17-Expos

Chamos, who went into the Fall League playoffs as the number four seed and had to battle to get that, is on top of the mountain again in the 18AAA league, thanks to a workmanlike 9-2 victory over the second seeded Twins. The 18AA title game was another marathon, and another Cuban Blades championship, their second in as many tries. The Blades broke a 9-9 tie with four runs in the top of the FIFTEENTH INNING to defeat the top seeded South Florida Titans 13-9.

For Chamos, the 18AAA championship was their third straight and fifth overall. After finishing a lukewarm 7-6-1 during the regular season, Chamos knocked off the top seeded South Florida Thunder 4-2 in the semifinals, and followed that up by breaking loose from a close ball game with a six run seventh inning, capped by a grand slam by Most Valuable Player Marcos Rodriguez, who also had a double. It was a 1-1 tie going into the seventh inning and took the wind out of the Twins' sails. They added two more in the 8th inning.

Kenny Rua, the second of four Chamos' hurlers pitched two scoreless innings for the victory. He took over from starter Victor Prieto, who went the first four. Wlliam Martinez pitched 1 /2 innings and Gustavo Lopez went the last 1 1/2, starting a 1-6-3 double play to end the game. The loss went to Twins' starter Javier Omar. David Peralta was a hero in a losing cause for the Twins, going 4-for-4 with a double and an RBI.

The 18AA game started out as though the second seeded Blades would rout the number one Titans, building 6-0 and 7-2 leads. The Titans battled back with three runs in the sixth and four more in the 7th to take a 9-7. A two run double by Carlos Jimenez tied it at 9-0 in the 8th and the two teams battled without a run until the fateful top of the 15th when the Blades finally broke through against outstanding reliever Anthony Munson. Working his twelfth inning in relief of starter Jose Pena, Munson finally gave in with a two out bases loaded single by Blades skipper Jordany Martinez, with a third run scoring on an infield error trying to nail a runner at the plate. Martinez, who took second on the throw then scored on an RBI hit by Felix Armas.

It was a bitter ending for Munson, who struck out 13 batters during his 12 inning stint. Carlos Espinosa was even more brilliant. He took over after the Titans had tied the score and threw 8 1/3 shutout innings, allowing one hit to Pena with two outs in the 15th. Espinosa's leadoff single started his team's winning rally. He also a two run double and a single and was named the game's Most Valuable Player. The two title games ended one long day of baseball. The AA game lasted 5 hours, 31 minutes, and the AAA game, which had to started on an adjacent field while the Blades and Titans were still battling, lasted 3 hours, 26 minutes.

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To begin with, it was cold. Uncomfortable for players and the few hardy fans alike. On top of that, while the Nationals (Thunder, Chamos and Beach Bums) had an almost full roster of 12 players, the Americans (Twins, White Sox and Pirates) were four players short of a quorum. So, rather than walk away from the game that was postponed by rain and wet grounds a week earlier, the Nationals lent them three players---ace pitcher Victor Prieto (Chamos), third baseman Will Mucha (BeachBums) and Rolando Valdez (Chamos). Valdez had actually gone to the game as a spectator, but volunteered his services and wound up playing with the Americans.

For a while, it appeared that the shorthanded team would pull of an upset, scoring unearned runs in the first inning on a botched fielder's choice play at the plate and in the fourth on a dropped fly ball in right field to take a 2-1 lead after four. Then, the floor caved in.

After Prieto's three scoreless innings as the starter, relievers Jose Rivera (Twins) and Drew Davis (White Sox) both got pummeled for a total ten runs in the next three innings, while the Americans posted single runs in the fifth and sixth innings. By that time Florida's version of Jack Frost arrived and made it cold and clammy. The teams decided to shorten it to seven innings as the Nationals claimed a 10-4 victory. Marcos Rodriguez of the Chamos ripped a double and two singles, driving in a run to earn Most Valuable Player honors.

