OUTDOORS

Senior Softball: American Legion wins 4th consecutive Gulf Coast Division championship

Bill Shurina
Special to the Eagle
American Legion Post 404, the Gulf Coast Division champions, from left, standing: Al Bozzo, Steve Slaggie (coach), Jim Conway (manager), Tony Brock, Charles Pineno, Jim Battye, Angelo Polizzi, Trish Conway (statistician), Jack Patterson (coach), Doug Patton (coach), Bill Diamond, Jerry Lenhoff; kneeling: Darryl Judson (coach), Rick Condle, Leroy Fishleigh, Gary Badger, Don Mandetta and Edd Dreyfus.

For the fourth consecutive season the American Legion Post 404 has won the Gulf Coast Division championship. Amassing an amazing 13-1 record, their only loss was by two runs as they rolled through the opposition this season.

In the Marco Division Stonewalls holds on to a two game advantage over Joey’s Pizza with only two games left in the season to play. Last week Dolphin Tiki wrapped up the Island Division Championship.

Starting March 9, the dual elimination tournament will begin. You can go to our website, marcoseniorsoftballleague.com for the tournament schedules and individual team seeding as well as results.

Here are the Marco Island Senior Softball results as of March 3.

MARCO DIVISION

Stonewalls, 21; Mango’s, 9          

The bats of Stonewalls came alive peppering 21 hits. Tom Purtell, Jack O’Brien, and Jim Stewart had three; Tom DeAngelo, Mark Comolli, Don Schwartz and John Wood two. Purtell and DeAngelo each clouted two homeruns and Stewart a triple. Purtell and DeAngelo each accounted for four runs crossing home plate and Stewart three. Mango’s John Barrett and Larry Wildes had three hits, Doug Kemp, Tom Rensch and Jan Grossman two, one of Rensch’s a triple, with Barrett having two RBIs.

Snook Inn, 19; Crazy Flamingo’s, 6

The Snook fired 22 hits at the Crazy bird, with Tom Loiacono and Jay Davis each having three of them; Geoff Bentley, Robert Stried, Fred Pendergrass, Butch Coursen, Bob Levasseur Bill Kayhart, and John Binns two. Binns, Davis and John Cavanagh clocked a homerun. Coursen, Binns and Davis had three runs driven in; Cavanagh, Pendergrass and Levasseur two. Larry Anspach, Al Cenicola, and Ray Zielinski had two hits for Flamingo’s, with Anspach smacking a homerun giving him three RBIs in the game.

Joey’s Pizza, 16; Sand Bar, 13

The game was tied at 11-11 before Joey’ put up five runs on the scoreboard in the bottom of fifth to earn rh e win. Mario Lucca pasted the ball for four hits for Joey’s, Ed Kingsbury and Pat Schilling had three Paul Sullivan, Todd Whitney, Alan Schneider and Brian Maguire two. Kingsbury and Maguire launched a homerun, Schilling and Bob Smith a triple. Kingsbury and Maguire drove home three runs; Lucca, Schilling, Schneider and Don Rooksberry two. Sand Bar had Murph Knapke and Joe Barry with three hits; Jerry Engel, Dave Coward, Joe Kruse, and John Robichaud two. Dave Coward Steve Clark and had a triple in the loss. Coward, Barry, Kruse and Ralph Rohena had two RBIs.           

Stonewalls, 24; Crazy Flamingo’s, 15

Tom DeAngelo tagged four hits for Stonewalls, Bill Shurina had three; Tom Purtell, Jim Stewart, Jack O’Brien, Gary Swink, Joe Logisz, and Pat Comerford two, with Purtell having a triple. Shurina chased in four runs, Purtell and DeAngelo three; Stewart, O’Brien and Swink two. Flamingo’s had Tom McCullough, Doug Stang, Jim Baumann, Tom Whitlock and Larry Anspach all sting the ball for three hits; Ray Niemeyer and Ray Zielinski had two with Stang thumping a triple. Stang chalked up five RBIs, Baumann, Whitlock and Paul Vorwick two.

Mango’s, 17; Sand Bar, 11

Mangos’ played power ball with John Barrett, Tom Rensch and Warren Uhl all belting a homerun. John Robichaud and Larry Wildes stroked three hits, while Uhl and Mitch Eil had two. Barrett had four RBIs, Uhl and Robichaud three, and Ed Kopecky two. Sand Bar had Mike Puskar and Joe Logisz drill three hits, Ralph Rohena two, with Puskar slamming a homerun. Rohena, Puskar and Logisz all had two RBIs.

