MAJOR BASEBALL WEEK 1 RECAP

Maietta 17        Willows 7

NE Turf 6         Pape 5

Maietta 11        Ruby 6

Pape 3             Willows 1

Ruby 12           NE Turf 2

April vacation showcased an exciting opening week of baseball with seasonably warm temperatures.

Maietta Construction won their first 2 games by pounding out 28 Runs on 21 hits.  Jon Vickers had 6 hits including a Grand Slam, Dylan Reny had 5 hits including a 3-Run HR, Tristan Foley and Pat Conley each had 3 hits.  Maietta pitchers Ryan Gilboy, Eben Babbidge, Joey DiBiase, Conley, Reny, and Vickers combined for 26 strike outs (out of a possible 36 outs)!  Cole Lemelin had a spectacular (SportsCenter type) diving catch in Center field with the bases loaded.

Pape beat Willows 3-1.  Willow's Trevor Borelli had 12 strikeouts in 5 innings he pitched.  Nick Whitten hit 2 home runs for Pape.

 Maietta Const. 11  Ruby Tues. 6 

  Offensive Leaders : Sam Cross 2-2 (double & triple), 2-Runs, BB, RBI

                               Jaren Muller 2-3, 3-RBI's

                               Savonn Ean 0-0, 3-BB'S

                               James Macneill 0-1, 2-BB'S, RBI

                               Steve Bower 1-2, 2-Runs, BB, RBI

  Defensive Leaders: Savonn Ean & Danny Fox

 Ruby Tues. 12  NET 2   4-INN.

   Offensive Leaders : Sam Cross 1-2(triple) 2-runs, BB

                                Jaren Muller 1-1, Run , 2-BB's , RBI

                                Savonn Ean 0-0 , 2-BB's , Run , 2- RBI's

                                James Macneill 1-2(double), Run , 2-RBI's

                                Steve Bower 0-1 , 2-BB's , Run , RBI

                                Danny Fox 2-2 , HBP , Run

                                Zach Holloman 1-2 , 2- runs , RBI

   Defensive Leaders : Sam Solomon, Sam Cross & Zach Holloman

MAJOR BASEBALL WEEK 2 RECAP

MAIETTA:

Maietta milestones:  Andrew Roberts first Major BB hit.

Jon Vickers pitched 4 innings and gave up only 2 hits with no walks vs Pape.

Joey Dibiase came in for relief and struck out 4 of 6 batters.

Eben Babbidge scored 4 runs vs Pape

Offensive Repeat Hitters:  Cole Lemelin, Ryan Gilboy and Joey Dibiase

Defensive standouts:  Ryan O'Riordan at 2nd base

                                 Dylan Reny Catcher throwing out runner

Week 2 Scores:

MAJOR BASEBALL WEEK 3 RECAP

Pape 4  Willows 3

Austin Mills scored the winning run in the bottom of the 6th on a hard hit ball down the 3rd base line by Nick Whitten, giving Pape a 4-3 win. Kevin Conley & Mills had good outings on the mound, getting out of 2 bases loaded situations.Jack Whaley got his first majors hit. Making key defensive plays were Chris Johnson, Jordan McDuffie and Matt Harmon.  On the Willows side, Joey Gleason and Daniel Hodgkins lead with good pitching.  Trevor Borelli went 3 for 3 including a mammoth 1 run homer for Willows.

MAJOR BASEBALL WEEK 4 RECAP

May 15, 2008 

Pine Street – As the cold, gray clouds began wrapping their blanket over the Maietta eleven, a few rays of the fading sun foreshadowed the hope and spirit that led Maietta to a comeback win over the SPN Tigers.  Trailing 5-0 after the first, Maietta jumped on the shoulders of veteran leader, Joey DiBiase, as he shut out the Tigers over five-and-two-thirds allowing only two hits and striking out eleven.  As if that wasn’t enough, DiBiase made the most of a lead-off walk by rookie Ryan O’Riordon and a single by Eben Babbidge when he belted a 2-1 pitch for an inside the park homer.  After Patrick Conley and Jon Vickers pounded singles, Tristan Foley lined a 1-2 pitch up the middle to bring Maietta within one run with two frames left.

