Category: League Champions

North Texas Amateur Baseball League, 18+ Division

Oak Cliff Pelicans 5, Dallas Orioles 0

 

‘Pitching Staff Shuts Door for Pelicans’

 Submitted by Patty Evans, Pelicans manager

The Oak Cliff Pelicans defeated the Dallas Orioles 5-0 in the championship game of the North Texas Amateur Baseball League 18+ division as three pitchers combined to throw a championship shutout. Jessy Guzman led things off on the pitcher’s mound for the Pelicans, going five innings and allowing zero runs on one hit while striking out nine.

Oak Cliff totaled eight hits in the game with Nate David and Jake Simpson each collecting two hits to lead the team. The Pelicans were sure-handed and didn’t commit an error while the Orioles had three.

In 1.2 innings of relief, Robert Bertucci surrendered one walk and struck out two. Bertucci induced a groundball to finish off the game. During three playoff games the Oak Cliff Pelicans pitchers were dominant, combining for 37 K’s, six hits and only two runs given up in 21 total innings to finish the fall season at 9-4.

Puget Sound Senior Baseball League, Cascade (18+) Division

Ravens 4, Reds 3

‘Ravens Go ‘Back to Back’ in Walk-off Fashion’

 Submitted by Paul Davison, Ravens manager

The Reds finished the regular season a half game up on the Ravens for first place and won the head to head series 2-1.  The Reds, managed by Brandon Williams, featured one of the league’s best offenses complimented by a pair of ace lefty starters in Spencer Seabourne and Alex Hatch. The Ravens found their success with a rotation of four solid starting pitchers, a dominant closer, a stingy defense, and an opportunistic offense. The top two seeds seemed destined to square off for one or more playoff games deep in the double elimination bracket.

In the first round, the Ravens faced off against the sixth seeded Dodgers, a team that had just won a play-in game 7-0 a couple days prior.  The Dodgers played the Ravens tough all year and the playoff opener was no different.  The Ravens handed the ball to long time ace and PSSBL hall of famer Jeremy Thornton.  Thornton went seven strong innings and gave up only one run on six hits.

In the fourth inning, down 1-0, Ravens catcher Michael Sherwin jump-started the offense with a leadoff triple, Ben Ruff walked and stole second, and they were both driven home by Derryck Christensen.  In the fifth inning Paul Fisher singled and was promptly doubled home by Andrew Barry.  In the sixth Ruff hit a leadoff double and was again driven in by Christensen.  With a 4-1 lead, Thornton handed the ball to closer Ben Ruff who retired the remaining batters in order.  The Reds cruised to a 9-1 victory in their playoff opener.

In the second round the Ravens faced the Tigers, who finished as the third seed.  The Tigers featured a fearsome offensive line up, but Jim Radovich got the start for the Ravens and was up to the task.  Delivering his usual solid workman like start, Radovich was in complete control for the first five innings allowing only three hits.  On the other side, the Ravens offense exploded with an 11 run second inning and continued to pour it on.  Ben Ruff and DJ Penick led the way with three hits apiece.  By the time the Tigers started to get to Radovich in the sixth the Ravens lead had already ballooned to 17-0.  However, the Tigers did not go quietly. Late in the game their offense got going, but the early deficit proved much to overcome and the Ravens won 18-7.  The Reds again cruised in their second round matchup winning 14-0 and setting up a winner’s bracket matchup with the Ravens.

It was a perfect Saturday night for baseball under the lights at Bannerwood Park with #1 vs #2 in the winner’s bracket final for a trip to the championship.  The Reds gave the ball to Alex Hatch, who pitched extremely well.  However, the night belonged to Ravens starter Todd Jeffress.  Jeffress delivered his most brilliant performance of the season in the biggest spot possible.

After allowing the first batter of the game to score on a HBP and two subsequent singles, Jeffress proceeded to shut the Reds out for the remainder of the contest.  In his complete game effort he allowed just the one run on only five hits and struck out 11.  The Ravens tied the game 1-1 in the fourth on back-to-back-to-back singles by Ben Ruff, DJ Penick and Deryck Christensen.  Then in the eighth inning with the score still tied 1-1, Michael Sherwin and Christensen singled.  With men on first and third and two outs, Brian Whetzel was asked to pinch hit.  Whetzel delivered a clutch RBI single and the Ravens took the lead 2-1.  Blake Fisher and Justin Sherwin followed up with their own RBI singles pushing the lead to 4-1.  That was all Jeffress would need as he seemed to get stronger as the game progressed.  He struck out three of the last six batters of the game to send the Ravens to the championship.

