Mustangs

The Nashoba Valley Veterinarian Mustangs (21-0) clinched first place and Floral Arts (18-4) settled for second place for the fourth time in five years. Both teams will face each other twice next week as the regular season concludes. Willis Tent (13-9) won once this week and remains in third place in front of Shortcut Landscaping (12-10). Drew Farms (10-13) won twice and lost once this week and sits in sixth place, one game behind GutCheck (11-11). Drew Farms can become the fifth playoff seed only if GutCheck loses both of its final games of the regular season. If the standings remain as they are, Willis Tent will face Drew Farms in the first round of the playoffs (Willis Tent won two of the three contests against Drew Farms in the regular season), and Shortcut Landscaping will face Gutcheck (The two teams have split the two games this season, and have one more to play next week). The first round, a best-of-three series that begins Tuesday, August 25, should be very competitive.

Willis Tent 15 – Burtons Grill 14 On Sunday, Willis won a close game, 15-14, and eliminated Burtons from making the playoffs. Willis jumped to a quick 4-0 lead over Burtons in the top of the first inning when John Mangiaratti followed up three consecutive singles with a grand slam. Burtons answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning, but Willis scored five more in the next two innings to make it 9-2. Burtons made it 9-6 in the bottom of the fourth, and then pulled to a 9-9 tie in the fifth. Willis produced three runs in the sixth, but Burtons answered with five in the bottom of the inning to take the lead, 14-12. Burtons needed three outs to capture the win, but Willis put up three runs to take back the lead. Burtons did not score in the bottom of the inning. Willis’ Brian Gallardo and Dave Harrington each went 3-for-3, John Mangiaratti was 2-for-2 (both homers), Rob Swinamer was 2-for-2 with a homer, Roger Neild was 2-fo-2, Jeff Briggs was 2-for-3, and John Duffy went 2-for-3 and provided the game-winning RBI in the seventh. Burtons Grill’s Brian Collamore and Jerry Breen both went 3-for-3, with Breen driving in four runs and Collamore notching a triple to go with two singles and three runs scored. Tim Scott continued to set the table from the leadoff spot with a pair of hits and two runs scored. Jeff Kott and Jerod Colley each added a pair of hits, and Colley kept Burtons in the game with another excellent game on the mound.

Drew Farms 16 – Pro Sports Therapy 3 Drew Farms won their first of two games this week on Sunday night, beating Pro Sports Therapy.  Alex Lechook pitched a gem, holding PST to 4 hits through the first five innings while the Drew's offense was able to put up 8 runs during that span. Lechook also added a triple in the 6th.  In that inning, down 12-0, PST made a run and put 3 up on the board, only to have Drew's respond and put up 4 in the 7th ending the game by run rule.  Adding to Lechook's triple, Drew's mixed only 2 more extra base hits amongst 24 hits.  Ryan Steel hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning to drive in the only runs for PST.

Drews 19 –Burtons Grill 7 Having been eliminated from the playoff hunt in their previous game, the Burtons Grill offense came up short against Drew Farms on Wednesday.  Burtons came out hot, putting a 4 spot up in the first inning. But with the help of a Rich Rago 3 run homer, Drew Farms was able to answer the bell and added 5 of their own.  After a quite second inning, the Drew's bats woke up and put 14 runs up over the next 4 innings.  During that span, Burtons, was only able to put 3 up.  Offensive highlights for Drew's belonged to Pat Pawlack and Sal Buanacore.  Each went 3 for 4 and scored 3 times.  Joe Welch also went 3-4. For Burtons, John Geary went 3-for-4, Tim Scott raced to an inside-the-park home run, Jerod Colley cleared the bases with a three-run double, and Jeff Kott went 3-for-3. Outfielder Scott debuted at shortstop and handled several tough plays, looking like a veteran at the new position.

Floral Arts 15 - GutCheck 7 It was a game that was much closer than the final score indicates. Floral Arts built a 7-1 lead over six innings, but then the GutCheck bats unlocked the conundrum that Floral pitcher Larry Mardany was tossing at them and began stroking single after single between short and third base until, at the inning’s end, the score was 7-6. Floral responded by pounding out nine hits and knocking in eight runs, highlighted by a Rob Beaudette’s three-run homer. Mark Chambers was 3-for-4 with a couple of doubles. Mardany retired the final three batters he faced to secure the win.