Not to be outdone by his battery mate, 12 year-old catcher, Dylan Reny, hammered a first pitch fastball to the base of the right field wall scoring DiBiase, Vickers and Conley in the top of the 6^th to put Maietta on top 7-5.  Defense ruled the bottom of the 6^th as Reny cut down the potential tying run with a strong throw and great tag by Tristan Cox at third base as the baserunner attempted to steal.  Feeding off Reny’s second assist of the game, Cole Lemelin made a running grab of a high fly ball for the second out of the inning.  As clouds cast their final shadows over the Pine Street field, it was Joey DiBiase who put the Tigers to bed with his eleventh strike out to end the game.

It’s back to intraleague play on Saturday for Maietta (4-3) as they take on Joe Henderson’s Willows team.

May 16, 2008

Willows beat the Bears at SPNLL by the score of 11-3.

MAJOR BASEBALL WEEK 5 RECAP

May 21, 2008 

Behind the hitting and pitching of Joey Gleason, Ryan Pelletier, Daniel Hodgkins and solid hits by Trevor Borelli as well as solid defense by the whole team, Willows got a 7-2 victory over Ruby Tuesday. 

May 22, 2008

NE Turf 13, Maietta 7

Wilkinson Park – NE Turf once again put a huge dent in the old adage that thirteen is an unlucky number as they beat Maietta Construction for the second time in as many tries by pounding out 13 runs.  Tucker Carter led the way with three hits including a sixth inning triple, but Lucas Michaud, Brad Sowerby and Joseph Genesio also chipped in with two hits each.  The quartet accounted for five RBI and five runs.  On the defensive side, Sam Michaud silenced the Maietta bats at bay by scattering four hits over five innings and only allowing one earned run while striking out six.  The victory was even more impressive given the fact that in no inning did Michaud throw more than sixteen pitches.

With a penchant for the dramatic, Maietta staged a rally in the bottom of the sixth, scoring six times before succumbing, 13-7.  Patrick Conley added to an earlier triple by hammering a base hit to right to score two runs and Cole Lemelin and Michael Joys worked the count to their favor and then walked in a run for an RBI each.  Joey DiBiase also pitched in with a single and double to the base of the wall while also scoring two runs.

All teams will take a break from the action for Memorial Day weekend before resuming play next Tuesday.  Maietta will take on Pape on Tuesday and then Willows Wednesday while NE Turf gets a reprieve until next Thursday against Ruby Tuesday.  All games start at 5:30 and will be played at Wilkinson Park.

Box Score

 MAJOR BASEBALL WEEK 6 RECAP 

May 27, 2008

Maietta 8, Pape 2

Wilkinson Park – On most game days, you can find Jon Vickers, “J-Vick,” patrolling the left side of the infield.  Today though, J-Vick became “K-Vick” as he stifled the Pape bats with efficient pitching and a solid defense behind him that went errorless for the first time this season.  Vickers threw 77 pitches, struck out eight and walked only one.  Patrick Conley led the defense with a season high five put-outs, the assists coming from a variety of infielders – Eben Babbidge, Joey DiBiase, Ryan O’Riordon and Vickers, himself.  Not to be outdone, Dylan Reny cut down a potential base stealer in the fifth.