The Reds won their next game 11-4 setting up a rematch with the Ravens in the Championship game at Russell Road Park.

For the Championship game it was a clash of styles on the hill.  The Ravens handed the ball to crafty right hander John Trupin.  The Reds gave the start to their long time hard throwing lefty ace Spencer Seabourne.  Again, the Reds struck early with a leadoff double and a run in the first inning.  That was followed by a triple and another run in the second inning.  After falling behind 2-0, Trupin settled into the efficient groove he normally finds with his excellent control.

From the third inning through the eighth inning Trupin faced only two batters over the minimum as he induced ground outs and pop-ups galore.  On offense, the Ravens were struggling to deal with Seabourne.  The Ravens were no-hit through five innings and managed only two baserunners.  However, in the sixth Andrew Barry was hit by a pitch with one out and then Michael Sherwin clubbed an RBI triple to make the score 2-1 Reds.  In the seventh Blake Fisher was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and Matt Kruse singled behind him.  The runners were moved over to second and third by Paul Fisher, which set the stage for Andrew Barry, who came through with a huge 2RBI single to give the Ravens a 3-2 lead.

In the ninth, with the 3-2 lead still intact, Trupin gave way to Ravens closer Ben Ruff.  Even facing the hard throwing Ruff, the Reds were determined to force a second and decisive championship game and tied the game 3-3 in the top of the ninth.  However, in the bottom of the ninth Matt Kruse led off for the Ravens with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and then Paul Fisher walked.  After back to back pop outs, Ben Ruff singled to load the bases.  DJ Penick stepped to the plate with two outs, bottom nine, a 3-3 tie, bases loaded, and a championship on the line…and he delivered a walk off single through the 3-4 hole to give the Ravens the 4-3 victory and back to back Cascade championships.

The 2018 championship marked the Ravens sixth championship in the past ten seasons.

MSBL of Southern Colorado, 18-45+ Division

SoCo Pistols 10, Colorado Springs Bombers 3

‘Early Lead Sets Stage for Pistols Victory Over Bombers’

Submitted by Andrew Storm, Pistols manager

The MSBL of Southern Colorado league rivals Southern Colorado Pistols and the Colorado Springs Bombers squared off for the MSBL 18-45-over championship at Spurgeon Field on September 23rd.  The Pistols were 0-1 in league play versus the Bombers and 1-0 in the double elimination tournament.

An early lead helped the SOCO Pistols defeat the Bombers 10-3 for the title. The Pistols scored early on a single by me (Storm) in the first inning, an error in the first inning, a double by Zach Versluys in the second inning, and a stolen base by Versluys in the second inning.

We then put up three runs in the seventh inning as Andy Davis and Jason Jacobs all moved runners across the plate with RBIs in the inning. Pitcher Zach Versluys toed the rubber for us while lasting four and a third innings, allowing only four hits and two runs. Wirt started the game for Bombers and lasted three innings, allowing 12 hits and nine runs while striking out two. Baumann threw five innings in relief.

We tallied 17 hits on the day, with Joe McKenzie, Russ Mannix, Davis, Storm, and Versluys all collecting multiple hits for the Pistols. McKenzie led the Pistols with four hits in six at bats. The Bombers racked up eight hits in the game with Willoughby and Baumann each collecting multiple hits for Bombers. Willoughby went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead Bombers in hits.

Buffalo Muny MSBL, 25+ Division

Queen City 5, Erie Buffalo 4

 ‘Dileo Leads Dominant Staff in Playoffs’

 Submitted by Jesse Watts, Queen City manager

In the 2018 summer season of the Buffalo Muny MSBL, Queen City, sponsored by ALL METAL WORKS, claimed the Championship in the 25+ division by successfully defending their 2017 title and sweeping Erie Buffalo in a best of three series. Queen City is a new team to the league with many veteran players combined with young talent.  Queen City has won the title its first two years in the league and looks to 3-peat in the upcoming season.

