Game Highlights 2005

The weather prognosticators predicted dyer weather for the May 15 Opening Day of the 2005 season, but Mother Nature smiled upon us and gave us only some gray skies with even a few peaks of the sun as all games were played under very good weather conditions. There were mostly familiar faces as the league attracted the return of a majority of its players from last season, although there were some new players enjoying their first experience with Sunday Morning Softball. Of all the day's winners, none of the home teams could make their last at-bat advantage count, as all the contests were won by the Away teams.

As Coach for “Forever Young” I’d have to say this was the most exciting game our team has played in the “Easton Sunday Morning League”. Both teams battled it out for 7 innings. The game had a total of 38 hits during the game. The game recap is long, but well worth reading.

Jeff Costello, in the 2^nd inning hit an inside the park HR to give Forever Young a 1 run lead. As the inning continued the team extended its lead to 5 – 0 on a two run double from Brian Owens. The lead, however, would not last too long. Thanks to 2 solo HR blasts from John Avila, Jayme Machardo and a 2 run homer from Craig Romaine, Block Buster cut the lead to 1 run in favor of Forever Young. In the 3^rd inning a two run double by Jayme Machardo put Block Buster ahead 7- 5. As the game headed to the 4^th inning, both teams had displayed great excitement for the day. It would continue and end as a thriller. To start the 4^thinning Ricky Winn hit a line drive single, followed by a HR smash from Mike Brown and a double by Brian Owens for an 11 - 7 Forever Young lead. At this point in the game, it seemed as if the momentum was on the side of Forever Young. However, Block Buster would not have it that way as they would tie the game again 11 - 11. They then took a two run lead 13 - 11 in the 5^th inning on a sharp single by John Avila. After single runs by both teams in the 6^th, Forever Young would trail 14 -12 as they started the 7^th. Being down two runs, the team would battle its way to a 1 run lead on a HR by Brian Owens and a key hit of the game, a 2 run double from Eric Silverman. Although Forever Young had the lead, they knew that the game was not over as they had to face the power of Block Busters batting order in the bottom of the 7^thinning. After two quick line drive outs and a single by Block Buster this very exciting game came to an end on a catch by Mike Fisher in left field.

One might ask after reading this game summary, was there any defense played? That is what made this game so good, as Forever Young received several great defensive highlight plays from Mike Fisher, Brian Morrissey in the outfield and the infield.

Offensively both teams had several stars. Brian Owens of Forever Young led the attack with 3 hits and 5 RBI’s. While Mike Fisher the games defensive star showed he also could swing the bat by collecting three hits, 2 runs and 2 RBI’s on the day. Several players for Forever Young contributed with 2 hits Ricky Winn, Ari Solaman, Brian Reardon, Mike Brown and Eric Silverman, (one being the winning 2 run double).

As for Block Buster, their star hitters all hit home runs and collected 2 more hits each, John Avila, Jayme Machardo and Craig Romaine with two HR’s. They also made good defensive plays in the outfield one of them robbing Coach Mohan for Forever Young of a hit at the fence.

Both sides walked away from the game commenting that was a great game. It had to be when an umpire states it was good and fun to umpire. If fans paid to see this game, they would have gotten a lot of good hitting and defense for their money.

We overcame a 7 run first inning deficit shut them down the rest of the way and rallied back with 5 in the 7^th to edge out last year’s regular season division champions.

FOREVER YOUNG GOES DOWN TO DEFEAT 11 - 10 VS WEEKEND WARRIORS!!!

What a win for the Warriors as they pulled it out with 5 runs in the top of the 7th to give Forever Young their first loss in two years. Twice the Warriors fought to come from behind. They trailed 6 - 0 after the first inning, but managed to get back in the game with 5 runs early in the game. Forever Young took a three run lead in the 5th and then stranded a runner at third base in the 6th. They did however have a three run lead into the 7th before the Warriors scored 5 to go ahead. In the bottom of the 7th the tough Forever Young team like it has so many times in two years nearly pulled a victory out again with their last at bat. With two down and nobody on Forever Young got a single followed by a rbi triple from Matt Young giving the team a chance to tie. However, the Warriors held off Forever Young for the win 11 - 10. Although the players from Forever Young took their first loss in two years they congratulated every Warrior player on a much deserved win with their come back in the 7th.

