June 23

Tsontos Furs 3, Harry Katz 2

In their fourth meeting of the year, Tsontos Furs defeated Harry Katz 3 - 2. Continuing a long-standing tradition, Katz's Anthony Morais led the game off with a single and stole two bases. Ryan Pratt drove him home with a single, but strong Tsontos fielding turned a double play to prevent further damage by Katz. Joe Spollen tripled to the gap in left field, but was left stranded at third. The Furs stole a pair of runs in the bottom of the first, with Michael Vasconcelos and Chris Brostek reaching base safely and then stealing home. The Furs continued playing small-ball in the second, with Chris Brostek stealing home for the second time to put the Furs ahead by two. The game moved along quickly after that, with Harry's Ryan Pratt trading strikeouts with Tsontos' Michael Vasconcelos and Michael Brady. In the sixth, Katz started singing their rally song when Morais scratched out his third hit of the day and scored on Terry Mooney's double. Terry moved over to third when Joe Spollen bounced out to Alex Eisen, but Mooney was stranded on base. Pitching was superb throughout this game, with the Furs' Vasconcelos and Brady combining for 11 strikeouts and Katz's Ryan Pratt going wall-to-wall, notching 13 strikeouts over his five fine innings of work.

June 24

Knights of Columbus 5, Tsontos Furs 4

In one of the best-played games of the year, Knights of Columbus edged out Tsontos Furs 5 - 4, knocking the Furs out of the playoffs. Tsontos' Michael Brady started the scoring in the first when he singled home Michael Vasconcelos and Alex Eisen, who had reached on walks. The Knights came right back in their half of that inning, picking up a run on singles by Jameson Canning and Michael Lacava, but Tsontos showed their leather when they threw out a runner at the plate to end the inning. Tsontos added two more runs in the top of the second on several walks and a single by Chris Brostek. The Knights threatened in the third. After a great catch by Furs' shortstop T. J. Gessner, the Knights' got two runners on base when Michael Marques doubled. The next batter reached safely on a fielder's choice, but an alert Michael Brady fired home to catcher Michael Vasconcelos to nail Marques trying to score on that play. The Knights would threaten again in the fourth, but would come up short again due to Tsontos leather. Matt Dadich reached on a walk and moved to third on a double by Raoney Mello. The next batter, Matt Vuolo, hit a smash to deep centerfield, but Chris Brostek raced back to make a great catch. With both runners going on contact, Chris fired a strike to T. J. Gessner at second base to double up one runner and T. J. threw down to Kevin Brostek at third to complete the triple play. The Knight pushed two runs across in the fifth on singles by Chris Orlando and Jameson Canning and a double by Michael Lacava, cutting the Furs' lead down to only one run. But the Knights would prevail in the bottom of the sixth, when after loading the bases, Chris Orlando hit a popup deep behind shortstop that T. J. Gessner made another great catch on, falling over after grabbing the ball. One Knight tagged up on the catch and scored and after a misplayed ball, another Knight came home with the winning run, inches ahead of the strong throw from Fur's left-fielder Carl Nunziata. Knights' Chris Orlando pitched an excellent game in relief, hurling five innings of scoreless baseball, chalking up ten strikeouts, while spreading out only two hits and one walk. But a special tribute must go out to the Fur's Brian Greene, who pitched the best game of his career when his team really needed him.

MAA Minors Divisional Playoff Finals

As Willis Hobbies cruised through the Minors playoff bracket unscathed, the Losers Bracket Finals pitted the two regular season co-champions in a winner-take-all advancement to the Championship Round. Install-A-Lock and K's Auto Repair met for the fourth time this season.

The Lockers turned to catcher-turned-pitcher Matt Manteria while K's gave the ball to regular second sacker Nicky Franzini. K's got on the board first behind the running of TJ Winters and Vin Ruggiero in the opening inning. Three stolen bases between them set up early pressure while a foiled fielder's choice to Mike Diglio and a walk to Mike Castellana generated runs. The Installers opened up with a run in their half behind a leadoff single to Joey Calabro who would come around to score.

K's showed their patented style of two out lightning in the second. After consecutive strikeouts, Franzini singled in front of a Winters triple. A hit batsmen later, Mike Diglio rocketed a single up the middle plating a pair for a 5-1 lead. The Lockers tallied a run in their at bat behind singles by Denis Clark and Anthony Conway's. An inning later, the score tightened to 5-3 with Calabro's second hit and unearned run from a John Sullivan smash.

K's went to their left-handed ace Diglio, who sailed through his next two innings with five strikeouts. At the same time, K's bats came alive again to break up a close game. Consecutive singles by Winters, Ruggiero and Diglio added two before Castellana singled home a third. K's totaled three more in the fifth before the Installers would rally in their final appearance. After two outs, Manteria doubled home Clark and Mike Cardillo for a final score of 11-5.

