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Floral Arts, Mustangs, Drew Farms and Healy Oil round out the top four spots a week before the July 4th holiday break. Burtons, 3E Moving and Pro Sports Therapy take the next three ever-important playoff spots at this early point. Fourth place through eighth are so close in their win totals that these spots will change numerous times over the next eight weeks.
Floral Arts 19 - CSA Graphics 6
Floral Arts defeated CSA, 19-6, on Wednesday in six innings. The score sat at 18-6 for a couple of innings, while several Floral hitters tried and failed to get the 19th run across to end the game until Simon Tripp hit a solo shot to begin the sixth. Jim Peloquin (2), Jim Crowley, Mark Chambers, and Ken Delaney hit homers. Dave Janowsky continued his hot hitting, going 3-for-3 with 3 RBI.
CSA hit three home runs in the first and then got out-scored 19-1 the rest of the way. Breaking out to an early 5-0 lead in the first inning versus Floral Arts, fueled by home runs from Jonathan Ring, Cody Freihofer, and Billy Cullen. Floral came back with three runs in the second inning, and CSA added to their lead with one in the third, making the score 6 to 3. Then CSA fell apart, stopped hitting, and Floral ran away with the game out-scoring CSA 15-0 in the next three innings.
Nashoba Valley Veterinary Mustangs 25 – Pro Sports Therapy 5
In a five-inning run rule victory, the Mustangs put up seven in the first over PST. Pro Sports got two back quickly and then added another two to make it close at 7-5. The second ranked Mustangs then scored 18 runs to finish this one off. The PST offense was led by Ryan Steele’s two-run bomb in the first. For the Mustangs, Keith Reynolds (4-for-4, 2 HR, 4 RS, 8 RBI) led the offensive charge with a grand slam and a 3-run homer for the Mustangs. Fellow Mustangs Paul Selfrige Jr. (4-for-4, HR, 3 RS), Bill Knute (3 RS), and Paul Selfrige Sr. all added four hits apiece in the win. Winning pitcher Paul Liguori (3 RBI, 2 RS) and Jim Ward (2 RS) chipped in with three hits each.
Burtons Grill 20 - CSA Graphics 7
CSA Graphics tried to battle Burton's with nine players again, but were not as lucky this time. Burton's jumped to the early lead, and never looked back. CSA was in the game, losing 8-5, when. a couple costly errors led to a nine run third inning for Burton's. CSA put up a couple runs in the fifth, but a run on a couple hits for Burton's, and then a two-run homer ended the game with the mercy rule in the bottom half of the frame. Tim Piwowar and Cody Freihofer homered for CSA in the loss. Burton's offense was fueled by Eric Pasters with a (HR, 3 RBI), Charlie Chungu (3-for-3, 4 RBI), Jerry Breen (HR, 3 RBI), Dave Batchelder (HR, 2 RBI), and Jerod Colley 3-for-3 and another fine pitching performance.
Burtons Grill 19 - Healy Oil 6
Burton's won this one in another run rule fashion scoring early and often. Eric Cataline closed it out with a walk off home run in the sixth. Rookie Justin Randall had another big night, (3-for-3, HR, 3 RBI), Mike Santiano, (2-for-2, 2 RBI), Luke (3-for-3, HR, 3 RBI), and batting in the thirteenth spot...Charlie Chungu, (3-for-3, 2 HR, 5 RBI). Raghu Mantena, Peter Morano and Jerod Colley also played well in the win.
Pro Sports Therapy 12 – Drew Farms 11
Drews led for the whole game, as PST was limited to just four hits and no runs thru the first five innings. Drew's lead was powered by a Todd Shepard home run and another blast by their pitcher. PST broke through for four in the top of the sixth, energized by an RBI double from Jeff Fuller and a John Bodi single that drove in two. Drews matched that four in the bottom to go up 9-4. PST then exploded for eight more in the top of the last frame led by 3-run home runs from both Ryan Steele and Derek Donegan. Drews got two back on another Todd Shepard dinger but PST hung on for the W.