Coach!
Neal

FOREVER YOUNG GETS BACK TO WINNING 14 - 8 OVER GANG GREEN!

On a hot Sunday Morning both teams would start off somewhat cold offensively. David Belanger pitcher for Gang Green was mesmerizing the bats of Forever Young until the 5th inning. Before the inning started Coach Mohan pulled his team together to say, all game long their pitcher has been playing with our heads at the plate, we need to focus and wait longer in order to score and win this game. The team would respond with 6 runs to break up a close game 5 - 3. Mike Brown would get the scoring started with a single to be followed by a triple from Brian Reardon for a run. Chris Herr would then keep the inning going with a sharp single, followed by a double by Eric Silverman that set the tone for what was to be the key hit of the inning, a two run single from Coach Mohan giving Forever Young an 8 - 3 lead. As the game progressed Ricky Winn would continue to pitch a good game in the heat for Forever Young. His effort on the day was supported by great defense from Matt Urban who according to Coach Mohan made about 9 put outs in Left Field. Matt would later receive the game ball for his play. Offensively for Forever Young, Brian Reardon led the team with 4 hits, 2 runs and 2 RBIs. He had help a long the way from pitcher Ricky Winn with 4 hits, Mike Brown 3 hits, 2 runs, 3 RBIs. Several collected 2 hits Chris Herr, Matt Urban, Tom Williams, Ralph Deckert and coach Mohan. All day he set the offense by getting on base 4 out of 5 at bats. As the team left the field Coach Mohan congratulated his players for finding a way to hit pitcher David Belanger of Gang Green. Then he joked to his team, it was a great job by the "Senior Citizen Outfield" the older members of the squad.

Coach!
Neal

Powerhouse Midlife Crisis were defeated 6 - 0 Sunday in Raynham. Winners of their first three games, averaging 17 runs per game, the bats of Midlife Crisis were held silent for seven innings by the crafty pitching of veteran Mark McGill. Mc Gill pitched a gem and was backed up by a stingy defense and timely hitting.

Scoreless entering the top of the second, The Crush scrapped for one run on an RBI single by right fielder Wayne Cordoso. Holding Midlife scoreless in the bottom half of the inning, The Crush scored two more in the third on consecutive singles by Dolan, Medeiros, Mastrolia, Daisy, and Goonan.

The game was a match-up of two 3 - 1 teams and division leaders to see who would come out on top. It also was to be a game that the “Long Shots” had been looking forward to playing for some time. For last year they took a beating from Forever Young 33 to 7. This year their coach, Richard Taylor felt his team had improved a great deal to give Forever Young a tough game. As the players for Forever Young, prepared to take the field in the first inning, coach Mohan told his team to be ready for a tough game against the Long Shots. Although the final score was 14 to 7, it did not reflect how close a game it was for five innings. It would be a victory of sorts for the Long Shots who had a chance to win until the bottom of the 5^th inning. As coach of Forever Young, “I’d have to say the Long Shots not only had improved from last year, but look to be strong contenders in the Raynham Division this year”.

Heading into the bottom of the 5^th inning Forever Young had an 8 to 5 slim lead. It was then that they broke it open 14 to 5 with 6 runs in the 5^th and 6^th innings. Jeff Costello, Tom Williams, Mike Fisher would get the action going with three hits in a row before a 2 run shot high of the fence in center field for a double by Brian Owens put the game away for Forever Young.

After the game coach Mohan of Forever Young had some tough decisions to make as to who would receive a game ball. So many deserved one, but on this day three balls would be handed out. Rookie Tom Williams who had 3 hits, 3 runs & 3 RBI’s would get the first game ball. Brian Morrissey who made an “ESPN WEB GEM” on a ball hit deep to RCF against the fence would get the second game ball. I’d have to say “it was a play that put an end to any momentum the Long Shots appeared to be gaining” say’s Forever Young coach. Aside from a great catch by Morrissey he collected 2 hits and would score twice. He was not alone with 2 hits as the team would get 2 a peace from Mike Brown, Mike Fisher, Brian Owens, Chris Herr and Ralph Deckert.

