Synergy started the second half of the season with a victory over the always-tough Mers by a score of 21-8. The win gave Synergy a perfect 9-0 record and maintained their one-game lead. "Mr. Steady" Joe Lutz, Tommy Vanasco, and rookie Bob Huebner had perfect nights at the plate. Other contributors to the offense were Aldo Balducci, Billy Fitzpatrick, Dave Rubino, Al Devine, and Bobby Joyce. Defensively, outfielder Benny Macchia made key catches while pitcher Richie Dargie kept the Mers batters from mounting any comeback. Mers dropped to 5-4 with the loss. Keeping pace with Synergy was Barco as they overcame a stubborn Granny O'Sheas team 13-4. Barco was able to defuse many of O'Shea's rallies by turning key DPs. This was especially critical as the game was close until Barco scored six in the eighth to give them some breathing room. Kevin Moloney and Gary Jambor continued their hot hitting as Kevin went three-for-three and a sac fly while Gary was three-for-four with two RBIs. Not to be outdone were Barco's Terry McPartland who was three-for-four with two RBIs, Bill White who went three-for-four with three RBIs, while Tony "Iceman" Falcone and Bullet Bob Diamond both were three-for-three. Steve Schwind added two hits, two RBIs and an exceptional running catch to end an O'Shea threat while Dennis Ryan threatened to run down Bill White on his triple. Barco improved to 8-1 while O'Sheas fell to 3-6. Changing Times continued their fine play, improving to 6-3, as they defeated Bethpage PT 16-4. The game started out well for PT, now at 3-6, as they scored two in the first on Chris Tuttle's triple then added another two in the second on RBIs by Rick Bugeia and Bob "Pops" Shellhorn. Then the hitting blues returned for Bethpage, scoring no runs and only six hits the remainder of the game. The turning point for CT came in the fourth when Steve Johnsen cranked a three- run HR giving them the lead that they never surrendered. The game stayed close until CT scored nine over the last three innings putting away Bethpage for good. CT's Danny Haas had a great game on the mound and had defensive help from SS Billy Wahl. Offensively John Hughes led the way with a three-hit game while Ed Cullen, Rob Biscoff, Ronnie Fox, Bill Wahl, Charlie Connor and "Big Al" joined the hit parade. It took a few innings to warm up the bats, but Built-More Builders eventually revved up and beat M&T 16-6. Tom Dittmeier blasted a three-run HR in the fourth inning to spark the offense. Tom "T" Ball also circled the bases to the delight of his special guests. BMB got big contributions from Pete Mendelson and Joe Cipolla who both had three hits and scored two runs. Brian Tinney, John Defalco, Joe Algerio, Beno Reverberi, Rich D'Amico and Kris Solberg all had two hits each. On the mound, Kris turned in his usual standout performance with plenty of help from shortstop Rich D'Amico. Rich has transformed from the team's best outfielder to its best infielder. BNB' record is now 5-4 while M&T fell to 3-6. No results were provided for the Singletons-Bar Boy contest or the Moby-Hampton Air game. Hope everyone has a terrific and safe Fourth of July.