Controversial city tourney ends with familiar team on top
(Editor’s note: Diamond Dust is a weekly synopsis of happenings in the Rome Men’s Softball Association compiled by board member Mike Kohli. It features spotlight games and standout players from that week’s games.) By Mike Kohli Thirty-one games in three days, and it’s all over. A busy weekend at the Haselton-Wright Softball Complex wrapped up Sunday evening, and in the end, a familiar face stood once again atop the league. Advanced Auto fought through the losers bracket to beat the winner’s bracket champion Don’s Auto twice in taking their third straight RMSA crown. In what could have been the most competitive RMSA Tournament in recent memory, 17 of 28 games were decided by six runs or less. If not the most competitive tournament, it will certainly go down as one of the most memorable. Controversy clouded much of the tournament with protests being filed, games being called by the officials and hard-nosed play leading to ejections. All in all, it was a thrilling ending to a crazy season in recreation softball. Round one action began on Thursday night with all but one of the higher seeds advancing to the Saturday winners bracket. The sole lower seed to win their way into the big bracket for Saturday was Midnight Mike’s, who stomped Korpela League foe Casey’s Tavern. Other Thursday winners included Western Legion over Rienzo G.C.; McKie’s Sports over Bucky’s/Korp’s Corner; Advanced Auto over Black River Ale House; Wetsel Seed over Yard Cat Excavating; Don’s Auto over Anson Construction and Rite Aid over Casey’s Brew Crew. The opener on field two Saturday morning featured the Cinderella Yard Cat Excavating and Black River Ale House. In a spirited back and forth affair, the Yard Cats saw their carriage turn into a pumpkin as the Ale House rode a seven run fourth inning to a 13-10 victory and a date with Midnight Mike’s later in the day. John Brawdy was the hitting star for the Ale House, hitting a three-run home run in the first inning along with a third inning double. Brawdy finished the game 4 for 4. Also contributing for the Ale House were Mark McGowan and Chris Pape, with three hits apiece. The controversy began with the Western Legion-McKie’s Sports game at 11:30 on field one. McKie’s showed they can hang with the big boys of the league, losing 16-14 with the tying run on first base in the bottom of the seventh. The game featured gritty play from both sides and an injury to McKie’s shortstop Chris Marrello, who injured his knee while avoiding a tag at third base. The controversy arose when McKie’s protested the use of a Western player that hadn’t played the requisite number of league games. McKie’s protest held up, sending Western to the losers bracket to meet Wetsel Seed Co., a team they had handily beaten in their league finale just five days earlier. McKie’s then went on to meet eventual tournament champ, Advanced Auto in a 4:30 game on Saturday. The McKie’s-Advanced matchup is one that happens often in the season-ending tournament with McKie’s coming out on the wrong end of the scoring. Unfortunately for McKie’s, this game was no different. McKie’s responded to a two-run first, scoring three runs in each the second and third inning but failed to score for the next three innings. Advanced capitalized on this scoring drought, scoring in each of the final four innings. The three-run seventh proved to be the final blow for McKie’s. They were only able to score one in their half of the seventh and once again left the tying run on base to end the game. Mike Kohli had three hits for McKie’s and a hobbled Marrello added two. Eric Curtis and Scott Podkowka also had two hits apiece in a losing effort. Advanced was led by Josh Powell’s bomb to left field to open the fourth. Powell ended the game with three hits and two RBI. Dave and Mike Jecko and Eric Sloma had two each for the victors, who went on to face Don’s Auto in the first of three matchups between the teams on Sunday. McKie’s went on to face Bucky’s/Korp’s in a Sunday morning battle that went eight innings. It was another heartbreaker for McKie’s as they left the tying run on again, this time at third base and were sent home for the tourney. In the first of the three Don’s-Advanced tilts on Sunday, the teams met in the winners bracket final on field two at 11:30. Don’s took round one of the heavyweight battle, winning 5-4. Jason Luczynski’s two-out solo home run proved not enough for Advanced in the bottom of the seventh as they left two men on base to end the game. Luczynski finished with two hits on the game as did Chad Faber. Jake Bates had three hits and the game-winning RBI for Don’s in the sixth while Tom Meiss, in what could be his last game in a Don’s uniform, contributed two hits and two RBI. Brendan Ryan also had two hits for Don’s, who awaited the winner of the PBA/Palisades-Advanced Auto game for all the marbles. Playing in familiar territory out of the loser’s bracket, PBA/Palisades overpowered an injury-riddled Bucky’s/Korp’s squad 8-2 to advance to their game against Advanced for the right to play for the city crown once again. Kris Wutsch, John Miller, Stew Rood and Rick Kenealy all had two hits apiece for PBA who played in typical PBA fashion, base-hitting their opponent to submission. Scott Parsons also contributed three hits in the win. Len Costello had three hits in the loss for Bucky’s/Korp’s, whose run in the tournament ended with the loss. The PBA-Advanced matchup failed to live up to its billing as Advanced simply overpowered a tired PBA offense. The familiar names of Faber, Jecko and Sloma all figured prominently in the balanced Advanced attack. These four players hammered out a total of 10 hits among them to play their way to the finals and another date with Don’s. With Don’s still undefeated in the tourney, Advanced needed to win two to take the title. Advanced used a six run sixth inning to run away with a 10-6 win and set up a final game to determine the 2008 champion. In the decisive sixth, Advanced strung together eight consecutive singles in delivering the knockout blow. Sloma, Mike and Dave Jecko, Powell, and Luczynski, along with pitcher Rich Mansfield, again figured prominently in the offensive attack for Advanced. Don’s was paced by Brendan Ryan, Eugene Cappoccia, Jake Bates and Josh Harter, who each had two hits. Joey DiMaggio also had an RBI double for Don’s who were now faced with elimination for the first time of the weekend in the 5:30 "if necessary" game. The final game was a relatively low-scoring affair for these two teams, who were obviously feeling the fatigue of playing all day. Advanced made a big opening statement, scoring five times in the bottom of the first. Another steady barrage of hits by the always formidable Advanced was led by doubles from Mike Jecko and Eric Sloma. The game took an interesting turn in the bottom of the first when Advanced’s Josh Powell took out Don’s catcher Jake Bates on a play at the plate. After several minutes of discussion among the three officials, Powell was ejected for failing to slide and malicious intent. In the discussions that followed the ejection, Advanced’s Kevin Reiss was also ejected for making contact with an umpire. When the dust settled, Advanced pitcher Ed Lewandrowski had arrived and Tommy Barnaba was inserted in Powell’s spot in the lineup for Advanced and the game continued without incident. Don’s came back with six runs in the fourth inning to tie the game. Sean Weiman’s three-run home run was the catalyst for Don’s eight hit inning. Both teams failed to score in the fifth. Andy Miller led off the Advanced sixth with a single and advanced to third on Mike Jecko’s single. Eric Sloma’s sacrifice fly proved to be the championship winner for Advanced and Rich Mansfield added an insurance run with an RBI triple to ice the third straight league title for Advanced Auto. |
