Announcement
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.