CSA Graphics 17 - Short Cut Landscaping 16
A good battle, through the rain, between Short Cut Landscaping and CSA Graphics. Short Cut opened an early 12-6 lead after two innings but CSA scored four in the third and five in the fourth, while keeping SCL scoreless, to take a 15-12 lead. SCL got two runs back in the fifth, and took the lead 17-16 at the end of six innings. A lead-off single for CSA by Sean Troy (4 -for-4 ) was followed by three put outs, ending the game. Cody Freihofer led the way offensively for CSA, going 3-for-4 with 2 home runs. Chris Brisson, Zak Smolkin, and Tim Greenwood also had home runs for the winning side.
Floral Arts, at 10-2 sits atop the standings right ahead of the Nashoba Valley Mustangs at 8-4. Healy Oil and Drew Farms are tied for the third spot. Floral has the most runs scored midway thru the 2018 season while the Mustangs have allowed the fewest runs to opposing squads.
Floral Arts 11 - Burton’s Grill 6
On Friday night, Larry Mardany was masterful on the mound for Floral Arts, pitching his way to an 11-6 victory over Burton’s Grill. Floral Arts’ defense was outstanding, as the infield turned two double plays, including an unusual 6-4-5 double play to end the game. Dave Janowsky went 3-for-3 with 2 RBI, Jim Peloquin went 3-for-4 with a homer, and Ken Delaney also homered for the winners. Mark Chambers (2-for-3, RBI) was an all star around the first base bag. Homering for Burton's in the loss were Charlie Chungu, Jerry Breen and Justin Randall. The win gave Floral Arts their tenth win of the season against two losses.
Floral Arts 20 - Shortcut Landscaping 16
Floral Arts rookie outfielder Jim Crowley had a fine Sunday night at the plate, going 4-for-4, swatting three homers, and knocking in eight to lead Floral Arts (9-2) to a 20-16 victory over Shortcuts Landscaping. Floral scored nine runs in the first inning, as Chad Kirby hit a solo shot, followed by a three-run shot by Crowley, a one-run double by Mark Chambers, a three-run homer by Ken Delaney, and run-scoring single by Mike Donaruma. Pat Woods hit a two-run shot in the third inning. Woods was also stellar at second base, working with Delaney and third baseman Ryan Dunn to turn a couple of double plays in the game. Pitcher Matt Critch continued his hot hitting (3-for-4, 2 RS) and pitching.
Nashoba Valley Mustangs 11 - 3E Moving 7
Cormac Bordes (HR, 3 RBI) and Keith Reynolds both had three hits for the winners. Bill Knute added a three run blast while Jim Ward, Mike Kennedy and Mark Cusano contributed two hits apiece.
Nashoba Valley Mustangs 14 - CSA Graphics 6
Mike Kennedy (4 runs, 2 RBI), Jay Lincoln (3 RS) and Paul Selfrige Jr. (4 RBI) all went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate to aid the balanced Mustang attack. Paul Liguori got the win on the mound and added two hits, including a bases clearing double, and four RBI to the cause. Paul Selfrige Sr. and Bill Knute blasted home runs for the winners. Kennedy played excellent defene at third base and at second base Dan Crogan turned two around the horn double plays to get his team out of jams. The scoring for CSA came on three home runs including a solo shot from Tim Piwowar, a two-run shot from Garrett Quinlan, and a three-run dinger from Jonathan Ring.