As the teams were getting ready to leave the field to celebrate and remember Father’s Day, the final game ball was awarded to Eric Silverman for scoring the winning run. Being Father’s Day, it was a very memorable moment for Eric as he lost his Father in February of this year.

Following up last week's 1 hit shutout of Midlife Crisis the Crush stifled the Stoutmen with superb pitching and flawless defense, especially by their short stop, Bob Goonan, who covered the position like a net. The Stoutmen put the ball in play but had every potential rally snuffed out before it could get going by some kind of sparkling defensive play.

Usually we welcome a cloudless sunny day for playing our Sunday morning schedule, but on this particular Sunday, June 26th, a few clouds and even a passing shower, albeit a light shower, would have been welcome. The conditions were warm but bearable as the 8:00 games got underway, but by time the 9:30 and 11:00 teams took the field the temperature on the field soared to over 100 degrees. It was exceptionally hot and the dust kept kicking up but we persevered to play our usual competitive and crisp brand of softball.

The Weekend Warriors out-slugged the Good, Bad, & Ugly; the Crush and Blockbusters dominated their games; and the Long Shots, Free Agents, and Forever Young just edged out their opponents.

Forever Young Wins Battle of Division Leaders in A Close One 11- 9 Over Midlife Crisis!!!

What a game between the two best teams of the league so far this season. A total of 37 hits were scattered all over the field with the key one coming in the 6^th by Brian Morrissey to capture the win for Forever Young.

The team took a 4 – 0 lead early before Midlife Crisis rallied to score 6 runs in the 3^rd on 5 hits to go ahead. In the 4^th they extended their lead 8 – 4 again with 5 hits. At this point in the game the lead had changed twice. It would again in the 5^th when Forever Young collected 6 hits for 5 runs 9 – 8 lead. Three singles from Brian Owens, Coach Mohan and Brian Morrissey got things going before a line drive to RCF by Jeff Costello for an inside the park home run put Forever Young ahead 9 – 8. The way this game was going it was no surprise to see Midlife Crisis tie it up 9 – 9 in the bottom of the 5^th.

Enough was enough Forever Young players said to one another, lets shut them down with good defense and we will win this game. Thanks to the excellent clutch pitching from Ricky Winn and some key hits offensively by Brian Morrissey and Ari Solomon in the 6^th & 7^th innings the team took the lead 11 – 9 for the final time to capture a tough win.

Offensively on the day Forever Young had 6 players collect 2 or more hits each. Brian Morrissey and Coach Mohan lead the hit parade with 3 hits a peace followed by two hits each by Jeff Costello, Tom Williams, Brian Reardon and Chris Herr. Every member of the team collected a hit for a total of 20.

As the team left to celebrate its win with a few cold ones on this very hot day, some of the players commented that the Midlife Crisis was a very good team and that the leagues overall talent has improved a lot. It’s a fun league and well run by Mike Graff many players stated.

Forever Young Beats Stout Men In Re-Match of 2004 Division Finals.

Forever Young came out hot as they scored 21 runs by the 3rd. Ricky Winn, (who pitched another good game) put his team ahead in the 1st with a sharp 2 run single. In the 2nd the team broke the game open by scoring 8 runs on 7 hits for a score of 12 to 0. By the end of the 3rd, Jeff Costell put the game away with a 2 run triple. All in all he was the MVP for Forever Young on this day, as he collected a single, 2 doubles and a triple. He scored 2 runs and knocked in 3 rbi's for the day. The team collected 26 hits, 8 for extra bases. It was very impressive day for Forever Young on offense, as all 14 players had a hit or more. The team ended up with 9 players having at least 2 hits each. Aside from Jeff going 4 for 4, Ricky Winn had 2 hits, 2 runs, 3 rbi's, Chris Herr 2 for 3 with 2 runs, 3 rbi's & Eric Silverman not only ended up with the game winning hit in the 2nd, he also collected 2 hits, 2 runs, 2 rbi's. Ralph Deckard, Dean Doorman, Matt Urban and Mike Brown contributed 2 hits each, while Tom Williams continues to swing a hot bat collected 3 hits for the team.

