A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION The Westfield Leader and THE TIMES of Scotch Plains – Fanwood Thursday, August 2, 2001 Page 11 Check it on the Web! Sports Section - Pages 11-15 www.goleader.com THE WEEK IN SPORTS BUTTS BOMBS 3-RUN HOMER, PICARO RIPS JFK Mustangs Rap Westfield In American Legion Districts

By DAVID B. CORBIN Tournament in Union on July 29. Jay Cook and pitching took a back Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times The Mustangs had 11 hits but seat to offense but Westfield still Power and sizzling relief pitching Westfield was especially damaged prevailed, 15-13. Westfield had 14 from the JFK Iselin Mustangs gave by three towering home runs and a hits with triples from Mike Sofka, the Westfield baseball team its first that accounted for nine runs. Brett Picaro and Cook, and a double defeat in the second round of the In round one, on July 28 against from Brian Butts. American Legion District 2 Baseball Stanhope, Westfield saved ace pitcher “We took a shot with (pitcher) Nicky (Geissler) yesterday and got away with it,” said Head Coach Tony Picaro. “We wanted to save Jay for this game.” Against JFK, Westfield banged eight hits. Cook, the starting pitcher, tapped three singles and shortstop Picaro bashed a triple and beat out an . Picaro also added two stolen bases. Butts gave Westfield a spark of hope when he hammered a THE WINNING ...Matt Munizzi gives Todd Saunders a THE MOBBING BEGINS...Matt Minizzi, No. 13 holding game-tying three-run in lift of joy after scoring the winning run against West New Todd Saunders, No. 10, are joined by Brendon Burgdorf, the fifth. York. No. 22, and Matt Reiss, No. 9. Cook struck out the side in the first and added another in the second be- fore the Mustangs began to zero in on him in the third when Mike Wojcik, WESTFIELD SET TO PLAY FOR NATIONAL TITLE who finished with five RBI, crashed a three-run homer over the center field fence. Cook fanned six Mus- tangs but was eventually tagged for Westfield Wins Babe Ruth 10 runs before being relieved by Manny Guasp in the seventh. Westfield scored two runs in the bottom of the first when Picaro led Mid Atlantic Championship off with a triple to left, Ben Koket David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader and The Times walked and stole second, then Cook A DUSTY PLAY AT HOME...Westfield Josh Ludmer stirs up a cloud slid a two-run single under the glove By DAVID B. CORBIN May where basic fundamentals were have been, “the kids’ competitive of dust while scooping up the ball and the JFK Mustang runner creates a little of the shortstop. In the third, Picaro Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times stressed by Manager Geoff Kent and desire and love of the game. They get The Westfield 10-year-old base- dust of his own sliding into home. CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 Assistant Coaches Charlie Burgdorf along really well with each other and ball team has a good reason to be and Bob Saunders. Then on June 10, the parents are the best group of proud. On July 27, in Newark Del., the first game began. parents that a coach could ever hope MCCOMB EARNS CYCLE, AUTO MEN CRASH 5 HRS. the team won the Middle Atlantic “We spend a lot of time on funda- to work with,” said Kent. Region (MAR) Championship by mentals. We hammer that home, time Huge support did not hurt either. beating Marlton, New Jersey 6-2, to after time after time, so it becomes “This has turned into an entire fam- earn the right play in the inaugural automatic during the games,” stressed ily affair as brothers wear the Babe Ferrara’s Auto Men Smoke Babe Ruth World , featuring Kent. “The kids have worked very Ruth shirts and the sisters have be- 10 teams, in Vincennes, Ind, on Fri- hard on the fundamentals and doing come cheerleaders,” added Kent. day, August 3. the little things right.” Westfield qualified for the MAR The journey to success began in Other factors to the kids’ success tournament with victories over Iselin, Themis, 22-4, in Playoffs North Edison, Readington and again over Iselin in the North Jersey State Championship held in Elmwood sixth, when Pat O’Sullivan, then play- By DAVID B. CORBIN slick, sliding of a low liner in JCC CBI 2 Outplays Park. Ironically, Westfield’s last de- Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times ing third, snagged a liner and fired to the sixth. Themis shortstop Paul feat came at the hands of another Like Sicily’s Mt. Etna recently, first to catch the off-base runner. Figalora made a leaping grab of a Westfield team in the first game of Additional great fielding was per- fourth-seeded Ferrara’s Auto Center liner in the fourth then added an the double elimination North Eliza- formed by both teams. McComb erupted and poured 27 hits, includ- over-the-head catch in shallow left JCC New Team, 15-6 beth district tournament. Since then, ing five home runs, a triple and five made a brilliant leaping catch in the in the seventh. Right fielder Jeff Westfield has won 14 straight. fourth and Pat O’Sullivan added a doubles, over fifth-seeded Themis in Longo made a fine sliding catch in By SETH AUGENSTEIN and four RBI. His shot in the sixth Winning and losing is always major league barehanded grab and Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times the playoffs of the Scotch Plains the third. went to right-center like Weisholtz’s, present in organized sports but it Softball League A Division at gunned the runner down heading to Three Auto men ran over the plate It was a matter of experience. In but it was so deep that even a speed- seems that this Westfield team has first. Piscopo in center field made a CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 Brookside Park in Scotch Plains on JCC Softball action at Tamaques