Drew Farms 20 - CSA Graphics 16
CSA Graphics had an explosion of home runs, but too many errors cost them the game. After a 2-run homer from Jim DeMarco and a solo shot from Jonathan Ring in the first, Drews responded with nine runs of their own. CSA chipped away at the lead scoring four in the second inning and two more in the third to tie the game 9-9. Key to the comeback was a three-run homer from Garrett Quinlan and solo shots from Jonathan Ring and Cody Freihofer. Drews pulled ahead in the fourth inning 13-9, and the teams matched runs in the fifth to make the score 14-10. CSA came back to tie things with home runs from Garrett Quinlan (2HR, triple, 6RBI) and Jonathan Ring (3HRs, 4RBI). An error-filled bottom of the sixth gave Drews a 20-14 lead, and CSA could only muster a couple runs in the top of the seventh (which started with a lead-off homer from Bill Cullen that counted as an out due to HR rule).
Floral Arts is on a roll and sits atop the standings at 7-2. The Nashoba Valley Mustangs are right behind at 7-4 followed by Drew Farms at 5-4. Healy Oil at 5-5 is the only remaining team with a winning record at this early point in the season.
Short Cut Landscaping 25 - Burton's Grill 21
In a possible sign of a pending apocalypse, Raghu Mantena hit a home run in his second consecutive game and Jerod Colley legged out a triple for the losing Burton's squad. All 13 Burton's players crossed the plate in this one but unfortunately couldn't hold off the Short Cut offensive. Burton's also got home runs from Charlie Chungu, Erik Pasters, Justin Randall, Mike Santiano, Murph McKeon, and, of course, Dave, "Juice" Batchelder.
Floral Arts 28 - Shortcut Landscaping 24
In the top of the seventh with the score tied, Mike Donaruma stepped up the plate with the bases loaded and announced, “I don’t know what’s going to happen.” What happened was that he blasted the ball over the left-field fence for a grand slam, thereby giving Floral Arts a four-run lead, as Floral defeated Shortcuts, 28-24, on Sunday evening. Floral scored six runs in the first inning. Matt Critch (3-for-4) stroked a three-run homer and then Mark Chambers hit a two-run shot. Roger Whittlesey (4-for-5, 3RS) scored on a single by Rob Beaudette. In the second inning, pitcher Larry Mardany gave Floral three more runs on a blast over the left-field fence. Floral also got home runs from Ryan Dunn (4-for-4, 3R, 3 RBI) and Beaudette (3-for-4, 2 HRs, 3 RS). Mardany, Chambers and Critch made several strong defensive plays. The win moved Floral Arts (6-2) into first place.
Floral Arts 9 - Nashoba Valley Veterinarian Mustangs 7
A retired legend returned to the old ball yard on Tuesday night and immediately made an impact. Frank Lancelotta returned to play as a reserve (the tenth man on the squad), and, without taking any swings since a game last September, the 62-year-old slugger slammed the second pitch over the fence to score the first of nine runs in a game that Floral Arts won, 9-7, over the Mustangs. Lancelotta, who went 2-for-3, also played well at first base, handling every play smoothly. The Mustangs built a 5-0 lead in the early innings, but homers by Lancelotta, Simon Tripp (3-for-4) and a two-run shot by Rob Beaudette made it 5-4. Mike Alonardo opened the fourth inning with a solo shot, and then Floral scored three more times that inning to go up 8-5. Pitcher Matt Critch was masterful, inducing many fly-outs and ground-outs, and then ultimately getting a Mustang power hitter to fly out on a 3-0 count with two men aboard in the top of the seventh. The win moved Floral further into first place with a 7-2 record.
Floral Arts 19 - Drew Farms 3
On Wednesday, Floral Arts pitcher Matt Critch spun a beauty, allowing only three runs—and no home runs—in a 19-3 win over Drew Farms. James Peloquin, in his season debut, hit a pair of two-run bombs and played a rangy shortstop. Matt Mallette hit a three-run homer for Floral and Mike Donaruma hit a solo shot in the second inning. Roger Whittlesey was 4-for-4 with three runs scored and Walter Carmichael was 3-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored. Ryan Dunn and Dave Janowsky each knocked in two. Floral Arts stretched its winning streak to seven games with the win.
