18-Grip Shield Glory Days

18AA ALL STAR GAME-TUE DEC. 19-7PM AT LANTANA SPORTS COMPLEX The Eastern Division, headed up by a half dozen players from the division leading Dobson Roofing Hurricanes, defeated the Western Division 9-5. The West squad was dominated by six players from the division leading and unbeaten Los Leones. The East led from start to finish, scoring a pair of runs in the first inning when Perry Menschel (Atlantic Sails) and Jim Bergman (Hurricanes) swatted back to back doubles, and after Mark Zappelli (Sails) singled Bergman to third, Lucas Scuteri (Palm Beach Pirates) hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Bergman. The East added two more in the third on RBI hits by Bergman and Scuteri. The West got on the board in the bottom of the third. Two infield errors allowed BJ Gilbert (Mets) to score. The West cut it to 4-2 with another unearned run in the sixth. Anthony Santos (Los Leones) reached on an error, stole second, moved to third on an infield out and scored on a double steal when teammate Hector Rivera stole second and Santos stole home. The East added two runs in the seventh. Chris Hanna (Hurricanes) doubled, stole third and scored on a wild pitch, and Carlos Sanchez (Hurricanes) drove in another run with a double to right center, scoring the Sails' Jason Patton. They extended their lead to 7-2 with a run in the 8th. Menschel doubled and scored from third base on a wild pitch. The West made it close with three more unearned runs in the 8th. Base hits by Esteban Cruz (Wolverines), Leotis Johnson (Mets) and Joe Baez (Nationals), an error and a passed ball made it a 7-5 game. Johnson picked up an RBI with his hit. Baez' single drove in two. The Eastern Division closed it out on a n RBI single by the Marlins' Jeff Schector. Menschel and Sanchez both had two doubles, with Sanchez getting an RBI. Bergman's double and single drove in a pair. Zappelli had two hits, and Schector, Hanna (double), Scuteri, and Jason Plocek (Palm Beach Pirates) had one each. Santos, Rivera, Fernando Miranda (Los Leones), Cruz, Johnson and Baez had the hits for the West. Hanna pitched three innings, allowing only one hit and an unearned run with five strikeouts was chosen as the game's Most Valuable Player. After his pitching stint, he made a couple of excellent defensive plays at shortstop. 18AAA ALL STAR GAME-WED DEC. 20-7PM AT LANTANA SPORTS COMPLEX The American Division, spearheaded by half a dozen star players from the first place Home Run Sports Arrigo Dodgersdowned the Nationals, headed by players from the Rockhounds 10-2, December 20 at the Lantana Sports Complex. The Amercans got off to a quick start in the top of the first inning when Brian Fitzsimmons (Dodgers) ripped a two run homer over the right field fence, scoring Dodgers’ teammate Billy Brescia in front of him. Brescia had reached on a fielder’s choice grounder in which Billy Campbell (Dodgers) was erased in a rundown between second and third base. Brescia stole second and rode home in front of Fitzsimmons’ two run shot. Campbell, the leadoff hitter, had reached on a throwing error by shortstop Dominick Liso (Duffy’s A’s), a play in which Campbell and first baseman John Marz (A’s) collided on the first base line. Marz was injured on the play and hobbled around the rest of the game with a leg injury. The Nationals got on the board in the bottom of the second inning on singles by Yoendry (Yo) Perez (Rockhounds) and Danny Garza (A’s) and an error by third baseman Bryan Ready (Texas Rangers), who dropped a pop up in the driving winds that were prevalent throughout the game. Ryan Ghianda (Dodgers) scored on a wild pitch by Nationals’ starter Edgar Tovar (Chamos) to make it 3-1, and Brescia made it 4-1 with a two out RBI single in the fourth, scoring Francis Dinzey (Caribbean Tigres), who had walked, moved to third on a wild pitch and went to third on a foul fly to right field on which Paul Florentino (Rockhounds) made a sensational, diving catch.. They added a run in the fourth and three in the fifth to increase their lead to 7-1. Fitzsimmons singled to right, stole second, moved to third on an infielder roller and scored on a passed ball in the fifth, and after Max Johnson (Dodgers) drew a walk off Perez, Jose Acuna (Tigres) blasted a moonshot over the left center field fence on to Lantana Road to make it a 7-1 game. The inning ended when Perez speared a rocket back through the middle hit by Luis Maldonado (Rangers) and turned it into a double play. The Nationals’ last run in the sixth was also unearned. John Joseph (Rockhounds) reached first on a wild pitch after swinging and missing a third strike. He moved to third on a hit by Tovar and scored when Mike Ruck (Rockhounds) hit into a double play. The Americans closed it out with three more in the 8th on singles by Fitzsimmons, Ready and Acuna, a double by Ariel Adames (Tigres), a wild paitch and a passed ball. Former New York Met Mike Draper (Dodgers) gave up one unearned run on four hits, striking out five in three innings to earn the win. He was followed by Maldonado (3IP, 3H, 1R, 0ER, 5K) and Acuna (3IP, 1H, 0R, 3K. SV). Tovar went the first three for the Nationals to take the loss. Garza pitched one inning, Perez two and Joseph the final three for the Nationals. Fitzsimmons with three hits and two runs batted in was chosen as the game’s Most Valuable Player, edging out Acuna who had two hits and two RBIs. Brescia had two hits and an RBI for the winners. Tovar had a double and single, and Joseph a pair of singles to lead the Nationals.