SPORTS

Senior Softball: Division leaders increase lead heading into final week

Randy Wesolowski
Special to the Eagle

With just one week remaining in the regular season, Verdi’s lead in the Island Division of the Marco Senior Softball League is now two games over DaVinci’s who had their nine-game win streak snapped. Sami’s defeated second-place Mango’s and now lead the Marco Division by two games. For the second straight week, the Oyster Society defeated second-place Crazy Flamingo and now have extended their lead in the Gulf Coast Division to three games.

For the complete, up-to-date results and standings, visit the league website at marcoseniorsoftballleague.com.

Marco Island Senior Softball results as of Feb. 24.

WEEK 6Senior Softball: Division races tighten; Doreen’s earns first win

WEEK 5Senior Softball: Verdi’s and Sami’s maintain their division leads

WEEK 4Senior Softball: Verdi’s, Sami’s and Oyster Society lead their divisions

WEEK 3Senior Softball: Crazy Flamingo and Sami’s remain unbeaten

WEEK 2Senior Softball: Verdi’s and Sami’s hold early lead in their divisions

WEEK 1Senior Softball: Marco league kicks off its 24th season

ISLAND DIVISION

Tuesday, Feb. 21

Verdi’s, 15; Salty Dog, 9

Powered by home runs by Mike Porreca and Randy Sheridan and a triple by Gary Grefer, Verdi’s was able to outlast the Salty Dog and remain in first place. Grefer, Steve Hummel, and Dan Gulick all contributed three hits to the cause, and Porreca and Kaczka drove in three runs, Hummel two. Ed Seery and Todd Rodgers each punched out four hits and Mark Whealy three including a triple for the Dog. Whealy plated three runs and Seery two.

DaVinci’s, 12; Dolphin Tiki, 7

After a slow start for both teams, DaVinci’s got the bats going late to defeat Dolphin Tiki and claim their ninth consecutive win. Dave Johnson lashed out four hits, and Wayne Bombaci, Mike Shone, and Jack Tizio each had three hits for DaVinci’s. Johnson and Shone knocked in three runs, and Tom Gazzillo two for the winners. John Nicholas homered, Mike Faria had three hits and three RBIs, and Dave Manzello two RBIs for the Tiki.

Nacho Mama’s, 14; Speakeasy, 12

Nacho Mama’s scored five times in the bottom of the seventh inning to break an 8-all tie and rode that decisive inning to the victory over Speakeasy. Tom Vander Aarde blasted a home run among his three hits, Joe Rocco and Tom DeAngelo also contributed three hits, and Ken Polarek tripled to lead Nacho’s. DeAngelo knocked in five runs, Vander Aarde three, and Polarek and Jim O’Toole two. Jon Thomas and Chuck McAlpine hammered home runs for Speakeasy, Eric Jeanotte added four hits, and Thomas, Rod Lashley, and Eric Phillips each had three. Tom Buettner drove in three runs, and Jeanotte and Don O’Connell two in the loss.

Thursday, Feb. 23

Dolphin Tiki, 12; Speakeasy, 8

It was a one-run game before Dolphin Tiki pushed across three runs in the ninth inning to secure the victory over Speakeasy. John Stuart tripled and had three RBIs for the Tiki, Mike Reale added three hits, and Scott Golan also plated three runs. George Grygorcewicz and Eric Phillips led Speakeasy with three hits apiece, and Jon Thomas knocked in two runs in the loss.

Verdi’s, 15; Nacho Mama’s, 14

Mike Porreca led off the bottom of the ninth inning of a 14-14 ballgame and blasted a walk-off home run to give Verdi’s the dramatic victory over Nacho Mama’s. Triples by Vito Iacovazzi, who had three hits, Steve Hummel, and Jimmy Cuevas led the attack for Verdi’s. Hummel was responsible for three runs, Iacovazzi and Randy Sheridan two. Jim O’Toole and Joe Rocco lashed out four hits, and Tom DeAngelo, Tom Vander Aarde, and Lou Marinaccio three for Nacho’s. Rocco drove in four runs, Marinaccio three, and O’Toole and Vander Aarde two.

Salty Dog, 28; DaVinci’s, 22

In a real slugfest, Salty Dog was able to outlast DaVinci’s en route to the win which ended DaVinci’s nine game winning streak. The Dogs were barking as they pounded out forty hits and everyone in the lineup had at least two hits. Todd Rodgers homered, Sal Tidona, Mark Whealy, and Dan Marinelli all tripled, Marinelli, Ed Adrian, and Bill Thompson each smacked five hits, John Rysak four, and Rodgers, Whealy, Ed Seery, Mike Schwab, and Bill Novakovich three. Adrian had five RBIs, Seery four, Thompson and Glenn Davis three, and Tidona, Rodgers, Schwab, Novakovich, and Marinelli two for the winners. Gary Revall homered and tripled among four hits and drove in five runs for DaVinci’s. Tom Polston and Wayne Bombaci also had four hits including a triple, David Falls three including a triple, and Rick DiStasio also had three hits. Polston and Jack Tizio knocked in three runs, and Bombaci, Falls, and DiStasio two.