Pro Sports Therapy 10 - CSA Graphics 9
CSA Graphics held the lead from the start but a series of errors in the field and a failure to make timely hits made it impossible to put PST away. An error to start the bottom of the 7th followed by a 2-run walk-off home run ultimately gave PST the win. Jonathan Ring (2), Cody Freihofer (2), and Garrett Quinlan had home runs in the loss. PST's 10 runs were on only 14 hits. Credit on the PST sides goes to Ben Armstrong, 4-for-4 with 2 home runs and four RBI, including the game-winning 2-run walk-off, a line drive rocket to center that followed the misplayed pop-up. PST also got four RBI from veteran Jeff Fuller and a 3-for-3 effort from John Bodi, including a "bunt" single in the second.
Both Dave Chirokas and Bill Cullen pitched well for their respective sides and were deserving of the win on the mound.
Pro Sports Therapy 19- Healy Oil 15
PST was led by Ryan Steele who went 4-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI in the lead off spot, Kirk Legatos 3-for 4 with two home runs and three RBI right behind him. Mark Pelosky also contributed a three-run blast in the win. In a back and forth contest, it was Healy stranding 11 runners that contributed to the loss in the hard fought battle. Highlights for Healy was Matt Dowling hitting two home runs followed by Dan VanSchalkwyk, Colin MacDonald and Nick Wilmot going long over center field. Cam Santana continues a hitting streak going 4-for-4.
Drew Farms 17 - Burton's Grill 12
Burton's longest tenured player, Mike Jerzlyo, was called on to pitch his first ever game and held his team close in the loss. Drew Farms outlasted the Burton's squad 17-12 in the end by posting a strong late inning and Burton's was not able to respond. Raghu Mantena blasted a home run for Burtons as did Dave Batchelder, (two home runs, five RBI), Brian Haley, 2-for-3 one RBI, and Jerry Breen, 3-for-4 and four RBI in the loss.
Floral Arts and Nashoba Valley Mustangs have risen to their usual spots sitting one and two in the standings, each with six wins. The next four spots are tight, and include Burton's who strung together three good wins to join this group. The last three spots, all with two wins, include Short Cut Landscaping, Pro Sports Therapy and CSA Graphics.
Burtons Grill 19 - Nashoba Valley Veterinary Mustangs 18
Burtons rallied in bottom of seventh to squeak by the Mustangs in their usual tightly contested game. Both Selfridges and both Cusanos all homered, led by Don Cusano (2 HR, 4 RBI), Paul Selfridge Senior (4 hits, HR, 3 RBI), Mark Cusano (3 hits, HR), and Paul Selfridge Junior (2 hits, HR). Bill Knute also blasted two home runs (3 RBI) for the Mustangs. Jack Erickson added four hits, while Paul Ligouri chipped in with a walk and a hit and several good plays at third. For Burtons, Jerry Breen went 2-for-4 including the game winner with a triple and four RBI, Dave Batchelder 3-for-4, two home runs and six RBI, Eric Cataline, 4-for-5, four runs scored, and Brian Collamore 2-for-4, two runs scored and an RBI. Charlie Chungu made a game winning stop at short and turned it into a double-play.
Nashoba Valley Veterinary Mustangs 17- Healy Oil 4
Mustang southpaws Cormac Bordes and Bill Knute both blasted two home runs apiece to lead the winners. Both had identical boxscores of three hits, three runs, two home runs, and four RBI in the five inning game. Winning pitcher Don Cusano made his only hit count with a long three run bomb. Paul Selfridge Sr. (home run, 2 RS) and Jim Ward (3-for-3, 3 RS) set the table at the top of the Mustang order per usual. Mike Kennedy played well at third and went 3-for-3 with a homer, as well. At second Dan Crogan made a strong relay throw to cut down a Healy runner trying for a triple early in the game, and also contributed a sacrifice fly and a double.
