Bottini's Plays Their Way In

RMSA DIAMOND DUST, Week 14 (August 1 – August 7, 2010)
By Mike Kohli, RMSA Board Member

[RMSA Diamond Dust is a weekly synopsis of action in the Rome Men's Softball Association. It will spotlight feature games and stand-out players from each week's games]

Bottini Funeral Home pulled off the improbable Thursday night as they played their best ball of the season to win three games and earn the Korpela League play-in bid to the RMSA City Championship Tournament.

Bottini, who showed promise throughout the season, finished a dismal 1-9 on the season. Their only hope of reaching the tournament was through this play-in tournament and they made the most of it.

Their first round opponent was Oriskany Manufacturing. Oriskany led 4-2 after four innings. Carl Johnson had a 2 RBI single in the first, scoring Brian Fairbrother and Roy Hancock. Johnson would finish the game with three hits, including another RBI double in the sixth. Hancock had two hits for Oriskany in the loss.

After Oriskany scored two in the sixth to take a 6-3 lead, Bottini came roaring back with a six run seventh inning to seal the game. After consecutive singles by Steve Smith and Trevor Brockway to lead off the inning, Josh Seaton smacked an RBI double to kick start the Bottini scoring barrage. Rocco DeBlasiis delivered the death blow with a triple, later scoring on a Mike Henderson ground out. Bottini held off Oriskany in the seventh to win 9-6 and advance to play Hideaway Pub/Boys From Italy in the 7:15 game on field one.

In their second game of the evening, Bottini scored two quick runs to go up. However, Hideaway answered with three of their own, thanks to a Bubba Rienzo home run, to take an early 3-2 lead.

Bottini retook the lead in the third and then exploded for seven runs in the fourth to take a commanding lead that they would not relinquish. Eli Hedrington, Smith and Zack Cicotti all had doubles in the fourth to lead the way for Bottini. Cicotti added a three-run home run in the sixth to complete his bid for the cycle on the night.

Hideaway failed to score a run beyond the fourth inning, losing 16-5. Hideaway, the top seed of the Thursday Play-In teams, will now have to hope for a Wild Card bid to reach the city tourney.

After Mac Contracting knocked off the Firemen in the other 7:15 contest, Bottini's tourney fate lay on field two in the final. Mac started slowly, going scoreless in the first three innings as Bottini built a three run lead.

Shane Kirkham led off the Mac fourth with a walk and later scored on a Jay Brewer single to kick start a nine-run inning. Kirt Kohl added a three-run bomb to pad the Mac lead, heading into the fifth with a 9-3 lead.

Bottini quickly responded as Hedrington and Smith led off the fifth with a single and double respectively. Sully Derrick and Dylan Wojdyla doubled and DiBlasiis smashed a two-run home run as Bottini racked up nine runs of their own taking a 12-9 lead. Mac scored two in their half of the inning to sneak within a run but this was Bottini's night. Cicotti's two-run blast in the sixth provided the insurance they needed to triple their season output for wins in just one night as Bottini, playing the role of Cinderella, slipped the Korpela League play in title slipper on for a bid into the year-end tourney.

The play-in round will continue Sunday and Monday with the winner of each advancing to the tourney that will see all sixteen teams playing games beginning Thursday night at 5:45. Taylor Construction enters the Sunday Community League play-in as the highest seed, while Rhine Haus/Slices is the favorite in the Monday Burt Smith League.