The Westfield Leader Newspaper
The Times of Scotch Plains-Fanwood

A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION The Westfield Leader and THE TIMES of Scotch Plains – Fanwood Thursday, August 12, 1999 Page 11

CYAN YELLOW MAGENTA BLACK

THE WEEK IN SPORTS

PEREZ TOSSES 3 HITTER; MALTA RULES DEFENSIVELY

Checchio Rebounds Quickly; Stops Mattress Factory, 11-1

By DAVID B. CORBIN

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

Fired up and determined after a controversial, 8-7, loss in the first game of the five-game series of the Westfield Men’s Softball League championships, Checchio Chiropractic rebounded and realigned the Mattress Factory, 11-1, in the second game at Tamaques Park in Westfield on August 5. Checchio pitcher Manny Perez was fantastic as he tossed a three-hitter and shortstop Frank Malta was unbelievable with his defensive brilliance.

A misinterpretation or gross misjudgment on the part of the umpire in game one turned what seemed to be a 7-6 victory into an 8-7 loss after an apparent force out was not recognized. Nevertheless, it was a very competitive game.

At the start of game two, Perez retired the first three Mattress Factory batters, then Checchio Chiropractic responded forcefully with three runs in the bottom of the first.

Dave Buchwald, who reached base on a force play, scored on Gary Ruban’s single to right, Moments later, Jason Geary grabbed his metal stick and launched a two-run home run over the left fielder’s head.

Perez yielded his first hit to Jordan Scher who tapped a single over third base in the second inning. Afterwards, he retired the next three batters.

The score jumped to 5-0 in the bottom of the second. Danny Mondelli ripped a single to left and Corey Hayes drilled a single to right. When the throw to third escaped the infielder’s grasp, Mondelli zipped home. Perez then helped his own cause with an RBI single to left.

The Mattress Factory came close to scoring in the third when Mike DeClarico walked, Jack Halsey singled and Tim Walsh walked to load the bases, but Malta’s quick reaction to grab a grounder off the bat of Kevin Zippler allowed him to make the force play at third to

end the threat. Malta stepped to the plate in the third and bashed a single to right. Bob Meyer zinged a single off the first baseman’s glove. Malta dashed to third then alertly scored when the throw went to second.

In the fourth, Malta displayed his great defensive range by recording the first two outs, then a fly out to center kept the Factory men unproductive. Checchio’s then boosted its lead to 7-0 in the fourth when Hayes blooped a single over second then scored on Perez’s double to left.

Perez’s impregnability was cracked slightly in the fifth when the Mattress Factory manufactured its only run. After Malta made a bare-handed grab of a grounder and tossed it to first for the out, Kevin Lombardi drew a walk. Al Manzi and DeClarico followed suit with walks and loaded the bases. Lombardi scored on Halsey’s ground out to third.

Still blazing offensively,

FIVE-RUN FLASH IN 6TH INNING WINS IT FOR QUICK

J. M. Quick Reacts Abruptly; Scoots by Ferrara’s Auto, 5-4

By DAVID B. CORBIN

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

J. M. Quick, after being shut out for five innings, scored five runs in a flash in the sixth inning then held off Ferrara’s Auto Center to capture a 54 victory in the semifinals of the A. Division of the Scotch Plains Softball League Championships at Brookside Park in Scotch Plains on August 3. The Quick men won the best-of-three series and have been slated to face top-seeded Meyer’s Marauders for the championship.

Ferrara’s pitcher Mike Petersen and Quick pitcher Jim Talbot controlled the tempo of the game and prevented each team’s several power hitters from knocking the ball out of the park. Later, in the top of the seventh, Vito Castaldo came in to relieve Talbot and was effective enough to preserve the win.

To have had such a low score in a nine-inning arc-pitch softball game, excellent defense would have been required. Each team had its share of fine defensive plays; however,

Ferrara center fielder Nick Piscopo was on fire. Piscopo seemed to be everywhere as he pulled in nine fly balls and used his rifle arm to prevent base runners from tagging up and advancing.

In the top of the first, only Dave Serido of Ferrara’s reached base safely on an error and in the bottom of the first, only Quick hitter Mike Parkhill reached safely with a single to center. Ferrara’s batter Petersen yanked a single over third in the second and all three Quick batters were retired in their half of the inning.

After Ferrara’s went down in order, Talbot got the only single for Quick in the third. Finally, Ferrara’s broke the scoreless streak with a run in the fourth. Dave Serido looped a single to left then dashed to second when the ball was bobbled. Next, Serido tagged up and sped to third on Rob Tumolo’s fly to center. When the ball was overthrown, Serido scooted home.

Parkhill poked a leadoff single to right-center and Mike Juchnik fol

lowed with a single to center but Quick could not chink the armor of Ferrara’s defense in the fourth.