Burton's Grill 18 - Pro Sports Therapy 14
Dave Batchelder continued his torrid hitting with a game winning grand slam to cap a 3-for-4 four RBI night in the win over PST. Jerrod Colley went 3-for-5 with three runs scored, Peter Morano 3-for-4 one run scored and one RBI and Hustin Randall, 4-for-5 two RBI and two runs scored. Mike Santiano made a stellar diving catch in the outfield to stop a late PST threat. On the PST side, the offense was led by rookie Anthony Cadorette (4 hits including a 2-run HR, 4 RS and 3 RBI), Ryan Steele, (4 hits including 3 HR and 7 RBI), Kirk Legatos (HR), and veteran Tim Schutt’s 4 hit night.
Floral Arts 13 - Pro Sports Therapy 4
On an extremely humid Friday evening, when the softball felt like sponge, Floral Arts defeated Pro Sports Therapy, 13-4. One run crossed the plate in the first four innings of the game, a solo shot by Floral’s Pat Woods. In the top of the fifth, PST plated one before Floral exploded in the bottom of that inning—hitting five home runs. Roger Whittlesey (3-for-4) hit two home runs in the fifth inning and knocked in four runs. Jim Crowley also hit a two-run shot, followed by a three-run homer by Simon Tripp (4-for4). A two-run homer by Mike Donaruma capped off the inning. Pitcher Larry Mardany was greatly helped defensively by fielders Woods, Crowley, Walter Carmichael, and the limber and acrobatically inclined first baseman Matt Critch. Dave Janowsky, recently returned from a hand injury, chipped in with two solid hits and a couple of runs scored. For PST, Brian Dubey also had a 3-run home run in the loss.
3E Moving 14 - Burton's Grill 12
Dave Batchelder was 3-for-3 with a home run and four RBI, Erik Pasters 2-for-3, home run and two runs scored and Murph McKeon 3-for-3 and two RBI in the loss to 3E.
Burton's Grill 17 - Drew Farms 12
Charlie Chungu and Brian Collamore turned a record five double plays and Burton;' scored five runs in the top of the seventh to put away the Drews squad. Offensive contributions were many and included: Jerry Breen, 4-for-4, three runs scored and one RBI, Dave (Henry Aaron) Batchelder with three more home runs and eight RBI, Charlie Chungu, 2-for-4, home run and three RBI, Murph McKeon 3-for-4, three runs scored and three RBI, Peter Morano 3-for-3 and Justin Randall 3-for-4, two runs scored and two RBI.
CSA Graphics and 3E Moving split a Friday/Sunday double-header this past week. On Friday night, the teams had a solid back-and-forth affair until 3E pulled away for the win. CSA had a 9-7 lead going into the final frames, built on man single and helped by home runs from Jim DeMarco and Bill Cullen. 3E took the lead in the 6th inning by a couple runs, and then posted eight more runs in the 7th to seal the victory, 19-10.
On Sunday, it was a similar story. CSA scored five runs in the second inning and four more in the third inning to capture another 9-7 lead over 3E. The offense for CSA was led by Bob Cullen (2-run and 3-run homers) and Jonathan Ring, who added a home run. This time CSA held onto the lead, playing respectable defense and the teams went scoreless the rest of the game, earning CSA the victory.
In a refreshing twist in the standings, at the top spot is Drew Farms followed by Healy Oil and perennial leader Nashoba Valley Mustangs each a half a game back. Floral Arts, 3E Moving and Pro Sports Therapy make up the next three positions.
