| MOOSE MAJORS | O'ROURKE MAJORS | ||||||
| Team | W | L | Team | W | L | T | |
|
Elks Frank & Gloria Portland Napa High View Health Page & Warner |
10 8 8 7 2 |
7 9 9 10 15 |
Brainard Elliot Kiwanis Club Rotary Westfield Fire Catholic War Vets |
13 13 11 6 6 |
3 4 6 10 11 |
1 0 0 1 0 |
|
Then came the fifth inning and everyone found out this game had bizarre twist for the peeking Portland NAPA team. Down by two runs with only one hit to their credit, NAPA loaded the bases. Up stepped David Pugliese and hit a grand slam homer to change the complexion of the game.
Michael Mazzotta went out and pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning and Portland NAPA was a 4-2 winner over the Kiwanis Club team. "I didn't write the script, but I want to thank whoever did," NAPA manager Steve Gomes said.
This isn't the first time he's taken a team with a below .500 record and won the playoffs. "When my son and Bill Garrity were nine and David Pugliese was 10, we beat the Elks," Gomes remembered. "They were 17-0 and we were 5-12 and weren't supposed to win. But we played hard and didn't make any mistakes and won. I brought my hat from that game as a good-luck charm." This year NAPA was 8-9 in the regular season but played hard in the playoffs and didn't make mistakes.
The 2007 season will be remembered as the first year of the nationwide "pitch-count" rule. It affected many games, including this one. Kiwanis was cruising with its ace Mike Nadeau striking out everyone in sight. But a strikeout pitcher runs often runs a high pitch count, and Nadeau reached his the limit of 85 pitcher for a 12 year-old with one out in the bottom of the fifth. He had allowed just one hit and struck out 13 - or all of the outs for his club to that point. Kiwanis coach Don Roy brought in Matt Newton, but Matt Gomes, the fourth batter he faced, hit a line drive off his knee and Newton was unable to continue pitching. Gomes' hit loaded the bases and brought up Pugliese.
Roy summoned P.J. Martin in to pitch, and Pugliese hammered a pitch about 207 feet over the fence in left center. Suddenly a 2-0 deficit was a 4-2 lead and NAPA needed just three outs when it took the field in the sixth.
Mazzotta, who relieved Pugliese when he reached his pitch count after four innings, went out and struck out two of the three batters he faced and the game was history. Pugliese surrendered two hits and struck out seven in the four innings he pitched, while Mazzotta whiffed four in the final two innings.
Kiwanis took a 1-0 lead in the first without the benefit of a base hit. Mark Zocco drew a walk, took second on a wild pitch, third on a groundout, and scored on another wild pitch. They doubled the lead in the third. This time it was Nick Roy with a line single to left center who came around to score. He got to second on a wild pitch and scored when a groundball got through the NAPA infield. Other than Roy's hit Kiwanis had just a one-out infield single by Alex Tracy in the second inning that took a wicked hop.
"The kids never quit," coach Gomes said. "We struggled, but the last 4-5 games we've been gaining confidence. "This is a dream come true. I'm so happy for the kids."
The ball came back onto the field and Mazzotta made it to second base and David Pugliese to third. Then came the discussion. Did the ball hit something behind the fence (like the batting cage) and carom back onto the field, or did it just hit the fence and stay on the field? The umpires ruled it a double, but the next play made all the discussion moot. Tyler Garcia hit a grounder to third and Pugliese scored on the out at first. Mazzotta rounded third and scored as the ball was dropped by the first baseman trying to throw home. That was the key inning as Portland NAPA captured the Moose title with a 7-3 triumph over Highview Health.
"We're peeking at the right time," said NAPA coach Steve Gomes, whose club was 8-9 in the regular season. "The kids played a great game. Everyone's has been contributing." NAPA managed just five hits, but made walks, wild pitches and errors all help in building runs.
Mazzotta pitched four innings and Matt Gomes finished up with two scoreless frames.
Brander MacPherson singled and scored in the first for NAPA, but Highview went ahead with two in the second with a single by Andrew Mierzjewski the big hit. Bill Garrity gave NAPA a 3-2 lead in the home half with a two-run single but Highview tied it in the third as Travis Grabowski scored as Heric Huerta-Flores grounded out. Then came the pivotal bottom of the third.
NAPA added cushion runs in the fourth and fifth innings as MacPherson and Tyler Ashlin walked and came around to score. NAPA played the game with just nine players because the balance of the team was on vacation with family. While that makes the substitution planning easier for the coach, there's a down side. "It's unfortunate that the kids who worked hard all year don't get to reap the benefits of playing in the championship game," coach Gomes said.
