17-Expos

18AAA CHAMPIONSHIP Stars 301 010 020 7 11 3 Rockets 201 032 00x 8 7 4 Former New York Met Mike Draper pitched seven strong innings, started two rallies and doubled home the deciding runs as the Rockets won their first 18AAA championship, edging the three time champion Caribbean Stars. Each time the Stars took the lead, the Rockets had an answer, and Draper’s 6th inning two bagger plated two runs to give them a lead they would not relinquish. Draper survived a three-run first in which he gave up back to back homers. Francisco Dinzey ripped a two-run shot and Steve Thomas followed with a solo as the Stars jumped to a 3-0 lead. The Rockets, though, stormed back in the bottom half. Dave Machado singled, stole second and scored on Billy Brescia’s single. After Brescia was forced by Romy Ones, Ones came around to score on a booming triple by Brian Fitzsimmons off Stars’ starter Francisco Reyes. The Stars made it 4-2 as Jose (Yoel) Peroso tripled and scored on Dinzey’s sacrifice fly in the third, but again the Rockets came back. Phil Levri drew a bases loaded walk to cut the margin to 4-3. Draper started that rally with a single and Reyes issued walks to Machado, Fitzsimmons and Levri. The Stars scored an unearned run in the fifth. Billy Brescia made a great stop on a sharp grounder by Trovin Valdez, but missed Draper on the throw to first. Valdez stole second and scored on two throwing errors to make it 5-3 Stars. The Rockets took their first lead in the fifth when Ones cracked a two-run double on a hit and run play and came in to score when the Stars failed to execute a pickoff play on Levri. Reliever Jeremy Dooley had Levri picked off, but the Stars could not finish it off and Ones scored. Draper provided insurance runs with a two-run double in the sixth to make it 8-5. The Stars, though, weren’t done yet. Peroso whacked a solo homer off Fitzsimmons in the 8th. Dinzey singled and scored on a two bagger by Servio Arias to make it an 8-7 game. Rockets skipper Pete Brescia summoned Martinez to the mound and he retired the four batters he faced, fanning two of them in the ninth to earn the save. Draper went 3-for-4 with two RBIs to win MVP honors. Brescia, Fitzsimmons (3b), Ones (2b) and Martinez had the other hits. Peroso’s triple and homer paced the Stars. Reyes fanned eight in 4 1/3, but took the loss. Dooley went the remaining 3 2/3. Draper (7IP) struck out only two, but walked none to notch the win. Reserve Jeff Spell made the defensive gem of the game with a diving catch of Valdez’ liner to left with a man in scoring position in the 7th. The Rockets won the NABA Hall of Fame tournament at Cooperstown, NY in July, and are the first team to win titles in both leagues.

18AA CHAMPIONSHIP Yankees 020 000 000 2 12 2 Rangers 000 050 20x 7 7 2 Persistence and loyalty has paid off for the Rangers. After 17 seasons in the Palm Beach NABA, Scott Cobb’s veteran team finally claimed a league title, riding a gritty pitching performance by MVP Todd Taylor to beat the Yankees, also making their first appearance in a title game. The Yankees took a 2-0 lead on Bill Blackwell’s two-run single in the second, but that’s all they managed off Taylor. Although he surrendered twelve hits, Taylor time and again turned away scoring threats, striking out ten and issuing only two walks while hitting a batter. He went the route. The Yankees missed a chance in the third. After Rico Perez singled, Yo Perez hit a sinking liner that eluded left fielder Bruce White, but Rico was gunned down trying to score as Frank McNellis chased down an overthrow and fired to Taylor in time to nail Rico. The Rangers, meanwhile, scored five runs in the fifth on only one hit, their first off Yankees starter and loser Jason Strigl. He walked Bill Flippin, hit McNellis with a pich, then walked Bob Chamberlain. Eric Davis dropped a Texas Leaguer into left for the Rangers’ first hit and first run. After Strigl issued a bases loaded pass to White to tie it at 2-2, Pedro Jordan took over and might have gotten out of the inning, except a pair of Yankee errors allowed three more runs. The Rangers gave Taylor more breathing room with two in the seventh. Pete David singled in a run and Flippin was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for another. The Rangers collected four hits in that innings, and two more in the 8th. Pinch hitter Tomy Anagnostu singled, and Taylor doubled, but both were stranded. The Yanks made one final stab in the 9th. Strigl led off with a triple, but was out trying to steal home. Nick Castelluccio singled, stole second, went to third on a throwing error, but Taylor ended the game with a strikeout.

Two teams which incurred double forfeits Sunday have been disbanded by the league, and it cost both playoff eligibility. Pugliese’s Beach Dogs forfeited a pair against the Lookouts, missing out on a possible fourth playoff spot in the 18AAA’s Northern Division. The playoff berth will be awarded instead to the Diamondbacks, who are suffering through a 3-14-1 season. The Beach Dogs were to have been taken over for the remainder of the season by Rico Thoman in the absence of regular Mark Tito who is in Chicago on business. However, Rico was apparently unable to raise a quorom and failed to notify the league in time to save umpire fees. The West Palm Beach Indians of the 18AA league also forfeited both games of a scheduled doubleheader on Sunday, causing the league to disband the team and disqualify them from the upcoming playoff. That puts the Yankees into the playoffs. The Indians could produce only seven players for their game against the first place Seminoles. The team failed to pay both umpire fees for that game and informed us that they did not have money for the second game against the Expos. Their scheduled game against the Expos next Sunday, August 12, is a forfeit win for the Expos.