Floral Arts 25 - Healy Oil 12
A dash of good pitching, a pinch of defense, and whole lot of offense were the recipe for success for Floral Arts on Friday evening in 25-12 win over Healy Oil. Floral knocked home ten runs in the first inning and then sprinkled in two or three runs in nearly every inning thereafter. Rob Beaudette drove the Floral offensive bus, pounding three balls over the fence and knocking in eight runs. Matt Critch (4-for-4, BB) had several lucky strikes at the plate, smoking one over the fence for a three-run gain. Also hitting homers for Floral were Simon Tripp and Chad Kirby. Larry Mardany pitched well and fielded a smartly hit grounder. Walter Carmichael was 4-for-5 with four runs scored. Dave Janowsky made his season debut and went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Pat Woods (3-for-5) hit a fence-scraper in the top of the seventh that plated the run that created the 13-run differential needed to earn a run-rule victory. On a night where Floral's hits seemed to have eyes and eluded the Healy defense despite sharp play from Dave Cannistraro, Tony Pantoja and Dan VanSchalkwyk.Offensive highlights from Healy came from Colin MacDonald (3-for-3), Nick Wilmot (2 home runs, 4 RBI), Tony Pantoja (2 doubles), and Matt Dowling adding a 2 run shot in the third.
CSA Graphics 23 - Burtons Grill 22
CSA Graphics managed to battle with nine players and pull off a win in dramatic, walk-off fashion versus Burton's. Everyone hit and scored for CSA, led by Jonathan Ring who went 5-for-5 with three home runs and seven RBI. Billy Ryan and Tim Greenwood both had four hits. Burton's took an early lead in the game, but CSA chipped away. The big inning for CSA was the fourth, during which they batted thru the line-up and posted nine runs to tie the game at eighteen. Neither team scored in the fifth inning, and CSA held Burton's scoreless in the top of sixth as well. A solo home run, by Ring, in the bottom of the sixth gave CSA the lead. Burton's scored four in the top half of the seventh to take back the lead, 22-19. A lead-off single by Sean Troy and a two-run homer from Jim DeMarco cut the lead to one. Ring was intentionally walked, bringing Bill Cullen to the plate. In his first game, still nursing a bad ankle, Cullen (4-for-6 with 5 RBI) hit his second home-run of the game to end it. The Burton's offense was led by rookie Justin Randall who had eight RBI on a 5-for-5 night with a home run. Eric Cataline (4-for-5, 5 runs scored) also had a very strong night at the plate as did Jerry Breen and Luke Boulanger (3-for-4 3 runs scored) in his first game of the season. Jerod Colley, Mike Santiano, Raghu Mantena (3-for-4) and Dave Batchelder, (3-for-3 4 RBI), were also big contributors at the plate in the loss. Cataline also made a stellar catch in left field.
Drew Farms -15 - Nashoba Valley Mustangs 8
Mustangs bats were as cold as the game time temperature in the 40s. Paul Selfrige (home run) did make several outstanding plays at shortstop and Mark Cusano made a nice running catch while crashing into the right field fence. Don Cusano added a long home run blast in the losing effort. First place Drew’s played great defense throughout the entire game in the win while also smashing five home runs.
3E Moving 14 - Burton's Grill 12
Burton's came up short in another close game losing to 3E Moving 14-12 on Sunday night. Burton's offensive contributors included: Brian Haley (3-for-3), Dave Batchelder (3-for-3, 4 RBI), Erik Pasters (home run and 2 RBI) and Murph McKeon (3-for-3, 2 runs and 2 RBI).
Floral Arts 28 - CSA 13
Floral Arts hit seven home runs in a 28-13 run-rule win over CSA on Sunday evening. Jim Crowley had a big night at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two home runs and five RBI. Floral also got home runs from Matt Mallette, Simon Tripp, Rob Beaudette, and Matt Critch. Mike Alonardo, in his first game of the season, went 4-for-4 and threw out a runner at the plate from right center field. Critch earned the win on the mound.
Healy Oil 14 - Pro Sports Therapy 7
Healy Oil doubled up PST 14-7 notching their fourth win of the season.
Drew Farms 17- Pro Sports Therapy 13
PST was led by Derek Donegan’s big night, going 3-for-3 with a walk, including a home run and 4 RBI. PST’s offense was also boosted by rookie Anthony Cadorette’s first career home run among his three hits and Al Nudler’s three hits and three RBI.
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