MARCO DIVISION

Monday, Feb. 20

Sami’s, 16; Snook Inn, 12

Sami’s busted open a tight game with a five-run fifth inning which proved to be more than enough to subdue the Snook Inn. Bobby Williams led the way with four hits, Bob Traver had three hits including a triple, and Gary Menzies blasted a home run for Sami’s. Williams plated four runs, and John Remhoff, Phil Holmes, and Murph Knapke two. John Binns had four hits, Geo Giacobbi hammered a home run, and John Barrett and Randy Wesolowski added three hits for the Snook Inn. Barrett, Wesolowski, Giacobbi, and Mike Puskar drove in two runs apiece in a losing cause.

Joey’s Pizza, 15; Stonewalls, 10

Mark Waks crushed a two-run homer among his four hits and four RBIs to lead Joey’s Pizza to victory over Stonewalls. Geoff Bentley pitched in with three hits and two RBIs, and Jim Stewart, Charlie Lamb, and Bill Shurina also contributed two RBIs for the Pizza boys. Dave Schott, Bob Hermann, and Bob Bejnerowicz each had two RBIs for Stonewalls.

Mango’s, 23; Sand Bar, 15

Two home runs by Jim Burroughs and one home run each by Tom Rensch and George Lancaster powered Mango’s to the win over the Sand Bar. Rensch had four hits, and Burroughs, Lancaster, Rob York, and Gary Swink added three. Burroughs drove home four runs, Rensch, Lancaster, Swink, and Brian Bergman three, and Mike Sweeney two for the winners. Gary Young hammered a grand slam home run among his three hits and six RBIs for the Sand Bar, Butch Coursen added three hits, and Gary Menzies tripled and had two RBIs in the loss.

Wednesday, Feb. 22

Snook Inn, 15; Stonewalls, 14

It took eight innings, but Snook Inn finally broke their eight-game losing streak with a win over Stonewalls. Stonewalls scored three times in the top of the eighth inning only to have the Snook answer with four of their own capped by a game-winning sacrifice fly by Dick Carson. Carson also homered among his three hits, Dave Korte slashed a triple, and Randy Wesolowski and Jack Martin pitched in with three hits apiece. Carson drove in four runs, and Wesolowski, Martin, and John Barrett two for the Snook. Joe Logisz and Steve Sauerberg had four hits and Bruce Chambers three for Stonewalls. Sauerberg and Chambers plated three runs, and Mike Puskar and Mitch Eil two.

Sand Bar, 21; Joey’s Pizza, 7

Sand Bar scored in every inning beginning with five runs in the first inning and cruised to the victory over Joey’s Pizza. Murph Knapke, Tom Breslin, and Ray Kane all blasted triples to lead the Sand Bar offense. Knapke, Breslin, and Butch Coursen each had three hits, and Breslin drove home three runs, Coursen, Mike Compton, and Dan Dumbauld two. Jim Stewart had three hits and two RBIs for Joey’s.

Sami’s, 25; Mango’s, 14

Sami’s pounded out thirty-one hits and scored multiple runs in every inning as they thoroughly trounced Mango’s to increase their lead in the division to two games. Ray Capella and Frank Caso hammered home runs, Capella, Gary Menzies, and Bobby Williams all had four hits, and Warren Uhl and Todd Whitney added three for Sami’s. Williams and Capella knocked in four runs, Caso, Menzies, and Tom Purtell three, and Whitney and Bob Traver two. Ed Kingsbury homered among four hits and had seven RBIs for Mango’s. Jim Burroughs added three hits and Brian Craig and Tom Rensch had three RBIs in the loss.

Friday, Feb. 24

Mango’s, 14; Stonewalls, 11

Mango’s took control of this game early then had to quell a late rally by Stonewalls to get the victory. Ed Kingsbury and Mario Lucca each pounded out four hits, Brian Craig and George Lancaster three, and Larry Locks tripled to lead the Mango’s offense. Tom Rensch drove in three runs, Kingsbury, Locks, and Jim Burroughs two. Dean Stone and Bob Bejnerowicz had three hits for Stonewalls, and Bejnerowicz, Dave Schott, and Bruce Chambers knocked in two runs apiece.

Joey’s Pizza, 6; Snook Inn, 2

Runs were hard to come by in this one as Joey’s Pizza prevailed in a defensive battle over the Snook Inn. Joey’s was led by Mark Waks who tripled and drove in three runs, Dick Folsom who also tripled, and Jim Stewart who had two RBIs. Randy Wesolowski had three hits for the Snook Inn.

