By The TimesLedger
Major Division
Led by the strong pitching of Mike Berndt and Jose Barcena, 14th Avenue Automotive came from behind to defeat previously unbeaten Pizza Chef, 16-9. Strong pitching from Keith Lippert and hits from Nick Palazzolo, Jean Garcia and Ricardo Perez gave Pizza Chef an early 3-0 lead. 14th Avenue fought back to tie on hits by Andrew Lehr, an RBI-single by Mike Berndt and a two-run single by Joe Angenbroich. In the third, 14th Avenue broke the game open with seven runs, but Pizza Chef gamely fought back in the top of the fourth with three of their own to make the score 10-8. An RBI-single by Kevin Otis in the bottom of the fourth and a three-run blast in the fifth off the bat of Jose Barcena sealed the victory for 14th Avenue.
Rotavale Elevator defeated 14th Avenue Automotive, 8-5. 14th Avenue broke out early with four runs in the first inning, sparked by a two-run double from Kevin Otis (3-for-3, two RBIs). The pitching of Mike Berndt held Rotavale in check until the third when hits by Jason Brandes and Joe Maiolo helped Rotavale put three runs on the board. The game remained close and Rotavale was able to nail down the win when second baseman Shannon Kern made a fine defensive play to shut down 14th Avenue’s comeback bid in the fifth.
Minor Division
Eurotech Automotive, behind the strong arms of Pat Berndt and Will Neubauer, squeezed out an 11-8 win over the DG Tornados. Four first-inning runs on a two-run home run by Nick Katakalides and a two-run triple by Kenny Lehr got Eurotech out to an early lead. Eurotech widened the lead in the third on hits by Brian Kelley, Michael McCann and RBIs by Pat Berndt, Pat Flynn, Steven Stahura and Steven Foley. The Tornados put together a four-run rally in the third, highlighted by Chris Cacioppo’s three-run triple and added four more in the fifth to make the final score 11-8. Fine defensive work in the outfield from Dennis Brennan and George Theofonis, plus Manny Barcena’s great work behind the plate contributed to Eurotech’s win.