K's, which had dropped their first game of the playoffs to Willis Hobbies, fought their way to three losers bracket wins in a reprise against their nemesis. The stat line of the day belonged to TJ Winters - 4 for 4, double, triple, 4 runs scored, 3 RBIs, four putouts and three assists. The play of the game was an excellently executed bunt by Vin Ruggiero in the fifth to score an insurance run. Equally impressive was Mike Diglio with two hits, 4 RBI, five putouts, three assists, five strikeouts and the save. After the game, Manager John Sullivan would award regular season championship trophies to the well-earned players of Install-A-Lock.

Minors Championship Series

Willis Hobbies and K's Auto Repair dueled inning by inning in their two meetings this season with both decided in the final frame. They would play to decide the Minors Championship. Skippers Bobby Redmond of Hobbies and Al Ruggiero would rack their brains for any advantage in a memorable tooth-and-nail battle. Hobbies would need but one win to secure the title while K's would need to sweep.

Game one saw the Willis send their fastballing right-hander Nicky Santos to the mound to oppose Vinny Ruggiero, who cruised through the lineup behind no hits, two strikeouts and great defense. Second baseman Nicky Franzini made a diving line drive catch off John Carlo Clancy's bullet and started a double play to close out a rally the following inning. K's scored a first inning run on a Ruggiero walk, steal of second and a Diglio single. They would add another in the third after a base on balls to Anthony DellaRatta, who advanced along the diamond on a Franzini single and a Ruggiero ground out. DellaRatta then danced his way off third drawing an erratic throw which would lead him home with a crucial run.

DellaRatta would also make two defensive gems nearly resulting in a pair of outs but nonetheless preventing runs from scoring in the deciding game.

Willis tugged back in the fourth and fifth stanzas. Troy Kerney, Rocco Redmond and Pat Devanthal would load the bases on free passes. A fly ball lost in a wicked sun field drove home Kerney. The damage could have been worse were it not for a great pickup and force out at third base by Rob Raveli. Derrick Cole would tie the game in the inning after hustling out a grounder. Frankie Texiera's single and walks to Billy Gerstner and Andre Lobato would force in a run. With nobody out and the title on the line, Manager Al Ruggiero made the pitching decision of the entire playoffs. Turning the ball to Diglio resulted in strikeouts of his first two batters and a weak grounder to first to end the rally with the bases still full and no additional offense. It would become K's survival.

Backs to the wall, K's faced one more challenge. Ruggiero would then send a shot through the middle for a single and steal his way to third. Diglio looked like he would have the game in hand before fouling a high pop to the catcher on a great play by Troy Kerney. Tommy Bayne picked up the slack by nailing a hard shot to second bobbled just long enough for Bayne to cross first and Ruggiero to slide home with a 3-2 K's victory in front of their thrilled sponsor who had come down to rally his troops after following them all year long in the Mineola American.

The climactic final game began in normal fashion expected of both teams. Errors put Hobbies' Rocco Redmond and Bruce Delfino aboard before Devanthal singled home a run. K's starter Winters would settle in and retire the final two batters on strikeouts to halt the trouble. Winters opened the bottom half with a single and Ruggiero walked. Diglio doubled over the third base bag while Winters leaped to avoid contact with the ball to bring around both runners and provide a temporary lead for K's.

Willis starter John Carlo Clancy and relievers Nicky Santos and Bruce Delfino would shut the hood on the Autos over the next four innings and decide the game. Seven strikeouts, three harmless knocks back to the box, and a foul pop at the plate stifled what had been a clutch K's offense. On the opposite side of the ledger, K's would be facing the only team in the division that can put the ball in play from any spot in the batting order. And they did.

Willis would tie the game in the second when Peter Granath and Clancy singled and Billy Gerstner and Andre Lobato worked out walks.

Singles by Redmond and Delfino in front of errors on smacks by Santos, Devanthal and Matt Grieco scored a trio. The damage was halted only from another disputed play in this series. This Thursday's umpire ruled interference on a thrown bat (Both benches had been warned by the umpire in their respective dugouts before the game of this very instance). This would slow the destruction when Hobbies scored three more times in the fourth on a bases clearing double by Rocco Redmond. Finally, K's went to their bullpen stoppers of Ruggiero and Diglio (who had but an inning of availability each after four games in a six day span) to save the mercy rule from being invoked. K's mounted a small rally in the sixth behind a Winters single and an RBI double from Ruggiero. Delfino then finished the job with runners on second and third for a final score of 10-3.

Both managers were praising their troops as well as their charges after the game. Redmond felt his Willis Hobbies were vindicated after playing two less games in the regular season due to rainouts and limited field space for makeups as well as losing critical starters to injury during that time. Had those games been played, there very well could have been tri-champions for the regular season. K's field boss Ruggiero felt Hobbies was the best team in the division down the stretch but couldn't fault his kids who faced four elimination games before being felled in the Championship and receiving their runner up trophies. Redmond would happily hand out the winning hardware to his battle hardened crew with Commissioner Artie Barnett on hand to bring a close to a fun and enjoyable season.

Some of the boys continue on with the Minors District 29 Tournament Team coached by Keith Gessner during the first week of July as well as an intra-community league throughout the summer months.