RED SOX OR ATHLETICS

A chance to sweep all three division titles in the NABA's Citrus Classic Wood Bat Tournament went up in smoke when the Caribbean Stars gave up eight unearned runs, seven of them in the 8th inning, and lost to the Daytona Rangers 10-4 in the 18AAA championship final at Santaluces Complex in Lantana. Earlier, the Palm Beach Hammerheads, led by the strong relief pitching of former big league star Dante Bichette won the 18AA title with a 2-1 victory over the Palm Beach Rockhounds. And, the Dobson Roofing Hurricanes led all the way and beat the New York Thunderdogs to take the 18A top spot. The two championships were the fifth and sixth that Palm Beach League teams have won since the tournament started in 2002. The league has had at least one divisional champion every year in the six year history of the event. The Stars seemed to be heading to victory after overcoming 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to take a 4-2 lead, allowed an unearned run to make it 4-3 after seven, but then completely collapsed in the fateful eighth inning. Carlos Dominguez came on to try to close it down, but his teammates committed four errors, Dominguez made a critical balk, walked a batter with the bases loaded and went the dust had cleared, Daytona was just about home. The Stars did get a leadoff hit in the 9th inning, but nothing came of it and the Rangers claimed their third Citrus title, having won the 18AA division twice, in 2002 and 2003. Chris Langlois went the distance and fanned nine to earn Most Valuable Player honors. Juan Bautista, who played with the Stars in their national championship victory in Phoenix in October, had a double and single for the Stars. Jose Acuna had two hits, one of them driving in a run. Gustavo Castillo had a triple, Christian Taboas a single, and Ramon Bautista had a sacrifice fly. The 8th inning collapse followed a fine relief stint by former St. Louis Cardinals farmhand Wilson Ciprian. He pitched five innings, fanning seven and giving up only one hit. The Rangers did score an unearned run off him on a walk, two steals and an infield error. The Stars have won the tournament twice in the past. For Dante Bichette, the Citrus Classic brought the former big league slugger back to Palm Beach County, where he was born and raised, reuniting with boyhood friends Bob Down, Brian Acri, Jerry Matarazzo, Tim Roker and Hammerheads' manager Joe DeSantis. Bichette came on in relief in the third inning and yielded only one unearned run, while scattering seven hits and fanning three to earn the victory. He also scored both of his team's runs, and both were driven in by Jerry Matarazzo, who had a sacrifice fly in the fourth and a long double in the 6th. Matarazzo was selected as the MVP. Pat Prescott went the distance for the Rockhounds, giving up ony five hits, but took the tough loss. Jim Oberdier had three singles in as many tries against Bichette after fanning his first time up against starter Ralph Anzolo. Perry Menschel scored the only run. He singled and came around to score on Clayton Joiner's RBI single. Bichette had a pair of singles, DeSantis had a double and Anzola had a single. Eric Morales, Menschel, Reggie Easley and Joiner had the only hits for the Rockhounds, who won the 18AA championship here in 2004. Luis Torres had four hits, including a double and drove in three runs, and did a terrific job in relief as the Dobson Hurricanes downed the New York Thunderdogs 11-8 to annex the 18A championship. Torres was selected as the game's MVP. Teammate Pat Moroney had three hits hits and a run driven in, and Brian Schwal had a double, single and one RBI. Guy Batchatchio had two hits and knocked in a run, and Eddie Gonzalez added a sacrifice fly. Steve Grove of Los Potros, who joined the Thunderdogs just for the tournament had a pair of singles and drove in a run for the Dogs, who had only three hits. The other was a single by Mike Huber. THE CITRUS CLASSIC SCHEDULE GRID, BY DIVISION, CAN BE FOUND ON THE NABA'S NATIONAL WEBSITE AT WWW.DUGOUT.ORG. Saturday, January 14, 2006 Santaluces #1 8:30AM 18AAA Caribbean Stars 3 Brevard Hooter's Red Sox 1 Santaluces #1 12:00PM 18AAA Daytona Rangers 7 Caribbean Stars 2 Santaluces #1 3:30PM 18AAA Alexandria (VA) A's 6 Brevard Hooter's Red Sox 5 Santaluces #1 7:00PM 18AAA Daytona Rangers 11 Alexandria A's 1 Santaluces #2 8:30AM 18AA Fordham Red Sox 4 Palm Beach Rockhounds 2 Santaluces #2 12:00PM 18AA Palm Beach Hammerheads 6 Palm Beach Rockhounds 4 Santaluces #2 3:30PM 18AA Fordham Red Sox 11 Tennessee Tribe 1 Santaluces #2 7:00PM 18AA Palm Beach Hammerheads 13 Tennessee Tribe 4 SeminolePalms 8:30AM 18A/A Dobson Roofing Hurricanes 15 Yonkers (NY) Indians 5 SeminolePalms 12:00PM 18A/AChicago Riverbandits 18 Dobson Roofing Hurricanes 6 SeminolePalms 3:30PM 18A/A Long Island White Sox 18 Yonkers Indians 16 SeminolePalms 7:00PM 18A/A Chicago Riverbandits 21 Long Island White Sox 2 Dyer Park 8:30AM 18A/B Culver City USA 3 Duffy's Devil Rays 0 Dyer Park 12:00PM 18A/B Duffy's Devil Rays 4 Chicago Lugnuts 1 Dyer Park 3:30PM 18A/B Culver City USA 5 NY Thunderdogs 4 Dyer Park 7:00PM 18A/B NY Thunderdogs 16 Chicago Lugnuts 6 Sunday, January 15, 2006 Santaluces #1 8:30AM 18A/B Chicago Lugnuts 12 Culver City USA 1 Santaluces #2 8:30AM 18A/B NY Thunderdogs 13 Duffy's Devil Rays 5 Seminole Palms 8:30AM 18A/A Dobson Roofing Hurricanes 10 Long Island White Sox 6 Dyer Park 8:30AM 18A/A Chicago Riverbandits 6 Yonkers Indians 1 Santaluces #1 12:00PM 18AAA Caribbean Stars 13 Alexandria A's 2 Santaluces #2 12:00PM 18AAA Daytona Rangers 9 Brevard Hooter's Red Sox 1 Seminole Palms 12:00PM 18AA Palm Beach Hammerheads 9 Fordham Red Sox 8 Dyer Dyer Park 12:00PM 18AA Palm Beach Rockhounds 7 Tennessee Tribe 6 PLAYOFFS Santaluces #1 3:30PM 18A Pool B 2nd Pl at Pool A 1st Pl NEW YORK THUNDERDOGS 11 CHICAGO RIVERBANDITS 5 Santaluces #2 3:30PM 18A Pool A-2nd Pl at Pool B 1st Pl DOBSON ROOFING HURRICANES 4 CULVER CITY USA 0 Dyer Park 4:00PM 18AA #3 Seed at #2 Seed CARIBBEAN STARS 6 ALEXANDRIA A'S 0 Seminole Palms 4:00PM 18AAA #3 Seed at #2 Seed PALM BEACH ROCKHOUNDS 8 FORDHAM RED SOX 1 Monday, January 16, 2006 MARTIN LUTHER KING HOLIDAY CHAMPIONSHIPS Santaluces #1 9:00AM 18A DOBSON ROOFING HURRICANES 11 New York Thunderdogs 5 Santaluces #2 9:00AM 18AA PALM BEACH HAMMERHEADS 2 Palm Beach Rockhounds 1 Santaluces #1 1:00PM 18AAA DAYTONA RANGERS 10 Caribbean Stars 4