By The TimesLedger
Major Division
14th Avenue Auto defeated a tough Golden Autobody team behind the pitching of Jose Barcena and Mike Berndt. 14th Avenue opened the scoring in the first on a single by David Burgermeister and a line drive home run by Mike Berndt. Kevin Otis drove in three on a solid double in the third followed by RBI singles from Andrew Lehr and Kevin Fuchs. For Golden, Danny Munoz pitched well over the final three innings, Daniel Kim played excellent defense in left field and Aaron Weiner played solidly behind the plate.
In a come-from-behind victory, Pizza Chef defeated Mario’s Pizzeria by a score of 13-10. Mario’s Pizzeria got off to a quick five-run lead in the first inning. Matthew Santeufemia held Pizza Chef’s first seven batters hitless while allowing three walks. Adam Breidbart then delivered a solid single to right field in the second inning to trigger a two-run rally. Keith Lippert then settled down and held Mario’s Pizzeria scoreless over his final two innings to keep his team in the game. Pizza Chef’s offense then began to wake up in the fourth and fifth innings, scoring a total of 11 runs. They were led by a grand slam homer by Ricardo Perez and runs scored by Jean Garcia, Robert Vetro and Michael Lahana. Behind the strong pitching of Steve Fadis and strong defense of Nick Difalco and Nick Palazzolo, Pizza Chef was able to hold off a five-run rally by Mario’s Pizzeria in the bottom of the fifth and held on for the victory with a scoreless sixth inning.
Minor Division
Despite a valiant comeback, the DG Tornados lost to CJ's Woodworking, Inc. by a score of 9-8. CJ's Woodworking opened up a seven-run lead in the first inning. The Tornados, behind a double by Lucas Siminovsky and a home run by Brian Finnerty, began chipping away at the lead. Behind the strong pitching of Chris Cacioppo and Brian Finnerty, the Tornados continued to stay in the game. The Tornados added four runs in the third inning, including runs scored by Rory Silver and Justin Diaz. Down by three runs in the bottom of the sixth Anthony Bonjac led off with a double and then scored on a triple by Eric Breidbart, who later scored on an RBI by Kevin Conklin. However, CJ's Woodworking pitcher, Niko Stefanopoulos, threw a strikeout to end the comeback.
Eurotech Auto defeated Cristom Construction, 11-3. Michael Lowery of Cristom and Pat Berndt of Eurotech pitched masterfully, as each recorded three shutout innings to open the game. In the fourth, Eurotech's offense awoke as they scored four runs on RBIs by Pat Flynn and Will Neubauer. Cristom bounced back on a two-run homer by Joey Depperman, who added a solo shot in the sixth. Eurotech widened the lead in the fifth and sixth, as Nick Katakalides knocked in five runs on a pair of extra base hits and pitched strongly over the final three innings for the win.
Eurotech Auto, behind the arms of Pat Berndt and Will Neubauer, defeated the DG Tornados, 12-4. First inning hits by Brian Kelley, Pat Berndt, Nick Katakalides and Will Neubauer set the table, as Kenny Lehr cleared the bases with a grand slam for Eurotech. The Tornados bounced back with three runs of their own in the second and played well defensively throughout the game with solid plays in the infield from Eric Breidbart, Chris Cacioppo, Kevin Conklin and Brian Finnerty. For Eurotech, Stephan Foley (3-for-3) and Stephan Stahura contributed important hits and Dennis Brennan provided strong defense behind the plate.