In the fifth, Quick came a step closer but still failed to score. Rob Power ricocheted a liner off the arm of pitcher Petersen which was redirected into the glove of shortstop Dave Serido for the out. After Tom Breummer flied out to center, Paul Gosdick and Steve Juchnik had backto-back singles. Unfortunately for Quick, Talbot’s liner to center was snagged by the omnipresent Piscopo.

Paul O’Sullivan earned the only single for Ferrara’s Auto Center in the sixth then the tempo of the game changed rapidly when Quick tallied its five runs in the lower half of the inning. Parkhill pounded a triple to right-center then scored on Vin Rappa’s single to center. Mike Quick ripped a single over second, then Castaldo drilled a two-run double down the right field line. Power beat out his grounder to the second baseman, Bruemmer bounced an RBI

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

*Mattress Factory/Checchio Chiropractic Games 2 and 4 Featured

FACTORY MEN PRODUCE 5 IN 6TH FOR WMSL TITLE

Mattress Factory Threepeats; Holds Off Checchio’s, 8-5 By DAVID B. CORBIN

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

They did it again! The Mattress Factory captured its third-straight Westfield Men’s Softball League title by defeating Checchio Chiropractic, 8-5, in game four, winning the championship series three games to one, at Tamaques Park in Westfield on August 9. The Factory men blew a closely contested game wide open with five runs in the sixth inning, then minimized Checchio’s late offense surge to secure the victory.

Game one was squeaked out by the Factory, 8-7, then Checchio’s came back big in game two with an 11-1 win. On August 8, the Mattress Factory recoiled and leapt to a 6-1 victory, putting Checchio Chiropractic’s backs to the wall.

Clint Factor of the Factory took advantage of a bobbled ground ball to

reach first safely in the top of the first. Scott Johnson jolted a single to right field, then Ronnie Shovlin smashed a shot to deep right-center, scoring all three.

With special support of a great running catch by Johnson in center, Mattress Factory pitcher Al Manzi retired the first three Checchio batters in the first. Checchio pitcher Pete Lima settled down and quieted the Factory bats in the second. Shortstop Kevin Zippler reacted correctly in the bottom of the second as he grabbed a sizzler which ricocheted off Manzi and fired it to first for the out as the Factory continued to hold Checchio’s scoreless.

Checchio’s did cause a murmur in the bottom of the third when Greg Kasko hacked a leadoff single, but

the next three batters lined out to left. Finally, Checchio’s cracked into the scoring column with two runs in the fourth. Lima drew a walk and Joe Dasti curled a soft double down the right field line. The score tightened to 3-2 when Dave Buchwald launched a long, two-run sacrifice fly to left.

Chris Masterson chopped a oneout single past short in the top of the fifth, but Checchio third baseman Jason Geary followed with a fine diving play to hush the Mattress Factory.

The silence was broken in the sixth, however, when the Factory men bombarded Checchio’s with their fiverun shelling. Manzi bounced a leadoff single to left and Zippler grounded a single to center. Kevin Lombardi wiggled an RBI single over second

ST. GUY BLASTS 2 HRS; BAUM BOMBS A GRAND SLAM

Blazing St. Patrick Pummels St. Jude, 14-1, in No. 1 Clash

By DAVID B. CORBIN

Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

Red hot St. Patrick kept its flame blazing with a convincing, 14-1, victory over St. Jude in a showdown of first place teams in the Saints Division and the Angels Division, respectively, of a St. Bart’s Oldtimers Softball League game at Forest Road Park in Fanwood on August 4. Power hitter Bob Guy pounded two solo home runs and Erik Baum bombed a grand slam homer for St. Patrick.

St. Jude scored its only run in the top of the first when Tom Straniero slapped a single to right, dashed to third on Al Rezza’s single then scored when Steve Pirella hit into a fielder’s choice.

Guy led off the bottom of the first by thumping a solo homer to extremely deep center field. Steve Petrucho reached base safely on an error, then Lee DiDonato gave St. Patrick a 3-1 lead with a two-run homer to remote center.

St. Patrick pitcher Matt Vastano smothered St. Jude and held them scoreless in the second when he initiated a second-to-first double play to close the inning. In the third, Vastano retired all three St. Jude batters.

Lightning struck twice in the same place as Guy crushed another leadoff solo homer to center. Petrucho chopped a single over sec

ond and DiDonato drilled a single which was knocked down by Straniero at short. Brian Williams followed with a two-run single to right then later scored on an error to give St. Patrick a 7-1 lead.

St. Jude threatened in the fourth. Rezza and Pirella had back-to-back singles, then Bill Canata punched a

two-out single over second to load the bases; however, Pete Vanderheyden’s grounder to short was grabbed by Williams who then fired to first in time for the third out.

Despite St. Jude’s present scoring drought St. Patrick was aware of their potential to produce a deluge of

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 CONTINUED ON PAGE 12