            The outcome was very much in doubt until the late innings.  Nick Whitten and Kevin Conley, apparently unimpressed with Vickers new nickname, both hit solo home runs to give Pape a 2-0 lead going into the bottom of the fourth.  Whitten presented some surprised AAers with a souvenir as he deposited a 2-0 offering into the dugout of the adjacent AA field.  In the fourth, Kevin Conley roped a hit to the right field corner and just beat Babbidge’s relay throw to the plate for an inside the park home run.  It wasn’t until the fifth when Maietta found their stride and stroked eight of their nine hits, four of them for extra bases.  Vickers helped his own cause with four RBI including a base clearing double in the sixth and Reny, Conley and DiBiase each had two, three and two hits respectively.  The top of the order will be sending flowers to their teammates hitting ahead of them who reached base on four of six plate appearances.  This paid off in the sixth when both Aaron Radziucz and O’Riordon reached base on picture perfect bunts and then scored on Vickers double.

            In the sixth, Pape began a rally when Jack Whaley smacked a base hit to left center.  Chris Johnson followed suit with a single of his own.  After Cole Lemelin made a barehanded stab and putout at second base and Vickers cut down a run at the plate, Babbidge ended the threat with a 6-3 assist.

            Maietta takes on Willows tomorrow and Pape will be in action Saturday at 11:30 against a team from SPN.  Both games are at Wilkinson Park.  Now that you can leave your parkas and mittens at home, come see the action and support the kids! 

Box Score

 May 28, 2008

Maietta 5, Willows 4

Wilkinson Park –  Working like they were double parked with their prom dates in the car, Willows and Maietta pitchers duked it out with one another for six exciting innings of action Wednesday night.  The brisk pace was matched only by the brisk breeze that apparently kept the bats of both teams cool throughout the game.  Daniel Hodgkins pitched four strong innings allowing only two earned runs on six hits while striking out seven.  For Maietta, Patrick Conley and Ryan Gilboy were equally as effective.  Conley pitched four innings allowing only two earned runs on six hits while striking out nine.  He kept the “hard hats” in the game until Ryan Gilboy game in and nailed the door shut with two scoreless innings of relief and five strikeouts for his second win of the season.  Rookie centerfielder Ryan O’Riordon brought down Gilboy’s blood pressure as he made a shoestring catch for the first out of the bottom of the sixth.  After a walk, Gilboy then settled down to retire the last two batters on K’s.

            Offensively for Willows, Trevor Borelli, Joey Gleason and Ryan Pelletier had five of Willows hits with Joey Gleason accounting for the lone RBI with a triple to right on which he then scored after an error.  For Willows, Gilboy drove in a run in the fourth with a triple and scored on Tristan Foley’s infield single.  In the sixth, Joey DiBiase walked and then was joined on base by Jon Vickers after a run-and-hit.  Conley’s grounder to the right side of the infield proved to be a most productive out as he advanced the runners which allowed them to eventually score what would be the tying and winning runs.  Dylan Reny also continued to swing a hot bat, going three-for-three with a triple.  

            Willows, Pape and Maietta all play home on Saturday at 9:00, 11:30 and 2:00 respectively.  Come out and support the kids; the action is heating up!!!

Box Score

May 30, 2008

SPN Dodgers 6, Maietta 1

Wilkinson Park –  The play-off picture became much more murky Friday evening as the SPN Dodgers beat Maietta 6-1 on strong pitching by Manny Ortiz and Aiden McKee.  For all intents and purposes, Maietta, NE Turf and Ruby Tuesday are in a virtual tie for first with about two weeks remaining in the regular season.  Maietta’s bats remained more silent than a Quaker meeting as Ortiz and McKee gave up no earned runs on three hits while striking out twelve.  Maietta’s run was sandwiched between two innings where the local twelve put two runners on base but failed to get them home.  Michael Joys and Aaron Radziucz were stranded in the third after drawing walks and Tristan Foley and Andrew Roberts were stranded in the fifth.  In all, Maietta left eight men on base.  Jon Vickers accounted for the sole tally when he tripled to lead off the fourth and then scored on the wild throw to third.

Ortiz and McKee accounted for four of the Dodgers seven hits.  Jacob Robertson and James Falconer helped break the game open in the third however when Robertson singled and Falconer laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt that Dylan Reny pounced on for a nice assist to Conley at first.  The damage had been done as the top of the order came to the plate and the Dodgers scored three in the frame.