Compiling a 16-6 regular season record and a 6-0 playoff record (12-1 past two seasons) Queen City was able to end the season on a 11 game win streak with dominant pitching, stellar defense and timely/clutch hitting. Queen City’s powerhouse pitching staff was able to dominate in the playoffs with Joe Dileo, Dave Brozyna and Mike Wagner all getting wins. Joe Dileo’s MVP pitching performance in the playoffs will be talked about for years to come, taking the ball in four playoff games and proving to be a dominant force.

Queen City was able to finish the season with a team batting average of .325 with Kenny Johnston, Jimmy Luppens, Jesse Watts, Ryan Wojinski, Chris Cardona, Mike Wagner and Bobby Alvarez all having an all-star season.  Tom Anderson, Rich Creamer, Kenny Lorich and Jimmy Lord all came in clutch with key hits during the playoffs.  This season’s success was a combination of hard work and team chemistry. Every player on the team was able to contribute to this memorable season.

Long Island Midweek MSBL, 45+ American Division

L.I. Cubs 10, Southside Warriors 9

‘Amazing Final Inning Comeback Punctuates Title’

Submitted by Tim Hott, L.I. Cubs manager (Edited by Steve LaMontia, MSBL Director of Communications)

Our securing the MSBL Long Island Midweek trophy literally came down to the final at bat of the season in our championship series against the Warriors.  Our Long Island Cubs came from down eight runs in our last at bat, scoring nine runs to beat the Southside Warriors 10-9 and win the 45+ American Division championship. The texture of this story may be a little different from the usual league champion stories posted on the website but I thought it would be fun to revisit the half-inning the way it played out. Here is the 13 batter sequence from our run to the title.  Enjoy!

To begin, the score at the start of inning was Warriors 9, Cubs 1. Here is the blow by blow, batter by batter description of our final at bat.

Ippy Reggio started the inning with a walk. Ted Bennett pinch hit for Pete Munda and also walked. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch, sending Ippy to third and Ted to second. Jeff Hinman was added to the bottom of the order and he ALSO walked to load the bases, no outs.

Luis Perez grounded to third but Ippy was able to score. Ted tiptoed into third and Jeff moved up to second, with Luis reaching first. (Score 9-2) Rafi Maldonado promptly doubled past the shortstop while Ted, Jeff and Luis all scored. (Score 9-5) Eddie Murria was hit by a pitch, moving Rafi to second. Mike Herring followed with another double to left center, scoring both Rafi and Eddie. I’m sure the Warriors were getting just a little nervous at this point with no outs, a runner on second and holding on to a slim two run lead. (Score 9-7)

Keith Bryant struck out for the inning’s first out but then Stu Juarez singled and Keith was the courtesy runner for Stu. Mike Gonzalez followed with a bloop single to right and Mike Herring scored, moving Keith (Stu) to third with Mike advancing to second on the play. (Score 9-8)

To climax the inning, Rob “Gonzo” Gonzalez singled while Keith (Stu) scored, advancing Mike G. to third. Keith ran for Gonzo and then promptly stole second, tying the score at nine apiece. Ippy walked for the second time in the inning, thus loading the bases. Phil Baldwin was sent in to pinch hit for Ted and drew a season ending walk as Mike Gonzalez scored the winning run in walk-off fashion. CUBS WIN 10-9! INCREDIBLE!!!!

Southern Colorado MSBL/MABL, 50+ Legends

SoCol Reds 18, Thunder 6

‘Reds Secure First Title in Just Their Second Year’

Submitted by Bret Morse, Reds manager

We played the Thunder in a best of three Championship series, winning it in two games. The first game score was 12-8 and the second was 18-6. Bo Clark and Steve Megyeri both homered in game one while Bo pitched the last four innings to shut them down. Steve Megyeri homered again in game two. For the season Steve led the team in batting average at .588, he chipped in five home runs and drove in 22.

Our rotation consisted of Bo Clark, Jeff Chapin, Jeff Pappenfuss and Terry Warrick. Chapin led the team in ERA with at 3.61 and Bo led the team in innings pitched with 38.2, and also led in strikeouts with 30.

The story of our season would be perseverance. We all played a full nine innings of baseball every week and came back several times throughout the season. Our timely hitting and solid starting pitching from our four man rotation were the keys to our success, both during the season and in the championship series. It is our first MSBL 50-over Championship and we are proud as this was just our second season in the Southern Colorado league.