Portland NAPA will play O'Rourke League champion Kiwanis Tuesday night for the city championship
The plan for Brainard Elliot was to not let Mike Nadeau be the deciding factor with bat, so BE coach Mike Cardi ordered three intentional walks delivered to the slugging 12 year-old. The last one came with the score tied in the top of the sixth and a runner on third, but Matt Newton spoiled the strategy by stepping up and delivering a single to center to score the game-winning run.
Kiwanis almost let the game get away. After jumping ahead 4-0, Brainard Elliot tied the score with four unearned runs in the fourth. It stayed that way until the sixth when Roy stepped up and singled off Nathan Gory, who finished up for Tyler Cardi when he reached his pitch limit. After Nadeau was walked with two outs, Newton singled in the go-ahead run. "This was a battle between the two best pitchers in the league," Kiwanis coach Don Roy said. "Their pitcher, Tyler, had our number this year, so this is sweet." Roy singled and scored in the first on a Nadeau groundout.
Then in the third Roy made it 3-0 with a two-run triple that plated Alex Tracy and Jon Peripeut. In the fourth Roy scored again, singling and crossing the plate as Mark Rocco grounded out. That made it 4-0, and with Nadeau cruising on the mound things looked good for Kiwanis. Then came the home fourth. Back-to-back singles by Ben Koza and Brian Gauthier and a walk to Gory loaded the bases. A two-run error followed, and after a pair of strikeouts Adam Aresco delivered a two-run single to center to tie the game. Nadeau struck out 12 in five innings and allowed just five hits, but reached the first-year rule of 85 pitches a game for a 12 year-old and couldn't pitch the sixth. So he caught the sixth and Roy pitched.
After a leadoff error, Roy turned a comebacker into a 1-6-3 double play with Rocco shortstop making the turn. The tension wasn't over, though, as Aresco, the number nine hitter, drew a walk that sent Chris Cardi to the plate and put Tyler Cardi on deck. Roy ended the game with a strikeout. "I like the new (pitch count) rule," coach Roy said. "It saves the kids and makes us coach." Because both will have had the necessary rest, Nadeau and Roy will be eligible to pitch in the city championship game Tuesday night against Portland NAPA, the Moose League winner.
| Team | W | L | T |
|
Mallove's Jewelers Emanuels Magnano Electric Dr. Pats |
- - - - |
- - - - |
- - - - |
On July14 Malloves faced Didatos Oil for the city championship. In the early going the score sea sawed back and forth. Anna Aresco Malloves pitcher and Didato’s starting pitcher kept the game tight.
In the latter innings Malloves was able to break the deadlock using the wheels of Jenny Satagaj to get a run across. In the fifth Malloves set the fire works in motion.
Using the bat of veteran Christie Idiong and a catapulting hit from Madison Milardo, Amber Rigdon, Alicia Waldner, and Kelli Ayala were able to follow suit. The Sixth proved to be the finale as Lauren Hodge, Taylor Brenchak, Brianna Valeriano and Julia Lentini all launched hits to secure the City Championship for Malloves. Anna Aresco went the distance for Malloves.
Add Here
| President | Eddie Valeriano | |
| Vice President Softball | Anissa Ladd | |
| Vice President Baseball | Mike Nicholson | |
| Information Officer | Michael Cardi | |
| Secretary | Frank Zocco | |
| Treasurer | Dana Wilson | |
| Registration Director | Kathy Wickham | |
| Player Agent Baseball | Ken Vaughan | |
| Scheduling Director - Softball | Christine Martinez | |
| Scheduling Director - Baseball | Michael Alleyne | |
| Safety Officer | David Peterson | |
| Umpire Training and BB Ump. Scheduling | Robin Watson | |
| Softball Umpire Scheduling | Felix Torres | |
| Baseball Equipment Manager | Jeff Marchese | |
| Softball Equipment Manager | Chris Dotson | |
| Softball Training Director | Rick Pizzonia | |
| Baseball Training Director | Lisa Kolstad | |
| Public Relations | Joe Jenecaro | |
| Sponsorship | Kathy Wickham | |
| Jr/Sr Baseball President | Steve Ladd | |
| Challenger Division Director | Diana Moller-Marino | |
| Concession Stand | OPEN POSITION | |
| Code of Conduct | Steve Ladd | |
| Extended Season/Fall Ball | Glenn Garofalo | |
| Tournament Director | OPEN POSITION |
| Director - Tball | Rick Pizzonia | |
| Director - Instructional | Don Roy | |
| Director - Minors | Tim Lombardo | |
| Director - Majors | Mike Nicholson |
| Director - T-Ball | Mike Joy | |
| Director - Instructional | Mike Joy | |
| Director - Minor | Felix Torres | |
| Director - Majors | Tim Lepore | |
| Director - Junior & Senior | OPEN POSITION |