By Anthony Bosco
The Midville Dodgers college team won just one of four games over the weekend against the two top team in the Federation Amateur Baseball League, splitting a doubleheader with Throgs Neck Saturday and losing the first game of a twin bill with the Condors Sunday before the second game was called after the fifth inning with the teams locked in a 2-2 tie.
Throgs Neck, the first place team with a record of 8-5, won the opener of Saturday’s doubleheader 6-4, scoring two runs in the sixth to break a 4-4 tie on two hits and an error, spoiling what had been a standout relief performance by Midville’s Robert Benjamin.
“He made impressions on several of the [major league] scouts in attendance,” said Midville manager Berg Beagle. “He was clocked at 88 mph.”
Benjamin fanned 10 in 4 2/3 innings in relief of Dodgers’ starter Anthony Giampalo, who was wild early, walking four, allowing two hits and throwing one wild pitch.
Midville took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Danny Echevarria tripled and scored on a wild pitch, but Throgs Neck scored twice in the bottom of the inning when Giampalo walked three, hit a batter and threw a wild pitch.
Throgs Neck added another in the second, Giampalo walked in a run and a wild throw on a sacrifice allowed the third run to cross the plate.
The Dodgers came back to take a 4-3 lead in the third when Tommy Maroon singled, Mike Giampilis reached on a fielder’s choice, Jefferson Infante doubled to right and Ron Scrimenti singled up the middle.
The lead lasted until the fifth inning when Benjamin finally got touched for a run, giving up a walk, stolen base and a single to tie the game at 4.
Two hits and an error in the sixth gave Throgs Neck the lead for good and, though it managed to put the tying run on base in the seventh, Midville was unable to bring home the equalizer.
In the nightcap, despite giving up just four hits all day, Midville had to come back from 5-2 deficit with two runs in the sixth inning to win 6-5 and salvage the split.
The Dodgers took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Echevarria’s sac fly scored the first run of the game. Echevarria tripled in the third to make the score 2-0, but was thrown out at home while trying to score on the play.
All of Throgs Neck’s offense came in the third and fourth innings, scoring five runs — only two of which were earned.
Midville came right back with two in the fourth with a walk by Ron Scrimenti — who scored on a throwing error by the Throgs Neck catcher — David Spinner reaching on a error, Eric Zinke reached safely on a force play and a single by Edwin Mejia to score Zinke.
The Dodgers won the game in the sixth as Scrimenti led off with a single and Spinner tripled to score pinch-runner Rudy Mejia. Edwin Mejia’s sac fly to center scored Spinner for the final score of 6-5.
Ken Ward pitched the complete game win, his third of the season, allowing just four hits, striking out five and not allowing a hit during the final three innings.
The following day, Ramone Valenzuela was the hard lick loser for the Dodgers in the team’s first game against the Condors, a 2-1 loss. Valenzuela had a two-hitter heading into the seventh inning and a 1-0 lead before the Condors took it away.
Midville led for most of the game, scoring in the first inning on a double by Echevarria, who came home on a wild pick-off attempt. Three of Midville’s six hits in the game came in the first inning, but the Dodgers were only able to plate the single run.
Valenzuela cruised until the seventh when a leadoff double and error put a runner on third with no outs. But a ground ball and play at the plate kept the Condors off the board. That’s where Midville’s luck would end.
Another ground ball that could have been a force at second was thrown away. A walk and sacrifice put runners on second and third with two outs for the Condors’ Joe Ciccone, who promptly tripled to right-center to score both runs and win the game.
The second game of the doubleheader was called after five innings because of darkness with the teams tied, 2-2. Juan Carlos Maldonado’s two-out single in the fifth scored John Sikirc to tie the game at one and Maroon worked a walk after falling into an 0-2 hole later in the inning with the bases loaded to give Midville the lead.
But Angel Munoz, who reached on a bunt single, scored in the bottom of the inning on a throwing error to tie the game.
Midville is now 8-7-1 in league play.
Reach Sports Editor Anthony Bosco by e-mail at TimesLedgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 130.
