for their season ending drive. PST with six wins currently has the final playoff spot but Drew Farms and CSA are right behind with five and four wins respectively. Important and impactful matchups this week include Drew Farms facing Healy Oil, Willis Tent versus Short Cuts, and Burtons squaring off against former teammate Nguyen and CSA.

Pro Sports Therapy 11 - Burtons Grill 9 Opening night of the second half began with a tight game between PST and Burton Grill ending in an 11-9 win for the PST squad. PST led the whole way but never by enough to be comfortable. Burtons kept it close including a four run seventh inning and making their final out with the winning Burton run at the plate. Mark Urlage led off the game for PST with a homerun and made several big catches in the outfield. Urlage also started a relay that cut down a Burtons runner at the plate saving a run late in the game. PST veteran Jerry Cressman hit a grand slam in the third to key a six run inning that would ultimately mean a big difference in the game. Donald Slate led off the sixth with a homerun to key a four run inning that gave PST some room for error, needed in the end. Jeff Fuller of PST also contributed a two run double and Jeremy Joyce drove in a run with a two-out single. Derek Donegan, 3-3, and Merrimack College scholar Dave Chirokas, 2-2 with a walk, were both on base all night. Chirokas also sent a mix of pitches to the plate which kept the Burtons hitters guessing on what was coming next. Burtons hitting was led by Dave Batchelder, 3-3 including a homerun and two runs scored, Murph McKeon 3-3, one RBI, two runs scored and an assist on a throw to the plate to John Geary to end a PST inning. Geary and Arkansas farmhand Jerod Colley both went 2-2 with two RBI. Greg Fitzgerald went 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored to keep Burtons close. Other key contributions included a Kieran Murray throw to get a PST runner at third and possibly the best catch of the year on a screaming line drive by Burton's Eric Cataline. Cataline also tagged up from second on a fly ball and continues to show rookie of the year credentials.

Nashoba Valley Veterinary Mustangs 23 - Burtons Grill 19 Over the last few seasons Burtons has proven a formidable challenge to the dominant Mustangs team taking them into six extra innings one game and handing them their only loss in a prior seasons. While the Mustangs won last night, Burtons fought back from a 19-4 deficit to lose just 23-19. Burtons turned a couple of double plays and had great hitting from several spots in the lineup. First year player Charlie Chungo hit a grand slam, Gerry Breen 4-4, two homeruns, three RBI and four runs scored. Dave Batchelder had another homerun, Eric Cataline 4-4, Jon Russo with a homerun, and lefty Luke Boulanger 2-4, a double and two runs scored. Chris Brooks, recovering from an injury playing off-season football, came in to pitch in a clutch relief appearance. Billy "Blastoff" Knute led the potent Mustang attack with three long homerun blasts, seven RBI, and four runs scored in the slugfest victory over the much improved Burtons squad. Paul Selfrige, 3-4, HR, two RBI, three runs, and Jack Erickson, 3-4, HR, three RBI, three runs, set the table at the top of the Mustang order for Knute and Don Cusano, two hits, BB, homerun, two RBI, three runs. Cormac Bordes and Mike Kennedy added three hits apiece, while Paul Ligouri and Sean Morgan each had three RBI and three runs scored, and Craig Smith chipped in with two hits. Kennedy and Selfrige played excellent defense on the left side of the Mustang infield. It is worth noting that 19 runs was the most scored by any team against the Mustangs this season.

CSA Graphics 14 - Drew Farms 6 Drew's took an early, but small, lead which held through the first five innings. In the sixth, CSA Graphics stormed ahead behind the offense of CSA's secret weapon for the game, Thanh Nguyen. "T", playing in his first game of the year, off the reserves list, went three for three on the night with solo and three-run home runs, and five RBI. Jim DeMarco also had a two run homerun in the sixth to help push CSA into the lead. In the top of the seventh, CSA threatened again, loading the bases with T coming to the plate. Drew Farm's proceeded to take the a time-out to discuss their options on the mound, choosing to intentionally walk T and concede a run. This plan back-fired when Mike Cioffi followed with a grand slam, putting the game out of reach for Drew's.

CSA Graphics 28 - Willis Tent 27 A classic slugfest. After Willis posted six runs in the first inning, CSA hit fourteen singles to counter with nine runs. After the string of singles in the first inning, CSA settled for a couple solo home runs in the second from Matt Sepe, 4 for 4 on the night with two home runs and Bill Cullen, 3 for 5 on the night. After Willis managed to begin pulling away with high-scoring innings, CSA chipped-away, scoring in each inning of the game, scoring three in the third and two more in the fourth. CSA made their big move in the fifth inning, scoring seven behind the big bat of Mike Cioffi who hit his second home run of the game. After four more runs in the sixth inning, Willis bounced back to tie the game in the top of the 7th. After a couple quick outs, Mike Cioffi completed his big night with a walk off solo homerun, going 5 for 5 with three home runs and six RBI on the night. Every CSA player had at least one hit and one RBI in the game, as the team scored in each inning for the first time this season. Notable contributions for Willis were: Rick Devanna going 4 for 5 with four singles, Brian Gallardo going 4 for 5 with two singles and two homeruns, Kevin Adolph 3 for 5 with three singles and Andrew Metters also 3 for 5 with a single, a double and a homerun. Stephen Damiani aided the Willis effort with a homerun as well.