It was a fun day at the plate for Forever Young, but not so for the Stout Men group. They will have better day's ahead as they did not reach the championship game last year for nothing. On the tough day for the team, Bob Leadbetter and Scott Millman each had 2 hits for their team.

Although the score ended up 23 to 9, a win for Forever Young, the Stout Men team did not lower their heads while walking away. They knew that the team will get back on track with a practice or two.

Coach!
Neal

The Dogs came out hot early with 5 hits and 4 runs in the first to take the lead over Forever Young. It stayed 4 to 0 until the 3rd when Forever Young scored 4 runs. Mike Brown had the key hit a 2 run double of the inning that put Forever Young ahead. In the 4th Brian Reardon, who had three hits on the day, collected a two run double as part of a 7 run inning for Forever Young. Reardon also made some great defensive plays on the day to help his team get its 7th win of the season.

Offensively Forever Young collected 21 hits with every player getting a hit aside from Coach Neal. He did contribute in a way by striking out. Now he must buy the 30 pack of beer for his team to enjoy. Brian Reardon collected 3 hits, 2 runs and 3 rbi's for his team. The teams outstanding rookie Tom Williams continues to have a hot bat with a 3 for 3 day. Ralph Deckard, the oldest member on the team showed his speed with a swinging bunt to go along with two more hits. Ari Soloman and Brian Owens had two hits each to help the team win.

Ricky Winn pitched a very solid game with two broken fingers that he did not tell his coach until after the game. It was a gutsy performance. Mike Fisher & Brian Morrissey backed Ricky up defensively with their steady performance in the outfield.

These two Division Leaders had this game targeted on their schedules all season as it was a game that would tell who really was the best Sunday Morning Softball Team of 2004 and this season. By no means do we take away what Stout Men did last year with their upset win over undefeated Forever Young in the Easton Finals to gain the honor of playing the championship game. However, to a man in the league every one knew who the two best teams were all season.

As for the game this past Sunday, Free Agents deserved to win. Players of Forever Young commented after their worst loss in three years, “that nobody could have beaten the Free Agents today”. They hit the ball all over the field and their pitching was excellent. It was a huge offensive day for the Free Agent team as every player in their roster collected a hit to slaughter Forever Young. By the end of the 4th inning what was to be a great game ended up being over early as Free Agents held an 11 to 2 lead behind the pitching efforts of Sean D'Acci. Through 4 innings Sean had pitched a gem, as he held Forever Young to 2 runs on 7 hits, while facing only 20 batters. With such a strong performance from Sean, his team gained all the confidence it needed to win, for they knew the game was in good hands with Sean on the hill. Coach Paul Gobin for Free Agents, stated his catcher, "Mike Laubenstein made all the right calls behind the plate" to help lead Sean and his team to a victory.

Offensively Free Agents had many stars on the day. Harry McKinsley Mr. MVP of the game for Free Agents collected 4 hits & 3 RBI's. His triple in the 5th and the 6 runs his team got ended any chance that Forever Young had of making a comeback. Aside from the efforts of Harry, every player on Free Agents had a hit. The team had a total of 26 hits for the day. Other offensive stars for Free Agents, Arthur McDonald, 3 hits and 3 RBI's, Rob Hannigan 3 hits & 2 RBI's, Chris Kasanowsky 4 hits & 2 RBI's, Mike Laubenstein 2 hits & Greg, Sean, Scott and Steve 2hits each on the day.

For Forever Young offensively it was only the third time that all of their players did not get a hit. Three of their players did manage to have a good day at the plate, but it did not mean anything as their team took a beating. Forever Young’s top hitting performers of the game were Jeff Costello 4 hits, Brian Morrissey 3 hits & 3 RBI's, Coach Neal 3 hits and 2 RBI's.

After the game as both teams lined up to shake hands, players felt they could meet once again in the leagues championship game. Coach Paul for Free Agents in a recent e-mail to Neal Coach of Forever Young said, "We just have a team like yours, one that can hit & field and a bunch off guys that just like to play ball on Sunday; one game don't mean much, so I may still see you again this year in the Championship Game (if we both make it)". As the coach for Forever Young, Paul might be right, but it still will be a hard road ahead for both. If both teams meet again in the championship game, fans who come to watch will get their moneys worth. The rivalry between Free Agents and the Forever Young team one could say is similar to a Yankee and Red Sox one. Two very good teams that play hard and want to beat one another badly.