Sami’s, 24; Sand Bar, 18

Sami’s continued their winning ways with a convincing victory over the Sand Bar. Bob Traver and Bobby Williams each hammered a two-run homer, and Gary Menzies slashed a triple to lead the attack for Sami’s. Williams, Todd Whitney, and John Remhoff chipped in with three hits each, Traver was responsible for five runs, Joe Logisz three, and Williams, Whitney, Menzies, Phil Holmes, and Warren Uhl two. Doug Stang led the Sand Bar with four hits, Jim Vitas, Ray Kane, and Bob Grant added three, and Jerry Engel tripled. Vitas drove home three runs, and Stang, Kane, Grant, Mike Compton, and Tom Breslin two.

GULF COAST DIVISION

Monday, Feb. 20

American Legion, 18; Oyster Society, 17

Down 17-10 going into the seventh inning, the American Legion rallied to score eight times to take the lead, then held Oyster Society scoreless in the bottom of the inning to stun the first-place Oystermen. Al Schneider had a huge day for the Legion with four hits and six RBIs. Gary Badger launched a home run among his three hits, Jeff Dougherty, Barry Neale, and Jerry Lenhoff also had three hits, and Dean Leffleman slammed a triple for the Legion. Leffleman drove in four runs, Badger three, and Neale two. For the Oyster Society, Steve Risch homered, Steve Levesque had four hits, and Ed Kopecky, Roger Fleming, Nick Brooks, Hal Jurgensen, and Andy Pressler all had three hits, one of Pressler’s a triple. Levesque, Brooks, Jurgensen, and Pressler knocked in three runs, and Risch two.

Crazy Flamingo, 16; Doreen’s, 9

Crazy Flamingo scored six runs in the top of the seventh inning to put this game out of reach en route to their win over Doreen’s. Chuck Reich and Dick DeAnna tripled, and Reich, Matt Opperman, and Bill Dauch all had three hits to lead the offense for Crazy’s. Opperman, DeAnna, Dauch, Gene Wahler, John Ranieri, and Ray Niemeyer all drove in two runs for the winners. Dave Chroust had three hits, and Rich Larkin and Rand Krueger tripled for Doreen’s. Larkin and Jack Facciolo had two RBIs apiece in the loss.

Wednesday, Feb. 22

Oyster Society, 17; Crazy Flamingo, 4

The Oyster Society jumped out to a 13-1 lead after four innings and coasted from there to the victory over Crazy Flamingo. Steve Levesque led the way with four hits including a booming home run and four RBIs for the Oystermen. Roger Fleming, Ed Kopecky, and Nick Brooks all pitched in with four hits, and Andy Pressler added three. Brooks drove in five runs, and Fleming, Pressler, and John Klebauskus two for the winners. Ray Niemeyer crushed a two-run homer for the Crazy birds.

American Legion, 20; Doreen’s, 5

The American Legion scored five runs in each of the first four innings as they trounced Doreen’s in a game called after five innings due to the mercy rule. Jerry Lenhoff homered and drove in four runs to lead the onslaught for the Legion. Jim Battye chipped in with three hits, Jeff Dougherty, Barry Neale, and Dean Leffleman each had three RBIs, and Gary Badger two. Legion pitcher Jim Battye limited Doreen’s to eight hits, all singles.

Friday, Feb. 24

Doreen’s, 16; Crazy Flamingo, 10

Powered by two-run home runs by Bruce Borden, Jack Facciolo, and Joe Barry, Doreen’s recorded the win over the Crazy Flamingo. Matt Lewis pitched in with three hits, Borden and Tom Rucks had three RBIs, and Lewis, Facciolo, Barry, Rich Larkin, and Al Cenicola two. Joe Kruse and Chuck Reich had three hits each for Crazy’s, and John Ranieri hammered a home run. Reich knocked in three runs, and Ray Niemeyer and Larry Anspach two.

Oyster Society, 22; American Legion, 9

The Oyster Society jumped out to an early 10-2 lead and coasted the rest of the way to the victory over the American Legion. Ed Kopecky crushed a home run among his three hits, and Nick Brooks and Andy Pressler also had three hits for the Oyster Society. John Klebauskus had four RBIs, Bob Smith three, and Kopecky, Brooks, Mike Corless, and Hal Jurgensen two. Gary Badger tripled, Jim Battye plated three runs, and Badger two for the Legion.

STANDINGS

ISLAND DIVISION / Wins / Losses

  • Verdi’s / 13 / 4
  • DaVinci’s / 11 / 6
  • Dolphin Tiki / 8 / 9
  • Nacho Mama’s / 7 / 10
  • Salty Dog / 7 / 10
  • Speakeasy / 5 / 12

MARCO DIVISION / Wins / Losses

  • Sami’s / 13 / 4
  • Mango’s / 11 / 6
  • Joey’s Pizza / 9 / 9
  • Sand Bar / 8 / 9
  • Joey’s Pizza / 8 / 9
  • Snook Inn / 3 / 15

GULF COAST DIVISION / Wins / Losses

  • Oyster Society / 14 / 3
  • Crazy Flamingo / 11 / 6
  • American Legion / 7 / 10
  • Doreen’s / 2 / 15