Floral Arts 19 – Drew Farms 6 In the only game on Friday, Simon Tripp went 4-for-4, including belting a two-run homer in the fifth inning and knocking in five runs with the game-ender amongst them), to lead Floral Arts to a 19-6 win over Drew Farms. The Floral bats produced runs in all seven innings. Roger Whittlesey (4-for-5, 5 RBI) hit his second triple this week, Rob Beaudette (4-for-4, 3 RBI), Jeff Moore (3-for-4, 2 singles and a double), Dave Janowsky (3-for-5, 3 RS, 2 RBI), and Greg Marchand (3-for-4, 2 RBI) were key contributors in the win. Drew’s Joseph Welch was 3-for-3 and made several nice catches in left field.

Due to today's weather, Tuesday's slate of games has been postponed.  They will be rescheduled on Sunday, August 16th.

 5:30 PM  Mustangs @ SCL

 6:45 PM  Healy Oil @ PST

The Nashoba Valley Veterinarian Mustangs (20-0) have gone farther into the season without a loss than any team in recent history. Their two wins this week leave them four victories shy of achieving perfection in the regular season. These games will likely not be walks in the park, however, as each of the remaining opponents have winning records. The Mustangs play Floral Arts (16-4) twice, Willis Tent (13-8), and Shortcut Landscaping (12-10). Floral Arts won twice this week, and even though Willis Tent could potentially win 16 games, Floral earned the first round playoff bye for the fifth year in a row by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker against Willis. Floral defeated Willis Tent in all three games this season. Drew Farms (9-12) also clinched a playoff spot this week.

Floral Arts 19 – Pro Sports Therapy 3 On Sunday, Simon Tripp hit three home runs (including a grand slam) and knocked in nine runs to help lead Floral Arts to a 19-3 win over PST. Larry Mardany pitched four scoreless innings, with Ben Armstrong’s three-run homer in the third inning the only blemish of the outing. Ken Delaney made several outstanding plays at shortstop and hit a solo home run in the second inning. Dave Janowsky (2-for-2, 2 BB), Mark Chambers (3-for-3, BB, 4 RBI) and Roger Whittlesey (2-for-4, 3 RBI) contributed on offense.

Shortcut Landscaping 15 – Burtons Grill 2 SCL’s Rich Acabo had three hits, including a walk off homer. Dave Silton and Chris Clark also homered for SCL.

Nashoba Valley Veterinarian Mustangs 16 – Healy Oil 0 Don Cusano pitched the Mustangs to their fifth shutout victory (his third) of the season against Healy Oil. Mike Kennedy led the NVVM offense with two hits, including a home run, 4 RBI, and two runs scored. Jack Erickson, Mark Cusano, and Jim Ward all contributed three hits apiece. The Mustang defense was solid throughout the entire game, with first baseman Cormac Bordes making a nice over-the-shoulder running catch in shallow right field.

Shortcut Landscaping 19 – Drew Farms 6 On Tuesday, Shortcuts’ Bill Doherty pitched a solid game after giving up a few early inning home runs. He also hit his first homer since his first game in the league—seven years ago! Mike Gross, Pat Flaherty, and Jason Humphrey also homered for SCL.

Floral Arts 17 – Willis Tent 2 Floral Arts hit seven home runs and scored in every inning in a lopsided win against Willis Tent, 17-2. Larry Mardany pitched another gem, allowing only two runs on a mammoth home run by Rob Swinamer. Rob Beaudette (4-for-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI), Simon Tripp (4-for-4, HR, 3 RBI), Geoff Pavao (2-for-3, HR, 2 RBI), Mike Alonardo (4-for-4, HR, 2 RBI), Jim Peloquin (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI), and Roger Whittlesey (1-for-2, HR, 2 RBI) were the offensive standouts in the game. Willis Tent’s Jeff Briggs was 2-for-2 with an opposite field hit and a run scored.