Park ster like Kasper couldn’t reach it in learned how to handle defeat well. July 24. The result was a smoldering, on July 29, perennial powerhouse time. “When we lost our first game to 22-4, smothering. Congregation Beth Israel 2 outplayed Doug Kessler made an amazing the other Westfield team we thought Auto man Greg McComb for an impressive and aptly named New overhead catch in right-center to end of a lot of different ways we could the cycle but earned it the hard way Team, 15-6. CBI 2 Captain Allen the third . Another defensive defeat them. This is a team that by beating out an inside-the-park Gross was as impressed as anyone New Team standout shortstop was bounces back quickly from defeat,” home run in his fourth . Nick else with the opposition’s prowess. Seth Wiener who covered the entire said Kent. Piscopo, Phil Aiello, Dan DiDario “That team is brand-new, and they left side of the infield, and managed Westfield first defeated host and Bob Letso earned their home play like they’ve been together for some tough despite one com- Brookside, DE, 9-2, in the MAR on runs the easy way by clearing the years. We’re the defending champs, mitted . July 20. Backed by the strong - fence, allowing them to trot around and they gave us a good run for the Even Kessler and Wiener’s Gold ing of Todd Saunders, Westfield broke the bases unimpeded. first few ,” he asserted. Gloves weren’t able to cover the open a 1-1 game with five runs in the Despite the 27-hit bombardment, After three innings, the score was entire against the bats of fourth inning on consecutive hits by the fielding was superb, especially 8-6 with the heavy favorites leading, Weisholtz, Mayerson and Gross, con- Michael Lessner, Danny Sullivan, on the part of the Auto men who but they could feel the pressure of the sidering the trio had strong lineup Matt Reiss, Michael Kent, Brendan turned four double plays. Each were hungry underdog opposition. support from Jeff “Doc” Peson and Burgdorf and Saunders. The game done differently. The first was a 4-6- “We’ve got a game today!” CBI 2 Joel Horowitz. “Doc” surgically hit ended when David Pusar made an 3 – Danno Serido-to-Dave Serido- leadoff man Doug Schwartz said, to every defensive hole, going 3-for- unassisted at third base. to-Aiello, respectively – in the first grinning before the fourth inning. 4 and knocking in one. Horowitz, a inning. In the second inning, Dave The close struggle soon became a self-described “Old Man”, was any- CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 Serido grabbed a grounder, tagged clear victory for the veteran champs, thing but – he knocked three singles second for a force and threw to first. David B. Corbin for The Westfield Leader and The Times however. They moderately exploded around the outfield that was playing In the third, McComb at third scooped COMPLETING THE CYCLE...Greg McComb of Ferrara’s Auto Center makes for four runs in the fourth, and for him shallow, and had two RBI. The a grounder and initiated a 5-4-3 a costly but successful into home to complete hitting for the cycle against three more in the sixth. Meanwhile, all-out offensive onslaught was too double play. The fourth came in the Themis. the New Team’s bats had fallen silent much for the New Team in the later after the second and third innings, innings. when they had scored five and one, “When we don’t hit, we don’t win,” LONERGAN GETS 3 RBI, HR; WUSTEFELD, 3 HITS, HR respectively. Kasper said, as he watched his team Ultimately, CBI 2 took control as drop to a still-formidable 4-5 record. the dangerous heart of their order “We hit the ball and played solid was murder to the scoreboard, and defense. That’s all we need to do St. Tom’s Early Strike Dazes consistently demoralized the rook- consistently against a team like this,” ies. In the sixth, three consecutive said Gross. His team has only two towering shots put CBI in control for losses this season, and consistently good. Jason Weisholtz crushed the hovers around the lead in the Eastern first over New Team Captain Matt Division. St. Paul Softball Men, 15-5 Kasper’s head in right-center. However, with the New Team just Weisholtz went 3-for-4 with four RBI. figuring out its chemistry and ability By DAVID B. CORBIN Softball League play. double and an RBI single while Gross followed with a home run and against an accomplished squad like Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times Tossing the biggest bolts for the Steve Pietrucha poked two singles also went 3-for-4 with two RBI. CBI 2, this should be a rivalry that will Lightning struck, not from the skies “Toms” were Kevin Lonergan who and drove in two runs. But Jeff Mayerson, the cleanup grow more heated in the near future. but from the bats of St. Thomas in the had two hits and three RBI, includ- Scotch Plains Mayor Marty Marks hitter, had by far the most impressive first two innings, and the target was ing a two-run home run, and Rick led St. Paul’s nine-hit answer with day of all. In the fifth inning, he St. Paul at Brookside Park in Scotch Wustefeld who had two singles and two doubles, a single and two runs made an amazingly hard throw from Plains on July 27. St. Thomas scored a solo blast. Bob Elmi contributed scored. However, the truly most spec- the hot corner to gun out Dave IN UNION COUNTY, IT’S: five in the first and eight in the sec- to the 20-hit bombardment with tacular sight of the evening came Northrup and kill the opposition’s ond to breeze to a 15-5 victory in St. three singles and two runs scored when Marks, playing left field, ran chances. Additionally, he went 3- Bartholomew’s Oldtimers Men’s and Ray Guy drilled a two-run CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 for-4, with two homers and a triple,

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