Behind the pitching and hitting efforts of Ricky Winn, Forever Young gets back to its winning ways. Ricky’s pitching kept the bats and runs of Good Bad & Ugly under complete control all game. He helped himself on the mound offensively scoring 3 runs and knocking in 3.

As for the game it was pretty much over after three innings as Forever Young scored 8 runs on 9 timely hits. A two run single by Coach Neal in the second opened up a 6 to 1 lead for Forever Young. Although Kirk Beloli smashed a triple to knock in the first run for the Good Bad & Ugly, it did not matter on this day, as the defense and pitching for Forever Young was to tough. In the 5^th the game was pretty much put away with 4 runs on a triple by Ricky Winn and Matt Urban. With a 13 to 1 lead for Forever Young after the 5^th, the game was out of reach for the Good Bad & Ugly. To their credit the defense did continue to play hard behind superb catches by Kirk Beloli & David Wallace in the outfield. However, their offense could not get going against the pitching of Ricky Winn of Forever Young.

Offensively, Brian Morrissey lead Forever Young with 4 hits, Matt Urban 3 hits, Tom Williams 3 hits, Ricky Winn 2 hits, 3 Runs, 3 RBI’s and Coach Neal 3 hits with 2 RBI’s. The team collected a total of 24 hits on the day many of which were very timely. Chris Herr and Mike Brown contributed 2 hits each, while 5 others collected 1 hit to help the team get back on its winning ways after their toughest loss in three seasons last week.

Defensively aside from one bad inning, Forever Young had a strong performance. Matt Urban who was filling in for MR Gold Glove, Matt Urban had a very good game making 6 catches. As the game was coming to its end both teams and its fans in the stands got to see a play that does not occur often on a field. A ball was hit into to Right Center Field by the Good Bad & Ugly team that Mike Brown of Forever Young camped under to catch. He did not catch it; instead Brian Morrissey did on a tip pass from Mike for the out. Way to go Mike, you found a new way to get an assist in the outfield. Needless to say everyone who witnessed the play had to laugh. I’m sure some of the Good Bad & Ugly players were thinking to them selves how the heck do we get a hit when plays like that happen against us?

Peter Fredrickson hit a three run homer in the bottom of the 11th inning with 2 on and 2 out and we won by a score of 9-7 (we were down 7-6 going into the bottom of the 11th). The streak is broken.

Scot Kudcey
Men In Black

I have to say we played a great game! It was a loss and we did come up a little short... final was 19-17. But...Damn we played solid ball and at one point being down 11-1 we made a huge comeback and almost got the win. We played a gutsy game. The Stout Men never give up!

A couple of highlights: Brian with a huge game...3 hits one was a homerun down the right field line....got to say he has a sweet swing and he played a helluva 2B not bad for an outfielder. Jason also had 4 hits and was a huge catalyst for producing runs. Billy of course pitched a great game and shut down their offense...Billy only gave up 8 runs over the last 5 innings...what an accomplishment in softball and especially against a very strong offensive team.

All the Home teams were winners this past week, although not by wide margins and not easily. Three games were won by only 1 run, one game by 2 runs, a third game by 3, with the largest margin of victory by only 5 runs. And 3 of the games were won in the last at bat by the Home team.

"The Long Shots had a 7-run bottom of the 7th (vs Good, Bad, & Ugly) to take the victory 10-9. It was a well-played game by both sides with very few errors."

Longshots Win 10-9 Over the Pesky Good Bad & Ugly Team

It was a game that I knew would be close...At the end of the first inning we had a slim 3-0 lead that I knew wouldn't last long as their pitcher Chris Hebb had our number and held us scoreless for 5 innings ... when we got up in the bottom of the 7th we were down 9-3 when Tony Santos started off the inning with a triple that got the team pumped up ..then we had six straight hits and cut their led to 9-8 ....when Bruce Brown came to the plate with 2 outs and 2 men on and came through with a 2 run single to win the game for us!!!!! All in All it was a great team effort!!!! My hats off to the Good Bad & Ugly Team for playing a great game and despite their record I think they have a great team ...Who knows maybe we'll meet in the playoffs and have another great game !!!!!!