Healy Oil 12 – Burtons Grill 0 On Wednesday, Healy’s Bruce Wilhelm hit a grand slam in the bottom of the fifth. Dave O'Keefe launched a two-run blast and Brian Herrmann sent a solo blast over the right field fence. Tom Hudson got the shutout on the mound and both Cam Santana and Dan Nucci both went 2-for-2 with clutch 2-out hits.

Willis Tent 15 – GutCheck 2 Solid defense and a strong offense, coupled with a stellar pitching performance by Willis pitcher Rob Swinamer, earned Willis a win over GutCheck. Willis’ bats were alive and well, coming off of a previous loss, taking a 9-0 lead after two innings. Willis went into the bottom of the fifth holding a 13-0 lead, only three outs away from a win. GutCheck scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but in top of the sicth, Willis’s leadoff hitter Steve Damaini singled and scored on the walk-off home run by John Mangiaratti. Brian Gallardo went 3-for-3 with a HR, John Mangiaratti was 3-for-4 with a HR, Rob Swinamer 2-for-3 with a HR, Steve Damaini 2-for-4 with a double and HR, Andrew Metter with a HR and John Duffy contributed to the effort by going 2-for-3 on the evening. GutCheck’s Gary Lavelle pitched a good game and also went 2-for-2 with one run. Jim DeMarco and Jeff Bernier also went 2-for-2 in the loss.

Nashoba Valley Veterinarian Mustangs 24 – Pro Sports Therapy 8 On Friday evening, every Mustang had at least one hit and one run scored in their victory over PST. NVVM batted around their entire order two separate times in the game. Paul Selfrige (home run, 4 RBI, 3 RS) and Jim Ward (3 RBI, 3 RS) set the table at the top of the order with four hits apiece. Don Cusano had three hits, including his 21st homer of the year to go along with five RBI and two runs scored. Other Mustangs with three hits each included Mark Cusano, Dan Crogan (2 doubles, 2 RBI, 3 runs scored), and Paul Ligouri (3 RS). Cormac Bordes added a home run blast for the winners. LF Bill Knute played outstanding defense in the victory. The Mustangs took advantage of a shorthanded (3 OFs) PST squad for an easy 24-8. Mustangs showed great bat control—repeatedly hitting the gaps. For PST, outfielders John Bodi and Michael Winer went 3-for-3 on the night and rookie Ryan Steele returned from injury and hit a homer in his first swing. Coach Gary Royal, returning from surgery, went 2-for-3 with a couple of RBI.

Burtons Grill 18 – GutCheck 17 Burtons jumped out to an early six-run lead, and then watched GutCheck bash their way into the lead, then seized the lead in the seventh before surviving a bases-loaded and one-out GutCheck rally to win, 18-17. Burtons catcher Dave Batchelder made a key play by throwing out a GutCheck runner advancing to third. Also, shortstop Jon Russo blocked a hard hit ball and forcing the final out at second. Batchelder went 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI, Russo knocked in three more, while John Geary, Rick Waldron, Brian Collamore and Jerod Colley all drove in two each. Jerry Breen added a two-run homer and Waldron pitched well enough in his first start of the season to pick up the W. GutCheck’s Thanh Nguyen was 2-for-3 with a triple and three RBI, Jimmy Sullivan was 3-for-4 with three RBI, Darren Wizst was 3-for-4 with 2 RBI, and Jim Curley was 4-for-5 with two home runs and five RBI.

Willis Tent 17 – Drew Farms 4 It took a combination of aggressive hitting, solid defense, and another magnificent pitching performance by Willis pitcher Bob Fleury to earn Willis a back-to-back mercy-rule win. Willis’ bats went to work early against Drews, scoring six runs in the first inning, and then adding three more in the second inning. The game ended in the bottom of the fifth on a walk-off single by Rick Devanna. Brian Gallardo went 4-for-4 with a HR, two doubles and a single, Rick Devanna was 4-for-4, Andrew Metters went 4-for-4, Jeff Briggs was 3-for-4 with a HR, opposite field double and a single, and Paul Duato was 2-for-3 (2 doubles). John Mangiaratti and Steve Damiani each hit homers for Willis.