On Sunday at high noon, Maietta plays the SPN Jets, one of the hottest teams from the other side of town.  The game is at Wilkinson Park.

Box Score

 MAJOR BASEBALL WEEK 7 RECAP 

 June 1, 2008

Maietta 4, SPN Jets 3

Wilkinson Park –  Pick up the dugout.  Carry the equipment.  Hit last during batting practice.  Put up with twelve year old jokes.  Any and all of the above normally fit your typical description of a Little League rookie.  Not today though.  Today, rookies ruled as Maietta downed the top ranked SPN Jets 4-3.  Spotting the Jets three runs in the first on a three-run homer by Zack Marles, Maietta stuck the proverbial finger in the dike as rookie Ryan O’Riordon made a running catch in left on a diving fly ball off the bat of Henry Curran. Ryan Gilboy then struck out the next batter to end the frame.  Maietta put on their tool belts in the bottom of the second and manufactured a run to get back in it.  Gilboy and Cole Lemelin reached base and advanced to third and second respectively on a wild pitch.  Rookie Andrew Roberts then stung a three two pitch to the right side of the infield scoring Gilboy from third with the RBI. 

Gilboy and Jon, “K-Vick,” Vickers worked their air traffic control magic and grounded the Jets the rest of the way.  Vickers pitched four innings of relief, giving up no runs on three hits while striking out ten for his third win of the season.  In the fourth, Patrick Conley walked and reached second on a wild pitch and then scored when Dylan Reny reached on an error.  After an Eben Babbidge walk and a wild pitch, Reny was able to tie the game on an RBI by Gilboy who hit a high hopper to second base.

Things got dicey for Maietta in the sixth with the tie scored.  Zack Harrison reached base with one out.  When the next pitch was crushed on a liner to left, it appeared as if Harrison may be able to score but Maietta’s third rookie, Aaron Radziucz, made his presence felt as he snared the drive allowing Vickers to relax and strike out the next batter for the final out. 

If the first five innings were about framing the house, the bottom of the sixth was about the finishing.  With two outs and extra innings looming, Joey DiBiase stroked a gapper to right-center and beat the throw to second for a double.  On the third pitch to K-Vick, DiBiase timed the throw back to the pitcher perfectly and reached third safely on a delayed steal.  The throw went past the bag into left field and DiBiase sprinted home where he was mobbed by his teammates as he scored the winning run.

Maietta (8-5) will have little time to savor this victory, however, as they host the SPN A’s tomorrow afternoon at Wilkinson Park (5:30 pm start).  Bring along your blood pressure medication and come out and watch these cardiac kids!

Box Score

June 2, 2008:

Maietta 10, SPN A’s 4

Wilkinson Park – The New York Yankees may have A-Rod, but Maietta Construction has A-Rad – Aaron Radziucz, that is.  Fresh off his “game-ball performance” against the Jets, A-Rad tallied his first Majors hit and RBI, a double to the wall in left center, scoring fellow rookie Andrew Roberts who had reached on a single in the fourth.  Radziucz also scored twice. A-Rad’s success at the plate was part of  a stellar night for the bottom of Maietta’s order which saw them go to the plate ten times and reach safely on six of those appearances - including three times by Roberts, twice by Radziucz and once by Michael Joys – accounting for four runs.  They may be the bottom in number, but they’re the tops in our hearts!

This success allowed the top of the order to do more damage than a wrecking ball in a condemned part of town as Maietta put the game away in the third with eight runs.  Jon Vickers walked to score Joys and then Patrick Conley (5 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 9 K) helped his own cause with a two-run single.  After Vickers stole home on a double steal and Conley reached third, Dylan Reny protected the plate on a two strike count and put the ball in play for an infield hit and RBI scoring what proved to be the game winning run.  Ryan Gilboy and Tristan Foley both followed up with RBI – Gilboy on a single and Foley on a triple.  Foley then raced home on a throwing error for a “near inside-the-park-home run experience.” 