Max Johnson (Thunder) drilled a triple and a single, Jason Bryan (Beach Bums) drove in three runs with a double and single, and Clayton Joiner (Beach Bums) and Ralph Velez (Chamos) added two hits apiece in a 16-hit attack. Brian Fitzsimmons and Ryan McDonald, both of the first place Thunder pitched three innings apiece, and Velez closed it out with a perfect 7th. McDonald earned the victory over Rivera, the second of three pitchers for the Americans. The Americans had only three hits---doubles by Mucha and Emilio Vargas (Twins) in the sixth inning after Drew Davis had led off the fourth with a single.

BLADES=DOMINATED AMERICANS BLITZ NATIONALS IN 18AA ALL STAR GAME

The Americans, featuring players from the Cuban Blades, Sugar Kings, Canes, Braves and Tigers, spotted the Nationals three first inning runs, then romped over them 10-4 Wednesday night, January 5, in the 18AA Division All Star game at the Santaluces Complex in Lantana.

The Nationals were made up of players from the fist place South Florida Titans, Yankees, Marlins and Duffy's A's. In the 18AA game, a three run fourth inning, breaking a 4-4 tie gave the Americans the lead for good. Singles by three Blades players---Carlos Jimenez, Carlos Espoinoza and Eduardo Del Toro, an infield roller by the Sugar Kings' Joe Perez and an RBI single by Jordan Gazquez of the Sugar Kings made it 7-4. The Americans added single runs in the fifth, sixth and seven innings. Gazquez wound up leading all hitters with three hits. Del Toro's single provided the winning margin when the Americans took a 5-4 lead.

Chris Holmes of the Canes dominated during his three relief innings to gain the victory and Most Valuable Player honors. Holmes gave up a run on two hit batters and two wild pitches, but did not gave up a hit and struck out seven. He also drew a bases loaded walk in the 7th inningj, accounting for his team's final run. . The Nationals had only two hits, a first inning run-scoring double by Kyle Young of the Yankees and a single by the Duffy's A's John Marz in the second. Americans pitchers struck out 17 Nationals' hitters. Starter Junior Gazquez of the Sugar Kings fanned three, the Blades' Mario Perez struck out five in two innings and Espinoza punched out two.  

 

The Grip Shield Hammerheads, led by former major league slugger Dante Bichette lost a 1-0 heartbreaker in the Over 45 division semifinals of the Men's Senior Baseball League Fall Classic on Friday, November 19 at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter. Bichette went all the way on the mound, as the Hammerheads, featuring many Palm Beach League players, finally succumbed to the DuPage (IL) Angels on a two out single by the Angels' Bob Wojcik in the home half of the "unlucky" 13th inning. Bichette, who went 3 for 4 at the plate, matched zeros with the Angels' "iron man", Bob Latchford, who also went all thirteen until the Halos scored on a single, steal, ground out and Wojcik's long game winning blast to left field.

Despite the 13 innings, the game was played in a very rapid two hours and 27 minutes. The Hammerheads, who play as the Grip Shield Glory Days in the Palm Beach League featured former major league pitcher Joe Grahe, who played an outstanding defensive game at shortstop, as well as John Denski (Island Jack's Marlins), manager Joe De Santis, team sponsor Steve Arnold, Jeff Tomlinson, Mike Smollon, Howard Taylor, Dave Aldred, Jeff Bishop, and former Palm Beach League players Bob Down and Buddy Frezza. The team plays in the NABA Palm Beach spring season, and as the Hammerheads in tournament play. They also played in the Roy Hobbs tournament in Fort Myers.

Sunday, Nov. 7, 2010 at Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter) The Palm Beach Twins rallied from a four run deficit to win the NABA's Florida World Series 25+ championship, edging the Tri State Titans 8-6 in the title game, bringing another national championship to the NABA's Palm Beach league. It was the Twins' first national title. .

The second-seeded Twins, managed by Nestor Sanchez, avenged their only tournament loss, scoring three runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to upend the Titans, who represented the NABA's South Jersey-Pennsylvania-Delaware area. The Titans had beaten the Twins 12-7 in pool play. Both teams finished with 4-1 pool records, with the Titans beating the Chattanooga (TN) Phillies 4-1 in their playoff game to earn the top seed, and the Twins trouncing the Tennessee Tri-Stars 13-3 for the number two spot.