NABA NEWS/VIEWS PLAYOFFS Seedings in parantheses (All games at Santaluces Complex, Lantana) Sunday, August 19 Gm 1-Field 1-9AM-18AAA quarterfinal (4)Diamdondbacks at (1)Palm Beach Indians Gm 2-Field 2-9AM-18AAA quarterfinal (3)Cardinals at (2) Caribbean Stars Gm 3-Field 3-9AM-18AAA quarterfinal (4)Cubs at (1) Sports Page Rockets Gm 4-Field 4-9AM-18AAA quarterfinal (3)Glory Days at FPIC Mets Gm 5-Field 1-1PM-18AAA semifinal Winner game 2 at Winner game 1 Gm 6-Field 2-1PM-18AAA semifinal Winner Game 4 at Winner Game 3 Gm 7-Field 3-1PM-18AA semifinal (4) Yankees at (1) Amerifund Seminoles Gm 8-Field 4-1PM-18AA semifinal (3) Rangers at (2)Expos Sunday, August 26 Gm 9-Field 1-9AM-18AA championship, winner game 8 at winner game 7 Gm10-Field 1-1PM-18AAA championship, winner Game 6 at winner Game 5 The teams pay umpire fees and supply baseballs for all playoff games. There will be a 3 1/2-hour time limit on playoff games, but obviously there must be a winner. The 12-run "mercy" rule will be in effect for ALL PLAYOFF GAMES, but not the championship games in either league.

The Sports Page Rockets won the 18AA Upper Division Championship of the NABA's Hall of Fame Wood Bat Tournament in Cooperstown Tuesday, July 3, defeating the Tarrytown Lookouts of the NABA Westchester-Rockland league 10-4 in the title game at historic Doubleday Field. Earlier in the day, the Rockets blanked a previously unbeaten Connecticut Storm team 11-0 in the 18AA semifinals, played at Veterans Memorial Park in Little Falls, about an hour away from Cooperstown. In the championship game, the Rockets rallied from early 2-0 and 4-2 deficits, took a 5-4 lead on Phil Levri's RBI single, stretched it to 7-4, then Brian Fitzsimmons put the game out of reach with a booming 3-run homer in the bottom of the 8th inning. It was his third hit of the game and it carried an estimated 425 feet. Earlier he had an RBI double and a single. He also did a great job in relief of starter Mike Smollon, going 3 2/3 innings of one-hit, shutout baseball, fanning seven. Mike Conant had a triple, double and single and drove in a run. Billy Brescia had three hits, one of them a double, and Joe Young came up big with two doubles and a single, with an RBI. Phil Levri's RBI single in the 7th drove in the run that gave the Rockets a lead they would never relinquish. Dave Machado had a pair of hits and Brandon Gallo one. The defensive play of the game was made by Chris Brescia, chasing down a sure extra base hit with an over the head catch in deep left center field. He also raced in to score a crucial run from first base on a double by Conant. ROAD TO THE TITLE ROCKETS 13 MIDDLESEX (NJ)BEARS The Rockets established their credentials early, beating the top seeded team in their pool, the Middlesex (NJ)Bears 13-3 behind the pitching of Mike Conant and the hitting of Phil Levri. Levri ripped a two run homer and drove in another run with a sacrifice fly. Romy Ones had three hits, Billy Brescia two, including a two-run single. Joe Young and Brandon Gallo each singled twice, each one driving in a run to account for four runs. Dave Machado had two hits, Conant a double and single, Chris Brescia had one hit and Brian Fitzsimmons hit a long sacrifice fly to the base of the right field fence. SUSQUEHANNA SAMARI 10 ROCKETS 6 The Rockets' only loss of the tournament came at Doubleday Field in their second game on Saturday, when they were defeated by a very impressive Samari squad from Lancaster, PA. Starter Ricardo Castillo didn't pitch badly, but didn't get the top notch defense the Rockets turned in during the opener. Leadoff hitter Machado had a double, single and RBI, and scored four times. Billy Brescia and Fitzsimmons both had two singles, two RBIs, while Levri, Mike Conant and Chris Atkins had one hit apiece. The Pennsylvanians were dazzling on defense, reeling off three double plays and making two diving catches in the outfield. ROCKETS 14 PLEASANTVILLE (NY) RED SOX 4 With all four teams in their pool showing 1-1 records after day one, the Rockets faced a "must" win if they were to make the semifinals. Veteran Mike Smollon was terrific on the hill, pitching shutout baseball for four innings while the Rockets built up a 6-0 lead. He was helped by some tremendous infield defense, particularly at shortstop where Ones roamed the middle infield like a mine sweeper. Then an electrical storm hit the Little Falls area, causing a three-hour rain delay. When play resumed, it was as though nothing happened. Smollon continued his steady pitching and the hitting got even better. Ones drove in five runs with a 2-run homer, two run double and RBI single. Levri drilled a solo homer four singles (5 for 5 with an RBI). Fitzsimmons socked a solo homer, RBI double and single, Conant contributed a 2-run triple, and RBI double, Billy Brescia had a double and single, Machado an , Chris Atkins a single and Roy Nino chipped in with an RBI. ROCKETS 11 CONNECTICUT STORM 0 (SEMIFINAL) Due to Sunday's rains, the Rockets' semifinal game had to be put off until Tuesday morning, same day as the championship and in Little Falls, a one hour's drive. The team responded by blanking the tournament's only unbeaten team to that point (3-0), and the "B" pool winner---the Storm. Conant was brilliant in fashioning a three-hitter and the team powered his strong mound effort by supplying a 12-hit offense. Conant helped his own cause with three hits and four RBIs. Billy Brescia had three hits and an RBI, Ones two and an RBI, Young two hits, Levri an RBI double, Fitzsimmons a run producing single and Gallo a single. Conant fanned ten batters to send the Rockets to the final.