Joey’s Pizza, 12; Snook Inn, 9                     

In a crucial game Joey’s game control of second place in the division with today’s win. Ed Kingsbury and Todd Whitney peppered three hits for Joey’s, while John Sherwin, Paul Sullivan, Alan Schneider, and Bob Smith had two. Kingsbury and Whitney chased in three runs, Pat Schilling and Jim White two. Mike Arnold had three hits for the Snook with Tom Loiacono, Robert Stried, Jay Davis and John Binns having two. Binns’ smacked a homerun and had four RBIs to his credit, with Butch Coursen having two.

Dolphin Tiki, the Island Division champions, from left, standing: Jim Green (coach), Peter Karl (coach), Bob Armstrong, Jim Williams, Don O’Connell, Ed Seery, Tom Vander Aarde, John Coughlin (statistician), Mike Garofalo, Rod Lashley and Bob Traver; kneeling: Bob Williams, Jim George, Jim Cuevas, Lou Marinaccio (manager), Tom Gazzillo, Ralph Sieja (coach).

GULF COAST DIVISION

American Legion, 20; Mutual of Omaha Bank, 18  

The Legion swatted the ball for 27 hits. Charles Pineno led the barrage with four hits; Jerry Lenhoff, Don Mandetta, and Rick Condle three; Jim Battye, Ed Dreyfus, Bill Diamond and John Gill two. Diamond hoisted a homerun and Mandetta a triple. Mandetta, Pineno and Diamond all drove in three runs. The Bank’s Fred Kramer continued scorching the ball with four hits; Jerry Kratz, Brian Bergman and Bill Dauch had three; Mick Keller, Leon Schmitt, Tom Patterson, Mike Corless and Dan Callahan two, with one of Schmitt’s a triple. Kramer chased in four runs, Bergman and Frank Dooley three; Keller, Schmitt and Patterson two.

American Legion, 8; Doreen’s, 6

American Legion continued their dominance in the Gulf Coast Division behind the hitting of Leroy Fishleigh, Bill Diamond, Don Mandetta, all with two hits, with Mandetta driving in three runs. Doreen’s had Ralph Leiterding Butch Monson, and Bill Dauch with two hits, one of Monson’s a homerun giving him two RBIs.

ISLAND DIVISION

Dolphin Tiki, 15; Brewery, 10

Winning pitcher Jimmy Cuevas lead the Dolphin Tiki to their seventh consecutive win since he took over pitching for the team. Cuevas helped his own cause with a three-run homerun shot to the opposite field with Don O’Connell and Jim George contributing three hits apiece, while Tom Vander Aarde and Bob Traver contributed two RBIs. Joe Rocco had a big day at the plate for the Brewery drilling the play for four hits while Mark Waks had three. Rocco and Waks each belted a homerun and Peter Kane a triple. Kane had three RBIs, Waks and Chuck Reich two.

Nacho Mama’s, 19; Speakeasy, 4            

The game ended at the end of seven innings due to the mercy rule. Nacho Mama’s Chris Flynn and Jim Vitas each had three hits with Bill Wright, Steve Friend and Dan Dumbauld cracking a triple. Wright had three RBIs; Vitas, Dumbauld, Dan Marinelli and John Bethel two. Mark Whealy had three RBIs for Speakeasy.

DaVinci’s, 16; Salty Dog, 11

DaVinci’s snapped their six-game losing streak when they scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. In an all-around team effort DaVinci’s had Gary Revall, Bill Thompson, Dean Stone and Frank Tedesco all chase in three runs, and Dave Johnson two for the win. John Rysak ripped three hits for the Salty Dog with Mike Schwab mashing a triple. Rysak was responsible for four runs being scored and Schwab three.

Dolphin Tiki, 15; Speakeasy, 12 

Tom Vander Aarde, Bob Traver and Jimmy Cuevas produced three hits apiece for the Dolphin Tiki. Rod Lashley and Bob Armstrong each muscled the ball for a homerun while Vander Aarde, Traver and Jim George all had a triple. Vander Aarde and Lashley had three RBIs, Cuevas and Armstrong two. Speakeasy had John Gross lace three hits which included a homerun. Roster member Mark Whealy had three RBIs, Ray Kane and Glenn Davis two.