In the top of the sixth, with Conley out due to a high pitch count, Manager “Tito” Vickers handed the ball to rookie sensation Ryan O’Riordon, making his first Majors pitching appearance.  After retiring the first batter on a ground ball out, Colin Harle laced a triple to the wall in center.  Unfortunately for the A’s, this was A-Rad’s day as he chased it down and hit DiBiase with a perfect relay throw.  DiBiase loaded the cannon and fired to the plate where the imposing hulk of a man, Cole Lemelin, blocked the plate and applied the tag to ruin the inside-the-park attempt.  O’Riordon then forced another ground ball out, securing the 10-4 victory for Maietta.

Box Score

 June 4, 2008:

Maietta 7, SPN Bears 2

Wilkinson Park – Drip.  Drip.  Drizzle.  Drizzle.  With Wilkinson Park more like Bikini Bottom than a ball field, Maietta outlasted the SPN Bears 7-2 in a game with less energy than Gary the Snail on Nyquil.  Joey DiBiase, Ryan Gilboy and rookie Andrew Roberts combined for a three hit, no walk, ten strikeout performance.  DiBiase picked up his third win of the season by giving up two unearned runs in two innings while striking out eight.  Gilboy then pitched two innings of scoreless relief before Roberts made his Majors debut with a 1-2-3 sixth behind stellar infield play by DiBiase, Jon Vickers and Patrick Conley and the positive encouragement and leadership of catcher Dylan Reny.  Reny also threw out two would-be-base-stealers earlier in the game.  Props as well to Cole Lemelin, whose hustle on a base hit to center allowed him to throw out a runner on the force at second.  As an added bonus, Roberts inning allowed both DiBiase and Gilboy to remain below the 41 pitch mark which means Maietta will have its top four pitchers available for next week’s games as the team returns to intraleague play. 

            Home plate was Mud Flats but Maietta was able to do some damage there too.  Twelve year old Patrick Conley provided a ray of sunshine on the gloomy afternoon going three for three with a double and two singles.  He also scored two and drove in three while swiping a base for good measure.  Every player reached base for Maietta with Gilboy joining Conley as a repeat hitter.  The end of the order continued to spur on the offense as the bottom four batters reached safely on nine of twelve plate appearances.  Roberts reached on a single and fielder’s choice, “A-Rad” Radziucz took a HBP and reached on a fielder’s choice while Michael “Hawkeye” Joys worked the count effectively to reach on two walks.  Tristan Foley showed up in plenty of time to reach on a single, fielder’s choice and a walk while also scoring a run.

Box Score

MAJOR BASEBALL WEEK 8 RECAP 

June 9, 2008

Maietta 7, NET 5

Wilkinson Park – In a game to determine first place in the League standings, Maietta was able to hold off Northeast Turf for the first time this season, 7-5, thanks to terrific defense and “small ball” on offense in the fifth.  The score was tied at two after two when Turf erased an early deficit on a double by Phil Densemore and a follow-up inside-the-park homer by Joe Genesio (his second versus Maietta this year).  The lead did not last long as Ryan O’Riordon walked in the bottom of the third and was driven in on an RBI single by Patrick Conley.  Eben Babbidge’s one out triple in the fourth set up an additional run as he scored on a wild pitch.  After Cole Lemelin reached base, he stole second and reached third on a wild pitch.  With two outs, he then executed a perfect delayed steal and scored what would prove to be a critical run in the game and make the score 5-3.