Palm Beach trailed 5-1 after only four innings as Tri State had no problems with the Twins-starter Jose Acuna, collecting five runs on eight hits of him in 3-plus innings before he was relieved by Victor Prieto, who went the rest of the way. The Twins scored an unearned run in the third inning on an error by the Titans' shortstop A run scoring double by Geraldo (Junior) Reyes in the fifth inning made it 5-2, and the Twins tied the game with three runs in the seventh to tie it. Run scoring singles by Daniel Blanco, Eddie Vazquez and Melvin Bruno, after a single by Ricky Dominguez and a base on balls by Francis Dinzey, all came with two outs and knotted the contest at 5-5.

Tri State went ahead again 6-5 in their half of the seventh, when Max Rios doubled to left to score the only run Prieto, who plays with Chamos during the regular season, was to allow in his six outstanding innings of outstanding relief work.

The Twins, though, sent eight men to the plate in the eighth inning to take a lead they were not to give up. The key blow was a two-run single by Acuna, scoring Emilio Vargas and Max Johnson, following a successful sacrifice bunt by Edgar Tovar to advance the runners to second and third. Vargas had opened the frame with a single over the second baseman's head and Johnson drew a four pitch walk. Acuna then bounced one between second and third against a drawn in infield to give the Twins their first lead, with Acuna taking to second on the throw to the plate. Acuna's advance was a key move because he later stole third, then scored an insurance run on a wild pitch to give Prieto some breathing room at 8-6.

The Twins lost a ninth run when Dinzey interfered with the throw from third base on a Blanco grounder, forcing an errant rhrow to first base by former Palm Beach League player Tony Flores. Dominguez would have scored on the play, but the run was disallowed because of the interference. Prieto set the Titans down on only one hit, a leadoff single in the ninth, over the next two innings, touching off the Twins' jubilant post game celebration. Prieto, who gave up only one run and four hits, while striking out eight, was the winning pitcher and won the championship game Most Valuable Player awards, a new bat donated by World Bats, Inc, and a $100 gift certificate from Diamond Sports. The Titans' Flores, who handled five chances flawlessly at third base won the Gold Glove award and received a bat bag from Diamond Sports.

The losing pitcher was another former Palm Beach League player, Alvaro Gomez. Twins' players and coaching staff were fitted for World Series rings, while the Titans' players were awarded NABA watches, courtesy of SMI, Inc, the official awards sponsor for the National Adult Baseball Association.

ORLANDO ENTRY MAKES IT A FLORIDA SWEEP The Florida Cardinals, from the Orlando area, made it two Florida based teams to win titles Sunday when they scored four runs in the top of the 9th inning, erasing a 7-4 deficit to nip the favored Virginia Beach (VA) Snipers 8-7 in the 18+ division championship. Third baseman Larry Renevales hit a two run single to left, Rafael Colon singled him in to tie the game, and pinch hitter Carlos Huggins lofted a sacrifice fly to center to break the deadlock and carry the fourth seeded Cardinals to victory over the top seeded Snipers. Virginia Beach had gone 5-0 in pool play, then outslugged the South Florida Beach Bums of the NABA Palm Beach League 11-8 Saturday afternoon in the playoffs. The Cardinals, who went 2-2-1 in pool play and were held to a 7-7 tie by the Beach Bums, won their playoff game over the defending champion New York Mariners 6-5. The Mariners represented the NABA's Hudson Valley, NY league. The Beach Bums also went 2-2-1 in pool play before being ousted by the Virginia team. The Beach Bums were seeded third and the Cardinals fourth. The Cardinals made the last playoff spot when the Montreal (CAN) A's nipped the Southeastern Elite of the NABA's Broward league with a two run rally in the 9th inning 8-7. . Renovales was awarded the championship game MVP award, while Snipers' right fielder Dante Montgomery took Gold Glove honors.