Rick Taylor
Longshots Captain

"Stout men played a great game. It was a close game(7-5 final) from beginning to end. (They played) very solid defense. Billy Lusky pitched a beautiful game and kept the Dirt Dawgs in check the entire way. Again defense was was key in this game as were some timely hits."

The Crush, playing short handed, managed to put up a gallant fight against the always tough to beat Forever Young team.

Midlife defeated G.B.U. 15-11 in a see-saw battle. In the first couple of innings we traded scores tit for tat. Behind some strong hitting, including Mike Tierney's 2-run in-the-park homerun, G.B.U. held the lead after 4 innings. But Midlife Crisis was not to be denied. Midlife scored 6 runs in the top of the 5th to regain the lead
for good. G.B.U. was only able to score 1 run after the 4th inning due to some great team defense by Midlife Crisis. Dan Rose of the Midlife Crisis most certainly had to be the game's MVP with some key at bats and
two spectacular defensive plays...a catch in deep left at the fence which most certainly would have scored two base runners for G.B.U. in an attempt to make a comeback. And then diving catch in the bottom of the
seventh to seal the game for the Midlife Crisis. With this win Midlife Crisis secured the number 1 seed in the playoffs for the Raynham division.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS-Sunday Aug 28th:

Stout Men, Great Win! We really played a fantastic game. Solid defense and timely hitting. A few highlights...Brian set the tone of the game with a great diving catch in right field in the 1st inning he also went 3-4. Unbelieveable! After that, there was solid defense to go all around. Considering we only had 3 outfielders...we covered the ground and made the plays. The infield made quite a few plays as well, especially Bobby at short...he has the range and the arm! And of course Billy kept the Uglies off balance with superb pitching finesse. As for the offense, clutch hitting was also involved and we got the hits with runners in scoring position. All I can say is we are in a groove having won 5out the last 7 and we are ready for the playoffs.

An 8run 4th inning for Forever Young was the difference in a back and fourth game with the Weekend Warriors. Many Forever Young players commented as they departed the field with a win, “that team can hit the ball”.

With the game tied 2 to 2 heading into the 2^nd inning, a home run by Todd Heino would give the Weekend Warriors a 5 run lead. In the 3^rd and 4^th innings the bats for Forever Young would come alive with 13 runs on 12 hits to take a lead 15 to 7. A three run single by Jeff Costello was the key hit of the 4^th inning for the Forever Young team. The on slought of runs in the two innings was very much needed for the team’s 12^th win, as the Weekend Warriors would storm back with their bats to make the final score close 23 to 17.

Mike Brown led the offense for Forever Young with 4 hits, 3 runs and 3 rbi’s. He got plenty of help along the way from Brian Morrissey, Jeff Costello, Mike Fisher and Ricky Winn as they collected 3 hits each. Rookie Dean Doorman had a huge day for the team with a 1b, 2b and 3b just a HR short of the cycle.

In every game there always seems to be one play or player that sparks a team to a victory. Forever Young would get it on this day from their MVP of the past three years, Ricky Winn. After breaking 2 ribs last week, the hopes of a championship seemed dim for the team. However, after the pitching and offensive performance from Ricky, players now know they are in good hands with their ace on the hill as they prepare for the playoffs.

With a slight chill still in the air for the 9:00am start of the last and deciding game of the 2005 season, the coin toss to determine the Home and Away teams was won by the Easton Division Champion Forever Young team. But Midlife Crisis took full advantage of their top of the 1st inning, making their opponent work hard to earn 3 elusive outs, but not before plating 10 runs. Then turning the tables in the next few innings by playing sparkling defense to deny Forever Young any real scoring opportunities, and at the same time building an insurmountable 17-0 lead. But the always aggressive and never-out-of-any-game Easton Champs began to peck away at the lead. But in the end falling short of a comeback by the final score of 19-14.

Midlife Crisis came out swinging in the top of the 1st inning scoring 10 runs on 12 hits, scoring 8 more runs over the next 3 innings. Forever Young answered with 5 runs in the 4th and 4 runs in the 5th after being held scoreless for the first 3 innings. The next 5 innings our bats went silent with 4 hits and scoring only 1 run. Forever Young made a late inning run scoring 5 more times in the last 2 innings, making this game a little too close for comfort. Final score Midlife Crisis 19 & Forever Young 14.