You have to go all the way back to 2008 to find a season when the Nashoba Valley Veterinarian Mustangs (18-0) did not finish in first or second place and therefore did not receive a first round playoff bye. You have to go back to 2010 to find a season when the Mustangs and Floral Arts (14-4) both did not receive a bye. This season, the undefeated Mustangs have already secured a bye. Only second place Floral Arts can usurp their first place position (an unlikely scenario when you consider the Mustangs hold a four game lead and Floral has only six games remaining). But there are two other teams breathing down the necks of Floral Arts, eager to take over second place and earn that bye: GutCheck (11-8) and Willis Tent (10-7) have been hot lately. Gutcheck, this week, extended its winning streak to five games. Will Floral Arts say bye-bye to the bye? The games played over the next couple of weeks will answer that question decisively.

Shortcut Landscaping 16 – Healy Oil 8 On Sunday, SCL shortstop Jason Humphrey hit four home runs in four at-bats to lead his team to victory over Healy Oil. It was a close game until the sixth inning, when SCL scored six runs to pull way. Steve Jacobsmeier had three hits and three RBI on the contest.

GutCheck 10 – Pro Sports Therapy 7 On Tuesday, GutCheck jumped to an early 4-1 lead on the power of Matt Sepe's three-run home run. PST countered with a three-run shot by Jerry Cressman and additional offense to make it a 6-4 game. Solo shots from GutCheck’s Matt Sepe and Billy Cullen brought the game even once again. GutCheck’s Josh Haskin and Rey Vinneau made several key plays (including a couple DPs) from their spots at second base and shortstop, and eventually the game went to an extra frame when PST Mark Strzegowski hit a two-out solo home run. GutCheck's Jim DeMarco led off the bottom of the eighth with a solo shot to once again tie the game. Then, with two out and men on the corners, Billy Cullen hit a three-run shot to end the game.

Drew Farms 5 – Healy Oil 3

Floral Arts 11 – Shortcut Landscaping 3 On Wednesday, Floral pitcher Larry Mardany kept Shortcut Landscaping off-balance for most of the game, holding the powerhouse team to only three runs. Mike Alonardo had a big night at the plate for Floral, going 3-for-3, scoring three times, and capping his big night with a grand slam in the top of the seventh inning. Rob Beaudette was 3-for-3 and hit a three run homer. Jeff Moore (2-for-3) and Roger Whittlesey (2-for-3) also homered for Floral. Jason Humphrey hit a two-run homer for SCL in the first inning; it was his fifth home run of the week.

GutCheck 14 - Burtons 6 On Friday, everyone hit for GutCheck, which scattered 24 hits in the victory. Leading the way were Jim DeMarco (4-for-4 with a double and 3 RBI), Jeff Curley (3-for-4 with a double and 3 RBI), Thanh Nguyen (3-for-4 with a solo HR), Jeff Stabach (3-for-4 with a triple and an RBI), Darren Wizst (3-for-5 with 2 RBI), and Bobby "Cobwebs" Wilson (3-for-4). Mark Priest and Rey Vinneau played strong defense up the middle behind Derek McDermott's strong pitching performance. Jeff Bernier and Darren Wizst combined on a 9-2 put out early in the game, ending an inning and a Burtons’ rally. Burtons’ Rick Waldron has two hits, two RBI, and made a great leaping catch at the left-field fence. John Geary and Greg Fitzgerald reached base three times, and Raghu Mantena and Dave Batchelder each contributed two hits.

GutCheck is digging deep  and the Grill is heating up.  When GutCheck (9-8) entered the league three years ago, the team finished in last place (ninth) and then eighth place in 2014; neither of these finishes got them into the playoffs. But this year is a different story, as the team now sits in fourth place, a game behind Willis Tent (9-7) and four games behind second place Floral Arts (13-4) after three straight wins. Burtons Grill (5-12) last made the playoffs in 2013, but has fallen on hard times ever since. This season the team did not acquire its second win until a couple of weeks ago, but since then the team has won three straight and now sits in seventh place, on the precipice of a position that could earn them a playoff berth. Drew Farms (7-10), two games ahead of the surging Burtons, is desperately trying to cling to that last playoff spot. Meanwhile, the Nashoba Valley Veterinarian Mustangs (18-0) did this week what they’ve done all season—maintained their status as the only undefeated team in the league. 