Drew Farms 23- Floral Arts 13 Drew Farms drew first blood and was relentless thereafter, getting timely hits, extending rallies, and finding the gaps. Drew's third baseman Pat [last name] made two great stabbing plays on hard hit balls. Both teams hit seven home runs. Homering for Floral were Simon Tripp, Frank Lancelotta, Mike Alonardo, Ryan Dunn, Rob Beaudette, and Geoff Pavao. Fleet-footed Chad Kirby turned in another solid defensive effort in the outfield, and second baseman Mark Chambers dove for and gobbled up seven ground balls heading for the middle. Drew's Kirk C. went 5-5 with two dingers, Jim Scanlon 5-6, also with two homeruns, Joe Welch five hits, Rich Rago and Blake Buxton four hits each. Bill Farhety's returned from retirement with a single, double, and a sacrifice fly in the big win.

Nashoba Valley Veterinary Mustangs 25- Pro Sports Therapy 2 PST's first two batters of the game reached base, but Mustangs' first basemen Cormac Bordes changed the momentum by making the play of the night diving to his left to catch a bullet grounder and from his back flipped to pitcher Paul Ligouri for the out to help stop the early rally. Bordes added three hits, including a homer and three RBI to aide Liguori's victory on the mound. The Mustangs' offense was led by Mike Kennedy, 4-4, two homeruns, five RBI, three runs scored, Paul Selfrige, 5-5, homerun, three RBI, four runs. Bill Knute, 4-4, HR, four RBI, four runs scored. Mark Cusano, 4-4, homerun, five RBI, three runs scored, and Don Cusano, 3 hits, homerun, three RBI, three runs scored. Jack Erickson added three hits and four runs scored from his second spot in the Mustang order. Selfrige turned two infield double plays from his shortstop position to lead the Mustang defense. For PST, Donald Slate continued his hot streak by hitting a two run homerun to break up the shut out. Dave Chirokas also had a 2-2 night for PST.

Short Cuts Landscaping 14 - Pro Sports Therapy 8 Short Cuts jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first and put up two more in the 2nd and it looked like it would be cruise control to a run rule win. But PST broke through in the 3rd with four runs, powered by two run homeruns by Derek Donegan and Ben Armstrong. From there, it was a much more competitive game. PST got close with three more in the 5th, but three in the bottom of the 6th from SCL put it away. For PST, Armstrong led the offense going 3-4 with two doubles and the homerun.

Nashoba Valley Veterinary Mustangs 23 - Drew Farms 11 Down only 12-10 after five innings Drew Farms held out hope that this might be an upset in the making over the undefeated Mustangs. However, it would end 23-11 as the Mustangs turned it on in the final two innings while shutting down the Drew's offense. Mike Kennedy hit three homeruns and had five RBI, Mark Cusano, two homeruns and three RBI. Paul Selfrige 5-5, a homerun, three RBI and four runs scored, Bill Knute 4-5, another homerun and two runs scored. Sean Morgan three hits and two runs scored and Jay Lincoln three hits and a bomb over the fence. Good infield defense by Paul Ligouri and Bill Knute threw out another runner at the plate from left field for the Mustangs. Drew's Pat Pawlak, 2-4 with two homeruns, Rob Oneal and Scott Cole were both 3-4. Todd Shepherd went 3-3 with two homeruns and flashed the leather playing third base for the first time in thirteen years. Tome Millante also hit well going 2-4 in the Drew's effort.

Heading into the mid-season break, the Nashoba Valley Veterinary Mustangs sit undefeated at 14-0 having scored 307 runs, accumulating exactly 100 more runs than the second place 8-4 Floral Arts team. The Mustangs defense is just as strong allowing only 80 runs over those same 14 games. Second place thru fifth place are all teams with eight wins represented by Short Cuts Landscaping, Willis Tent, and Burtons Grill falling in behind Floral. Six teams make the playoffs and Pro Sports Therapy, after two big wins, currently sits in sixth place at 5-9. Drew Farms, Healy Oil and CSA Graphics make up the bottom three spots but all are well within reach of a playoff spot with a strong second half.

Nashoba Valley Veterinary Mustangs 22 - Healy Oil 6 The Mustangs began another week of games with a run rule win over Healy Oil. Mark Cusano went 4-4, with two grand slams, 10 RBI total, including the second straight walkoff salami for the Mustangs to reach the run rule victory. Paul Selfrige and Mike Kennedy each went 3-4, while Paul Liguori notched another win on the mound. Jack Erickson threw out a runner at 3B from LF to bolster the outstanding Mustang defense. Bruce Wilhelm started Healy going early with a two run shot over center field and Wayne Meadows tried to pitch around the Mustang batters but the Mustang offense just overpowered the Healy defense.