            The “small ball” construction continued in the fifth as Aaron Radziucz reached on a single and took second on a picture perfect sacrifice bunt down the third base line by O’Riordon.  Joey DiBiase then roped a double to left-center allowing Radziucz to score the eventual winning run.  The proverbial “fat lady” was nowhere to be seen however as NET began pulling themselves off life-support.  Andrew Hodge appeared to solve the riddle that is “K-Vick” (5 IP, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K) as his double lined up two ducks on the pond in the form of Hodge and Sam Michaud.  However, Ryan, “the Finisher” Gilboy came in to close the deal with the help of his friends.  Cole Lemelin secured the first out of the inning on a deep sacrifice fly by Lucas Michaud.  After tagging out a runner at the plate earlier in the game, Dylan Reny picked off a runner at first for the second out of the inning.  Babbidge made a confident catch in left field on a line drive to end the game and preserve the Save for Gilboy.

            Willows and Pape (Tuesday; 5:30) and Maietta and Ruby Tuesday (Wednesday; 5:30) are the last two contests of the regular season before the playoffs get under way Friday.  With all the teams playing competitive ball, a new concession stand up and running and Red Sox tickets on tap to be raffled off, stop by a catch the action!

Box Score

 June 11, 2008

Maietta 7, Ruby Tuesday 6

Wilkinson Park – Dylan Reny (2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 3 K) turned in his catcher’s mitt for a fielder’s glove and moved from home plate to the pitching plate to pick up his first victory of the season as Maietta won their rubber match with Ruby Tuesday, 7-6.  Despite seven errors, Maietta flashed the leather when they needed it the most as Ruby threatened to break a 5-5 tie in the bottom of the fifth.  After Danny “the Roadrunner” Fox reached third to lead off the inning, Joey DiBiase snagged a hard hit ground ball off the bat of Sam Solomon.  Freezing Fox with a Superman infrared glare to third, DiBiase threw to Jon Vickers at first for the out as Fox broke for the plate.  Not hesitating, Vickers threw a bullet to the mitt of catcher Cole Lemelin who applied the tag for a 6-3-2 double play.  J-Vick then recorded the final out of the inning on an unassisted tag of first.

            With both teams posting goose eggs in the sixth, the game moved to extra innings.  Patrick Conley made a productive out as he drove the ball to the right side of the infield allowing DiBiase to score from third.  Reny then stepped to the plate and put a big ‘ol dent in the theory (and the ball) that pitchers can’t hit as he laced a triple down the right field line.  Ryan Gilboy provided some two-out magic of his own with a single to score Reny.  In the bottom of the frame, Conley took the mound and quickly recorded two outs with a strike out and ground ball out before Fox roped a ball to the left field wall.  Before you could say “Wile E. Coyote”, Fox was standing at third.  Solomon singled Fox home and Sam Cross walked before Conley recorded the final out for his first save.

            The early innings proved just as exciting as Ruby led 3-2 after three-and-a-half.  Ruby added a deuce in the bottom of the fourth as Zack Holloman, Sam Bower and Cameron Gillies recorded consecutive hits.  In the top of the fifth though, Reny and Gilboy singled and eventually crossed home safely.  Eben “Treads” Babbidge scored the crucial run (his second of the game) as he reached on an error and proceeded to steal third outright before coming home to Momma’s apple pie on a wild pitch.  That run set the stage for the late inning theatrics.

            The double-elimination playoffs begin Friday as Northeast Turf takes on a red hot Willows team (5:30 pm).  On Saturday, Ruby Tuesday plays Pape (9:00 am) and then the regular season champ, Maietta, plays the NET-Willows winner at 11:30 am.  With all teams starting fresh at 0-0, the league championship is up for grabs.

Box Score

June 14, 2008

Northeast Turf 9, Maietta 5

Wilkinson Park – Celtics-Lakers.  Red Sox-Yankees.  Maietta-Northeast Turf.  Well, ok, so those other two rivalries feature over forty championships among all the teams while the latter is only four games old.  What the Maietta-NET rivalry lacks in longevity and banners it makes up for in excitement and intensity.  The latest match-up had Turf forcing regular season champ, Maietta, into the losers’ bracket with a 9-5 win under a scorching June sun.

