18-Grip Shield Glory Days

The Twins won their first ever league championship, defeating the Bru's Room Rockets 3 to 2 in a fantastic 14-inning 18AAA title game at Santaluces on Sunday, October 10. The championship had been delayed from August 29 because of rain storms and eventually hurricanes Frances and Jeanne. The two teams battled through thirteen innings tied at one apiece until the Twins broke through for a pair, without a hit in the top of the 14th inning. Diego Santos and Emilio Vargas both drew walks and scored on Rockets' errors to take a 3-1 lead. The two unearned runs scored off Jackson Munoz, who relieved Mike Draper who pitched brilliantly for 13 innings, giving up only one run and three hits. The Rockets cut it to 3-2 with a run in the bottom of the fourteenth on singles by Billy Brescia and Nestor Sanjurjo, and after the Twins turned a 4-3 double play, Brescia scoring on the play, Pete Fuster registered the final out to seal the deal. Fuster saved it for Pat Ferguson who pitched five relief innings for the victory. Jose Acuna was the starter, but did not get a decision. Nestor Sanjurjo, who relieved Draper in the 14th, was nicked for the loss. After 6 1/2 scoreless innings, the Rockets scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the 7th. Brian Fitzsimmons led off with a walk, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Rob Wiley, took third on a single by Munoz and scored on a wild pitch. The Twins tied it with a run in the 8th. Ricky Dominguez led off with a bunt single, stole second, moved to third on an infield out and scored on a sacrifice fly by Diego Santos. Santos was chosen as the championship game MVP, and will receive the Bob Swets Memorial MVP award, personally inscribed, and delivered at a later date. The Sharpie Cardinals won the Spring league's 18AA championship Sunday, August 29 at the Lantana Sports Complex, rallying from a 7-0 deficit to beat the Dobson Roofing Hurricanes 13-9. The Hurricanes, who earned the finals with an 11-4 semifinal win earlier Sunday over the Yankees, looked like they would cop the title game easily racing off to a 7-0 start after only three innings. Craig Spatara doubled home a run in the first inning, then Gregg Perrin hit a grand slam in the second off Cardinals' starter Louis Ortiz. Spatara then blasted a two-run shot off Ortiz for a 7-0 lead. After the next batter, Felix Martinez, singled, Cardinals' skipper Steve Ausdenmoore brought in lefthander Vinny Casella and he stopped the Hurricanes cold. That give the Cardinals time to get their offense going. After Hurricanes starter Joe Hager held the Cards scoreless through the first three innings, the Cardinals exploded for two in the fourth, five more in the fifth to tie, and five more in the sixth to take a commanding 12-7 lead. They added one more iun the 8th. The Hurricanes, held scoreless for 6 and 2/3 innings by Casella, finally cracked through for two more runs in the 9th, but it was too late, too late. August 29th was a busy day for the 18AAA league at the Santaluces Complex. First, the sixth seeded Orioles finished off the #3 Indians by completing a suspended game with an 8-2 victory. The game had been halted by rain the previous Sunday and resumed in the bottom of the sixth inning with the O's leading 7-1. And, fourth seeded Los Tigres completed their suspended game against the number five seeded Boynton Red Sox, winning 7-2 after resuming play in the bottom of the fifth with a 5-1 lead. That put the Orioles into one semifinal against the second-seeded Pacino Twins, and the Twins won it easily 8-0. Los Tigres earned their other semifinal against the top seeded Bru's Room Rockets, with former New York Met pitcher Mike Draper pitching the Rockets to a 4-2 victory.