The Free Agents dispatched the Crush in the first game for the right to face Midlife Crisis in the Division Finals. Then Midlife Crisis and Free Agents battled to a 4-4 tie in the 5th inning until Midlife Crisis put together a big inning and then hung on the take the division crown.

Meanwhile, in Easton the Stout Men built an 8-2 lead against Weekend Warriors and managed to hang on against a 7th inning comeback 8-6. In the Division Finals game Forever Young plated 9 runs in their half of the 4th inning to take the division title by a score of 16-7.

1st game: We won 8-6 against the Weekend Warriors. We took an early lead that we never gave up. The first inning set the tone...Bob Meade made a beautiful catch of a line drive down the 3rd base line for the first out and then (I never like to mention myself in the summary but)... a running catch with my back to the plate to end the 1st inning. As Bobby Leadbetter said,"The defense set the tone". Also, Mike made an incredible catch in centerfield as he crashed into the fence...the leather was everywhere. After that, our offense kicked in. Kev with 3 solid hits and Scotty had a big game with 2 hits and a couple of rbis...welcome back Scott. Mike "Crash" Graff also had 2 hits. Billy pitched a beautiful game...and handled a couple of hot shots back to the mound.

Now onto the 2nd game: We came up short..losing 16-7 to Forever Young but....we put up a fight! We were behind after the first down by 4 but stayed in it with again GREAT "D" and timely hitting. The score was 6-4 in the 5th and then FY scored 8 runs...but we bounced back scoring 3 times in the 6th. It wasn't enough but..we gave 'em hell.

A few highlights: Scott made a great catch in right to end the first inning...he saved a couple of runs. And we made a sweet DP 7-6-4. And the outfield was busy again...our leftfielder made a couple of nice catches...one was crashing into the leftfield fence for an out and of course tearing up the knee... AGAIN. When will I learn...never. Larry...with beer in hand...ok it was on the ground next to him... made an almost great diving catch(should we blame the beer?). All of us were leaving it out on the field. As for offense, Bobby L. had 3 hits and played a great short. Jonas who was 2-3 ripped a double down the leftfield line which drove Scott home (beautiful slide). Billy again was pitching phenomenal and helped himself by collecting 2 hits and an rbi. You know what...we played loose!

In the Easton Division the Stout Men and Dirt Dawgs played 2 hotly contested games, including a 1-0 game that saw the Stout Men score the games only and winning run with 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th. The victory gave the Stout Men the edge in their best 2 of 3 series and propels them to Round 3 of the playoffs. The Blockbusters and Weekend Warriors played the 2nd game in their best 2 out of 3 series, with the Weekend Warriors evening the series at 1 game apiece. They will play their 3rd and deciding game at 8:00am on Sept 25th in a shortened 3 inning contest to determine who will do battle with the Stout Men in their Round 3 contest.

The Raynham Division saw the Free Agents and Crush take of business against their respective adversaries, Gang Green and Long Shots, to advance to their Round 3 showdown.

A 3 for 3 day, 2 RBI’s & 2 runs by Mike Fisher and ace pitcher Ricky Winn lead Forever Young to playoff win. As the team began the 6^th inning with an 8 to 0, a two run triple by Mike put the game away for Forever Young. Aside from Mike, Forever Young received good offense from Brian Morrissey, 3 hits, 2 runs, Tom Williams 2 runs, Ricky Winn 2 hits, a run & RBI and Coach Neal 2 hits. In all the team collected 19 hits on the day. It was a tough day at the plate for the, “Men In Black” team as, Forever Young” pitcher Ricky Winn did not allow many hits and was in control of the game all day.

Defensively Forever Young helped itself with a great diving catch by Mike Fisher in left field and two outstanding scoops on low throws to first from Mike Brown. The team also received good defense behind the plate with Ari Solomon taking care of some pop ups while the sun was shinning strong. The outstanding plays made by these players ended any rallies Men IN Black had in the game.

As Forever Young players left the field they felt its defense was good. However, they feel their offense needs to improve if they expect to win the Easton Division.