SoCal MSBL, 45+ Division

OC Dodgers 11, OC Indians 5

‘New Look Dodgers Gel in Championship Series’

Submitted by Jefrey Brown, Dodgers manager

The OC Dodgers have been in the SoCAL MSBL since 1994 and in its current form, we’ve been together for about 11 years now.  In that time, we’ve been to the finals six times and the semi-finals three times.  This is our fifth Championship in that time frame and our 12th overall since 1994, but this year was special.  We started off the season with the goal of reaching the Championship, but with several new players added to our roster we weren’t sure how the team would round out.

We were a .500 team through the first half of the season but won six of our final seven games going into the playoffs.  We went undefeated through the playoffs and faced off against an equally impressive team, the OC Indians, in the Championship.  Over the years we faced the Indians in the playoffs and Championship many times, with the Dodgers leading the series 4-1.

We faced off for a best 2 of 3 Championship with the Dodgers winning the first game 11-1 and the Indians rallying to win the second game 3-2.  That set up a one game Championship at the OC Great Park and it was a battle from the beginning.  Both teams played well and we were tied 4-4 into the fifth inning, when it appeared the Indians were going to break open the game.

They led off the inning with a base hit and the next batter bunted him over.  With one out, the Indians got another base hit driving in the run.  Their next batter got a base hit to right, but I was able to pick up the ball on one hop and fire it to home plate.  The ball was cut off by starting pitcher Robb Munson who completed a perfect relay to get the second out at the plate.

With one run in, two out and two runners on base, the Indians next batter got another base hit to right field, or so it seemed.  I was once again fortunate enough to pick up the ball on one hop and fire it to first base, beating the runner for the final out of the inning while keeping any additional runs from scoring.  From that point on, the Dodgers broke the game open, scoring runs in the fifth, sixth, two runs in the seventh and four runs in the eighth.

Dodgers starting pitcher Robb Munson shut down the Indians for the last three innings of the game, giving up only three hits and no runs, for a complete game victory.  Dodgers Mark Owen, Brett Young, Juan Marante, Tony Ablett, Doug Thigpen, Ron Benedict, Paul Contreras and Ralph Cedillo had multiple hits in the game as the Dodger offense produced 11 runs in route to the Championship!

All in all, it was one of the best Championship series we’ve ever been involved in.  The Indians were a tough team and they kept up with us every step of the way until the end.  The Indians are a great group of guys and phenomenal players who pushed us to the limit.  Kudos to the OC Indians on a fantastic year!

Puget Sound Senior Baseball League, Teton 35+ Division  

RiverCats 8, Barons 4

‘RiverCats Dominate 35+ Teton Division in 2018’

Submitted by Scott McHugh, RiverCats manager

The RiverCats won the 2018 PSSBL Teton 35+ Championship 8-4 in the second game of a double header to win the championship against the Teton Barons.

With a regular season record of 16-1-1 and unbeaten in the playoffs going into the final game, the Barons handed the RiverCats their second loss of the season (4-3) to force a game two and winner take all final game to determine who would be the Champs in 2018.

The Rivercats jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in game two and never looked back. As General Manager I was very happy to have managed the team to an 8-4 win and secure the team’s second Championship in five years with solid pitching and a dominant offense. We have good chemistry and we like playing together. We are a family. Also, we never give up and we all want to have fun and win. It should be noted that our two RiverCats losses were exciting 2-out, 1-run games settled in the ninth inning!

The RiverCats pitching led the division in strikeouts with 187 by hard throwing Team MVP Alan Webb, Walt Simpson and Toshi Niwa. The RiverCats proved to be hard to beat, leading the Teton division in hitting with a team batting average of .376 supported by team batting leaders Walt Simpson, Alan Webb, Travis Gonzalez, Toshi Niwa, Andy Tweed and I. We look forward to competing for the trophy in 2019!

South Jersey MSBL, 52+ Division

Montgomery County Yankees 24, Senators 11

Kneeling L-R: Bob Rutter, Tony D’Aulerio, Bob Creedon, Mark Greenspan, Mark Goodman, Jeff Budin, Frank O’Brien. Standing L-R: Phil Moses, Tom Gallagher, Joe Lynn, Tom Koelzer, Jamie Heldring, Craig Stein, Hal Bluestein, John Clark, Bob Morrell, Ray Lloyd, Steve Farina, Dan Maggiani. Missing: Marc Gold, Jeff Lichter.