Pro Sports Therapy 17 - CSA Graphics 0 Pro Sports Therapy notched yet another run rule win scoring 17 and keeping CSA Graphics from crossing the plate at all over the five innings. PST's Donald Slate cleared the bases with a three-run bomb in the first and was then followed by Tom Rose hitting a homerun on his first swing in six weeks. These early runs would be all veteran hurler Dave Chirokas would need the rest of the way. PST put up four more in the bottom of the second, all with two outs, high-lighted by Ben Armstrong’s three run bomb. Both Slate and Armstrong had big nights, each going 3-3, with a double, homerun and four RBI. Also noteworthy at the plate were both Dave Chirokas and interim manager Derek Donegan, both posting 3-3 efforts. A five run third inning all but sealed the deal, but PST’s offense stayed hot by adding three in the fourth and a single run in the fifth. The undermanned CSA squad fought gamely, led by former PST outfielder Bill Cullen, who has reinvented himself as one of the better pitchers in the league with a reputation for shutting down his former squad. The PST defense turned three double plays in the infield, including Chirokas’s stab of a line drive and catching a CSA runner off of first to end an inning.

Willis Tent 13 - Floral Arts 9 Willis Tent beat Floral Arts 13-9 on Wednesday night. Both teams battled throughout the game, but Willis' big sixth inning put them ahead for good. Floral got a good pitching performance from Simon Tripp. Jeff Moore went 3-for-3 with two homers and five RBI, Mark Chambers hit a solo home run, and Roger Whittlesey knocked in two with a double. Chad Kirby played a solid right field and knocked in a run. Contributing to the Willis win were Andrew Metters with a 4 for 4 night, two singles and two doubles, John Mangiaratti going 3 for3 with three singles and a base on balls, Brian Gallardo 3 for 4 with two singles and homerun, Rick Devanna 3 for 4 with two singles and a homerun. Dennis Kane and Justin Swanson each contributed to the effort with a homerun. Willis also got excellent pitching from veteran Paul Duato.

Burtons Grill 25 - Drew Farms 22 Posting a score often seen in football rather than softball, Burtons outlasted a very tough Drews squad 25-22 over seven innings and nearly two hours. The high scoring affair was highlighted by a rare homerun, two swinging strikeouts, a 22 run inning, and a near triple play. In an important game for two teams in the middle of the pack, Burtons went above .500 standing at 8-7 going into the holiday break. Burtons rising star Raghu Mantena hit a two run blast off of Drews starter Mark Kost to open the scoring and contributed four RBI on the night. Mantena also made several great catches in right field to end some rallies. Burtons season homerun leader Dave Batchelder hit for the cycle, knocking in five RBI. Eric Cataline 5-5 and four RBI, Luke Boulanger went 3-4 with four RBI, Tim Scott 3-5, two RBI, and three runs scored, John Geary 3-4, three runs scored and two RBI and Jerod Colley 4-5 and a great pitching effort to close out the seventh. Peter Morano had several key hits and a blown tire due to excessive speed rounding first. Drews competed every inning including responding with 12 runs in the bottom of an inning where Burtons posted 10 thus quickly narrowing an 18-2 lead and making it a game again. Offensive standouts for Drews included Pat Pawlak with a homerun, Rich Ragu with a three run homerun, and solid hitting by Blake Buxton and Joe Welch. Outstanding catches in the outfield by Tim Scott and Brian Collamore for Burtons, and a nice grab by Jason Lenicheck at third, put the win in Burton's column.

Healy Oil 23 - CSA Graphics 19 CSA jumped to an early 7-0 lead, but Healy quickly erased that deficit, with six-run and 13-run innings. CSA Graphics stormed back, led by Matt Sepe, two homeruns and four RBI, Bill Ryan, 4-5, with two RBI, and Mike Cioffi, 4-5, with three RBI. In the fifth inning, a grand slam from Bob Cullen who had three homers on the night and six total RBI, followed by a two-run homerun from his brother Bill helped get CSA within a run of Healy. Insurance runs by Healy in the bottom of the sixth helped secure the win, however. CSA had 28 hits on the night (everyone on the team with at least two), but were ultimately out-slugged, leaving the bases loaded to end the game in the seventh. Leading the Healy win, Brian Herrmann had a solo homerun over the right field fence and Nick Wilmot also had a solo line drive homerun to center field. Wilmot pitched a solid game as well as going 4-4. Mike Finegan went 4-4 as well. Healy had a 13 run third inning and was able to keep a fighting CSA at bay.

Short Cuts Landscaping 20 - Drew Farms 7 Three home runs by Dave Silton, one by Brett Oakleaf and Chris Clark hitting for the cycle for Short Cuts put this one out of reach for Drew Farms. John Ablondi and Bill Doherty each add three hits to contribute to the Short Cuts victory. Short Cuts scored seven runs in the first inning but Drews tried to battle back with good hitting by several Drews players. Todd Shepherd was 2-3 with a homerun, Pat Pawlak, 2-3 with a double, and Blake Buxton 2-2 on the night.