            The sun wasn’t the only thing sizzling as Turf pounded out nine hits, three for extra bases.  Sam and Lucas Michaud both singled in the first and after Sam scored on an error, Brad Sowerby’s RBI brought home Lucas.  Philip Densmore rewarded Sowerby by reeling him home with a double of his own.  Maietta struck back in the bottom of the frame as Jon Vickers and Patrick Conley had singles with Vickers scoring as Ryan Gilboy reached base.  But, with what proved to be the theme of the day, Christian Guignard singled in the second and scored later on an error.  Every time Maietta laid the foundation of a comeback, NET stomped their footprints into the mix and squashed the rally with an answer of their own.    

After a double steal by Eben Babbidge and Cole Lemelin in the second, Babbidge was able to score on an error to pull Maietta within two.  Andrew Roberts worked the count and walked and Maietta had the bases loaded once “A-Rad” Radziucz was hit by a pitch.  Once again, NET responded with a picture-perfect throw and catch between the Michaud battery-mates and cut down a speedy Lemelin hoping to score on a passed ball.  Maietta was back at the drawing board, down 4-2.  NET got the run back though as Andrew Hodge tripled to lead of the third and then scored on a Sacrifice fly off the bat of Lucas Michaud.

Things stayed close in the fourth after a Kevin Jackson lead off single and score on errors.  Michael Joys fielded a grounder cleanly at fourth and flipped to Vickers on the bag to keep the lead runner off second.  When the NET runner reached second and attempted to advance on a passed ball, Dylan Reny mowed him down like dry grass under the blade of a John Deere.  Tristan Foley applied the tag and Joey DiBiase was able to strike out the batter and get out of the jam.

After Maietta failed to bring home two runners in the bottom of the fourth, NET extended their lead as Tyler Gagne scored on an error and then Sowerby ripped an RBI single that scored two.  Maietta loaded the bases in the bottom half and then again in the sixth, but only managed two runs.

The action continues tomorrow and Monday.  Bring a chair, some sunscreen and enthusiasm and cheer on these players!

Box Score

MAJOR BASEBALL WEEK 9 RECAP 

June 16, 2008

Maietta 9, Willows 2

Wilkinson Park – If the timeless adage that “defense wins championships” is gospel, Maietta Construction will need three more defensive gems like the one they turned in Monday evening if they hope to hoist the 2008 league trophy.  Outstanding defense set the tone and then allowed Maietta to build a lead and, finally, close out a last inning rally attempt by Willows.

Maietta followed a one-two-three top of the first with three runs on doubles by Joey DiBiase and Dylan Reny and an RBI single by Patrick Conley (one of two RBI on the day).  In the third, Michael Joys snared a hard hopping grounder off the bat of Joey Gleason, wheeled in a pirouet that would have made Baryshnikov proud, and threw out the speedy twelve-year old at first.  Cole Lemelin, cool as the shade on a hot summer’s day, chalked up the second out of the inning with a grab of a deep, Trevor Borelli fly ball to the wall in center.  Maietta used the quick stints in the field to keep their bats hot.  In the third and fourth, DiBiase, Jon Vickers Tristan Foley and Andrew Roberts all had singles and Eben Babbidge chipped in with an RBI double as Maietta extended their lead to 7-0.

Willows bats awoke in the fifth and Willows appeared ready to make a charge. Dan Hodgkins notched his second hit of the night with a hard double to left before scoring on Chris Mitchell’s single.  It looked like the scorebook would be filled with more blackened diamonds as Griffin Henderson hit a hard grounder off pitcher Ryan Gilboy’s glove.  Thinking quickly, however, third baseman Eben Babbidge changed course, grabbed the grounder and quickly flipped the ball to Vickers at second for the force out.  Brett Soucy collected his second hit of the evening before Conley was called in to pitch and record the final two outs with K’s.