‘2018 Montgomery Yankees ‘Three-peat’ in South Jersey MSBL 52+ Division’

Submitted by Mark Greenspan, Yankees manager

The 2018 Montgomery County Yankees won their third consecutive South Jersey MSBL 52+ Championship by defeating the Senators, 24-11. The Yankees (14-3) entered the playoffs as the #1-seed, and earned a spot in the finals by defeating the #4-seed South Jersey A’s, 17-8. The #3-seed Senators defeated the #2-seed Delaware Pirates, 5-2 in the other semifinal.

This season went down as the rainiest in the Yankees’ 27-year history, with seven regular-season games (out of 15 weeks) being postponed and another being rain-shortened to 4 1/2 innings. Amazingly, all but one of the Yankees regular-season games was able to be rescheduled and played. But not all the teams were as fortunate. Among the 14 teams in the 52+ division, there were 50+ games postponed throughout the 15-week season with over 20 of those games unable to be made up.

When the playoffs began the weather was no different. The Yankees-A’s semifinal game had to be pushed back a week due to another rainout and when the game was played one week later, it featured a rain delay at the end of the third inning in order to work on the mound. The game, played in less than ideal conditions, would include 13 walks, four hit batters and six errors.

The Yankees used a 13-run third inning, which for the most part was played during a steady rain, to cruise to a 17-8 win. The Yankees 21-hit attack was paced by Steve Farina (4-4, 2 runs), Bob Rutter (3-3, 2 walks, double, RBI, 2 runs) and Tony D’Aulerio (3-4, walk, double, 2 RBI, 3 runs), while Joe Lynn added three RBI. Yankees’ ace Ray Lloyd (6-1 during regular season) allowed just one unearned run over the first three innings before being removed from the mound after the rain delay with a 14-1 lead. Tom Gallagher worked the final six innings to help send the Yankees to the finals, which would be shortened from a best-of-3 series to just a single game thanks to all the prior postponements.

This set up a Yankees-Senators championship game and a pitching match-up between Ray Lloyd and Gabe Mastrangelo, who six weeks earlier gave Lloyd his only loss, 4-1, in a game that was tied until the Senators’ final at bat. But this time would be different. After the Senators opened the scoring in the top of the first inning, the Yankees responded with four runs in the bottom half, three in the second and six more in the third to open up a 13-2 lead. After the Senators answered with a pair to close the gap to single digits, the Yankees responded with a 9-run sixth inning to open a 22-4 lead and ultimately a 24-11 victory.

The Yankees’ 28-hit attack was led by D’Aulerio (4-5, 4 runs), Rutter (4-5, double, 5 RBI, 2 runs), Tom Koelzer (3-5, home run, double, 3 RBI, 3 runs), Lloyd (3-5, home run, 5 RBI, 2 runs) and Bob Creedon (3-4, RBI, 2 runs). Lloyd pitched six strong innings to earn the victory, striking out seven and allowing just one earned run. Jeff Budin (5-0 during the regular season) picked up the save by pitching the final three innings. Dan Laudisio (5 RBI, 2 runs), Bob Wood (double, 4 runs), Todd Smick (double, RBI) and Chris Johannes (RBI, run) paced the Senators’ 19-hit attack with three hits apiece.

The league championship was the Yankees’ 14th in their 27-year history, having won six Montgomery County MSBL championships (1994-1999), four Bux-Mont MSBL championships (2005, 2006, 2007 & 2010) and one Tri-State MSBL championship (2012), prior to joining the South Jersey MSBL in 2016.

DCMSBL, 40+ Division

Potomac River Bandits 8, Pirates 5

‘River Bandits Capture Sixth Title in Seven Years’

Submitted by Tom Cook, River Bandits manager

The Potomac River Bandits won their sixth championship in seven years of play in the 40+ division of the DCMSBL.  The championship game went 16 innings.

Dave Thune, Pete Groves, Jake O’Neill and I were on Bandits teams that won championships in the 30+, 40+ and 50+ divisions in 2018.  It was a very special year for Bandits baseball!