Salty Dog, 21; Brewery, 20

Mike Schwab drove in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning as part of a three-run inning for the win. Jim Ramage smacked the ball for four, while Schwab, Paul Nussbaum, Steve Hummel, Rick Benedetti, Rick DiStasio Craig Cunningham had three. Cunningham hammered a homerun and Schwab a triple. Winning pitcher Phil Holmes chased in four runs: Nussbaum, Hummel, and Cunningham three with Benedetti having two. The Brewery had Joe Rocco, Herman Griffith, and Bill Novakovich stoke three hits each with Peter Kane cracking a triple and homerun. Novakovich and Gary Grefer drove home three runs; Griffith, Rose, Kane, Mark Waks, and Jon Wiseman two.

DaVinci’s, 14; Nacho Mama’s, 11

DaVinci’s eked out the win behind three hits from Gary Revall and Jeff Hultgren, plus a triple by winning pitcher Art Sinisi. Tom Polston chased in three runs and Hultgren two in the win. Chris Flynn and Dan Marinelli had three hits for Nacho’s with Dick Nemmers launching a homerun. Nemmers had four RBIs, Marinelli and Bill Wright two.

Speakeasy, 17; Salty Dog, 14

Speakeasy score nine runs in the last two innings of the game to come away with the win. Tom Buettner and Mark Whealy ripped four hits for Speakeasy, Whealy for the cycle (single, double, triple and homerun) with Ray Kane and Glenn Davis having three hits, while Grady Fuller hammered a homerun. Kane racked up five RBIs, Whealy and Mike Shone three, Buettner and Fuller two.  Mike Schwab nailed four hits Speakeasy with Paul Nussbaum and Tom Tankersley having three. Nussbaum and Dan Harrar chased in three runs; Schwab, Jim Ramage and Ed Caster three. There were several outstanding defensive plays made in the game by Harrar, Nussbaum and Steve Hummel.

Brewery, 16; Nacho Mama’s, 11     

The Brewery had Joe Rocco, Tim Rose, George Lancaster, and Paul Shelton with three hits. Rose and Mark Waks drove home three runs, Lancaster and Wayne Bombaci two. Steve Friend zinged out four hits for Nacho’s while Dan Dumbauld had three. Friend whacked two triples with Bill Wright and Nick Jacullo having one. Wright accounted for four runs crossing Homeplate.

Dolphin Tiki, 17; Salty Dog, 10

Manager Lou Marinaccio had a big day at the plate banging out four hits for the Dolphin Tiki and Tom Gazzillo had three. Marinaccio, Don O’Connell, Tom Vander Aarde and Ed Seery all crushed a homerun, while Gazzillo, O’Connell and Jimmy Cuevas smacked a triple. O’Connell chalked up five RBIs, Vander Aarde four; Gazzillo, Seery and Rod Lashley two. The Salty Dog’s Paul Nussbaum, Steve Hummel and Dan Harrar all had three hits. Harrar lashed two triples giving him three RBIs in the game, Hummel and Tom Tankersley had two.

DaVinci’s, 26; Speakeasy, 12 

DaVinci’ was firing on all cylinder amassing thirty-nine hits in the game. Dave Johnson pulverized the ball with six hits, Tom Polston five; Gary Revall, Frank Tedesco and Jack Tizo four, Bill Thompson three. Thompson, Tedesco, John Haskins and Dave Manzello all clouted homerun with Johnson having a triple. Polston and Thompson each racked up six RBIs, while Revall, Tedesco, Manzello, Art Sinisi and Dean Stone had two.  For the second consecutive day Mark Whealy hit for the cycle 9single, double and homerun) for Speakeasy and his four hits; Jeff Kaczka, Tom Buettner, and Grady Fuller had three. Whealy ended the game with five RBIs and Fuller with two.                                                                

STANDINGS

ISLAND DIVISION / Wins / Losses

  • Dolphin Tiki* / 17 / 4

  • DaVinci’s / 12 / 9

  • Brewery / 10 / 11

  • Nacho Mama's / 10 / 11

  • Salty Dog / 9 / 12             

  • Speakeasy / 5 / 16  

* Division champions

MARCO DIVISION / Wins / Losses

  • Stonewalls / 16 / 4

  • Joey’s Pizza / 14 / 6  

  • Snook Inn / 13 / 7

  • Mango’s / 8 / 12

  • Sand Bar / 7 / 13                            

  • Crazy Flamingo’s / 2 / 18                                                                                           

GULFCOAST DIVISION / Wins / Losses 

  • American Legion* / 13 / 1                            

  • Mutual of Omaha Bank / 5 / 7

  • Doreen’s / 1 / 10

*Division champions