GutCheck 6 – ProSports Therapy 1

On Sunday, GutCheck and PST played a close defensive game. GutCheck’s Rey Vienneau ignited a couple of double plays from shortstop, and Mark Priest deftly fielded several ground balls at second base. Thanh Nguyen made an outstanding play, catching a ball deep in left field and then ginning the ball to first to double-up a PST runner. Nguyen, who hit a solo homer, walked with the bases load in the fifth inning, and Jeff Curley followed with a two-run double. PST’s Derek Donegan made a few nice plays a shortstop, and Larry Zupkowsky pitched well in the loss. 

Burtons Grill 18 – Healy Oil 9

Burtons Grill struck early with a 10-run second inning, and watched Healy Oil creep back to within three runs before putting the game out of reach with a six-run seventh inning. Jerry Breen and Brian Collamore keyed the offense. Both went 4-for-4 and Breen hit a grand slam and tallied 5 RBI. Collamore scored three runs. Dave Batchelder added a two-run homer, and Murph McKeon, Luke Bolanger, and Kieren Murray each had three hits apiece. Jerod Colley was sharp on the mound, striking out a season-high four batters.

Willis Tent 19 – Shortcut Landscaping 6

On Tuesday, Willis Tent used a combination of masterful pitching by Rob Swinamer and solid defense to beat SCL, 19-6. Both teams got off to a slow start offensively until Willis erupted for seven runs in the third inning, added four more in the fifth, and closed out with five runs in the sixth, capped by Brian Gallardo’s sacrifice fly, which earned Willis the run-rule victory. Swinamer hit a home run and walked three times, Gallardo hit two homers, and Rick Devanna and Glenn Harding each hit long balls. 

Nashoba Valley Veterinarian Mustangs 5 – Drew Farms 1

NVVM pitcher Paul Liguori kept his winning streak alive with a hard-fought win over a determined Drew Farms team. Infielders Cormac Bordes and Dan Crogan led the solid all-around defensive effort for the Mustangs. Paul Selfrige and Jim Ward each had three hits, and Don Cusano had two hits. 

Burtons Grill 15 – Pro Sports Therapy 2

On Wednesday, Burtons Grill continued to pile up runs via the long ball, leading to a 15-2 run-rule victory over PST. Murph McKeon, Jerry Breen, and rookie Steve Sawyer all homered. Sawyer’s shot was a three-run walk-off shot that capped a four RBI night. Tim Scott’s aggressive base running led to a pair of doubles, and Peter Morano knocked in three runs in the early going. Pitcher Jerod Colley stamped out every PST rally, notching two more strike outs and helping himself with a 3-for-3 night at the plate. 

Nashoba Valley Veterinarian Mustangs 20 – Shortcut Landscaping 7

NVVM southpaw Mark Cusano pounded out four hits, including two homers, a double, and six RBI to lead the Mustang offense in a win against SCL. Dan Crogan and Mike Kennedy both added four hits apiece. Paul Selfrige, Bill Knute (HR, 3 RS), Jay Dolan (triple, 2 RS), and Cormac Bordes (2 doubles, 2 RBI, 2 RS) hit well for the Mustangs. Don Cusano (3 RBI) added a two-fence home-run blast late in the game. Kennedy and Dolan both made outstanding plays in the field. 

GutCheck 11 – Healy Oil 8

On Friday, GutCheck continued their winning streak behind solid pitching and defense with an 11-8 win over Healy Oil. Thanh Nguyen (3-for-3, 2 HRs) and Jeff Staubach (4-for-4) were the offensive stars for the winners. Healy’s Brian Hermann and Wayne Meadows hit homers for Healy. Bill Eaton had a two-run shot in the second.