2022 RE/MAX Expos Take the OHIO MSBL 40+ Championship
Ohio MSBL, 40+ Division
RE/MAX Expos 8, Stars and Stripes 2
After winning several consecutive championships as the Phillies and the Indians, the 2022 RE/MAX Expos won the 40+ title in the Ohio MSBL following runner-up finishes the past two years.
Concluding an impressive regular season with a 12-4 record, the Expos won the two postseason contests by a combined 21-5 score over the Canton Aeros and the Stars and Stripes. The championship game, at Thurman Munson Memorial Stadium in Canton, was a great battle as the Stars and Stripes led 1-0 entering the fifth and the Expos were no-hit through 4+ innings. Bob Belden broke up the no-hitter with a single followed by a towering inside-the-park home run by Dan Kennedy giving the Expos a 2-1 lead that they would never relinquish. A 5-run eighth salted away the 8-2 win as Jerry Myers pitched eight strong innings to get the W.
The Expos are a close-knit group of guys that play hard all year and constantly look to pick up their teammates. The team has a great time before, during, and after the games! An embarrassing mistake won’t go unnoticed. You are going to hear about it! But everyone knows it is out of respect for just being able to still play the game and we’re just as quick to congratulate a stellar play!
Everyone on the roster contributes. Steve Dietrick leads off and sets the tone. Hitting .382 with eight bags (including a straight steal of home!), and was a solid center fielder. Dave Carbone handles short, has the speed to burn, stealing 12 bases, and pitches as well. John Gliba bats in the 3-hole, stuffs the stat sheet, and has a hose in the outfield.
Rich Gilmore has a pure left-handed stroke and led the team with 17 RBIs while hitting .373. Tim Adams also crushes from the left side, led the team in doubles, and pitches a little, too. Belden led the team with a .433 average, stole eight bases, and had a win and a save on the mound. Kennedy was hurt the majority of the year but came up huge in the final! He also posted a 1.12 ERA. Mark Marlett hit .383, had seven bags, and led the team with 19 runs scored while batting all over the lineup.
Tony Hunter makes things happen at the plate and on the basepaths (seven steals) and is smooth at second base. Carlo Testa has a rocket for an arm behind the plate and went 3-1 with 2 saves on the hill and contributed 10 RBIs. Steve Sosebee is a wall behind the plate and hit a robust .432. Marty Kraus plays all over the field and hit over .300.
Myers was a workhorse on the mound going 6-1 and only walking nine in 44 innings. Mike Addessi pitched in on the hill going 3-0 with 16k’s in 20 innings while playing a solid first base. Vince Bernard might have the most pop on the team and played a stellar right field. Don Decker had a .422 OBP showing a tremendous eye at the plate. Aaron Lahman is always consistent but got injured in the second game and missed the rest of the season.