This was a night of defense and it would be defense again that squelched a sixth inning storm by Willows.  After two walks, rookie Ryan, “R2,” O’Riordon entered the game and was rudely welcomed by a hard single by Joey Gleason.  R2 refused to wilt under the do-or-die pressure knowing he had solid defense behind him.  Roberts ranged to his right and knocked down a hard grounder by Borelli that allowed DiBiase to make the force at second.  After Reny threw a dart to DiBiase at second (gunning down his twelfth would-be-base stealer of the season), Willows balloon was burst and O’Riordon retired the side with a strike out.

The victory sets up a much anticipated rematch between Maietta and Northeast Turf (Tuesday; 5:30) with the winner to face Ruby Tuesday in the championship game(s) on Wednesday (Thursday too, if necessary).  The winner will also join Ruby as the second representative from SPALL against SPNLL’s top two teams in a single-elimination city-wide championship.

Box Score

 June 18, 2008

Northeast Turf 8, Maietta 7

Semi-Finals

Wilkinson Park – The blast of wind that blew through South Portland around 7:15 Wednesday night was actually the patrons at Wilkinson Park letting out their collective breath after the game-ending out in the League semi-finals between Northeast Turf and Maietta Construction.  In the bottom of the sixth, with the bases loaded, two outs and trailing 8-7, Maietta’s Andrew Roberts drove an 0-2 pitch up the middle with what looked like the game winning hit.  As the ball passed second, however, NET shortstop Sam Michaud ranged to his left like an early model Kirby sucking up dust bunnies.  Once he gathered the ball, Michaud stepped on second for the force out and a date with Ruby Tuesday in Thursday’s championship.

            The game had resumed Wednesday after being suspended because of thunder on Tuesday.  The major thunder Tuesday though came in the form of NET bats as Lucas Michaud and Phil Densemore both crushed singles and later scored.  The inning could have been more ginormous for NET had Cole Lemelin, Joey DiBiase and Dylan “Tek” Reny not combined on a perfect relay play off Densemore’s single.  The damage was kept to two runs as Tristan Foley handled a lazy fly ball at first to end the inning.  When play resumed, Patrick Conley was at third with two strikes on Ryan Gilboy and two out.  Smart baserunning allowed Conley to score on a wild pitch as Maietta pulled within one.

            In the second and third, Tucker Carter and Lucas Michaud each laced RBI doubles to give NET a 6-1 cushion.  Throughout the season, Maietta had been more resilient than the concession stand’s concrete siding and tonight would be no different.  After J-Vick and Conley walked to lead off the fourth, Reny hammered an RBI single and Ryan Gilboy notched two RBI of his own with a double to the wall in center.  Gilboy was rewarded with an all expense paid trip to home thanks to a two bagger by Eben Babbidge.  After four, NET led 6-5.

            Meanwhile, Patrick Conley (5+ IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 6 K) was limiting the damage done by NET’s potent bats as he retired batters 7-12 in order in the fourth and fifth thanks to flawless infield defense by DiBiase, Gilboy, Vickers and Foley.  When Aaron Radziucz hit a hard one out single to right and later scored on J-Vick’s single, the game was tied 6-6.  If not for a relay cannon from Sam Michaud to lil’ brother Lucas to cut down the go-ahead run at the plate and then a Hodge to Michaud put-out at the plate on a delayed steal, NET would have been peering up from the abyss instead of knotted at six. 

            This game had more twists and turns than a Stephen King thriller, however, as NET teammates Lucas Michaud and Densemore scored two out runs in the top of the sixth with what appeared to be what we in the “construction business” like to call “the final turn of the screw.”  With one foot in the grave though, Maietta pulled within one as Lemelin, facing a 3-2 count, tuned out the distractions and laid off ball four to force in a run from third.  That set the stage for yet another two strike count.  This time, Sam Michaud held onto the ball as Andrew Hodge and NET held on for the win.

Box Score