By The TimesLedger
The Midville Dodgers Junior team had a big week, winning all five of its games. Three of the wins came at the expense of the Bayside Yankees Nationals. Besides dealing with Bayside, the young Dodgers also managed to wrap up the Westchester Baseball Association title by sweeping Shrub Oak. Midville will travel to Maryland on Wednesday to compete in the National Amateur Baseball Federation regional playoffs.
On Wednesday, the Dodgers sent pitching ace Kevin Conlin to the mound to take on the Bayside Yankees Nationals. Conlin scattered six hits, striking out seven. The Dodgers’ defense was exceptional, especially the combination of shortstop Vinny Johnson and second baseman Denson Ambrose. The duo turned in three double plays to stifle any Yankee comeback.
The Dodgers’ offense exploded for four runs in the first inning, which was all they needed en route to a 8-3 victory. Once again the sparkplug of the Dodger attack was Johnson (2-for-3). Mike Dietz (2-for-3) and Anthony Bruno (2-for-4) fueled the Dodgers’ express.
The Dodgers traveled to Shrub Oak on Saturday to take a pair and capture the WBA division championship and earn right to play in the regional tournament. Pitching performance by Eddie Kaminsky in game one were outstanding, striking out seven and scattering five hits and in game two, Frank Russo and Jimmy Calamia combined for the win. Ambrose (2-for-2_ Kevin Conlin (2-for-3) Andrew Pfeffer (3-for-4) Kaminsky (3-for-3) and Mike Manetta (3-for-4) led the offense.
On Sunday, the Dodgers completed a sweep of a doubleheader of the Bayside Yankees with two hard-fought victories at Juniper Valley Park.
In the opener, Midville Dodgers ace hurler Conlin threw four innings of two-hit ball with five strikeouts and relievers Kaminsky and Russo allowed four hits and fanned four to finish off the Yankees. Midville’s bats collected nine hits with Johnson picking up two big hits.
Conlin (2-for-3) contributed to his own cause and woke up the Midville offense with a booming solo homer to left field. Andriotis broke the game open with a two-out, bases-clearing three-run double. Kaminsky ( 2-for-2) drove in two runs, as the Dodgers cruised to 10- 6 victory.
In the nightcap, Calamia went the distance in a nail-biter, as the Dodgers completed 6-5 win and the sweep. Calamia and the Dodgers spotted Bayside three first-inning runs on three errors, but he and the Dodgers defense managed to right themselves. Calamia scattered six hits to get the victory.
Dodger batters went to work with Conlin going 2-for-4, Russo 2-for-2 and Andriotis going 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Kaminsky sealed the win with a clutch two-run homer.
Midville Dodgers Seniors top FABL, will represent league in NABF Playoffs in Maryland
The 17- and 18-year-old Midville Dodger Senior team is playoff bound. The Dodgers will represent the Federation of Amateur Baseball Leagues (FABL) in the National Amateur Baseball Federation regional playoffs in Maryland to be held July 26 to July 29.
The Dodgers have played 21 games this season and lost only one game, a 5-3 rain shortened five-inning loss to the Long Island Tigers. They have since beaten the Tigers twice and their overall playing record is a remarkable 18-1 with two ties. Coaches Jim Gleason and John Maser had high praise for the team.
“They never quit and come to play everyday,” Gleason said. “They have come from behind five times down two or more runs in the final two innings. We have a great blend of pitching, defense, speed and offense.”
This past week the Dodgers defeated the LI Reds, 7-3, at Juniper Valley Park behind pitcher Ken Gleason, who spun a six-hitter, with Karl Steingrubner picking up the save with one inning of relief. Nick Theoharis had two hits, Mike Agliorloro tripled in a run and Phil Kuhner doubled in another run.
The Dodgers then beat the LI Mariners, 9-6, at Suffolk Community College as Stiengrubner’s mammoth home run over the 350-foot mark and Sean Bells’ off-the-wall triple sparked the offense. Billy Miller smacked two hits and had two RBIs for the Dodgers. Mike Mole picked up the win on the hill with relief help from E.J. Kapela and Kuhner.
The Dodgers then beat the LI Cardinals 5-4 at Juniper Valley. Gleason and Steingrubner combined on a six-hitter with Steingrubner getting the win with four shutout innings. Nick Theoharis and Kuhner smacked two hits each. Kenny Hoch tripled in the final inning and scored on a two-out clutch single by Miller.
The Dodgers came right back the next night at Francis Lewis High School to beat the same Cardinal team, 5-0, behind excellent pitching from Kapela’s five-shutout innings and two innings from John Sikiric. Hoch and Sikiric sparked the offense with big doubles.
The Dodgers then beat their archrivals the LI Tigers in 10 innings at Adelphi University, 3-2. Kuhner put on a remarkable display of pitching, going all 10 innings and allowing only six hits.
“Kuhner was unbelievable today,” Gleason said. “I went out to the mound three times to take him out and each time he told me that he was fine and not to take him out.”
Kuhner got out of a second and third one-out situation in the bottom of the 10th to really earn the win.
The Dodger bats came out smoking in the first inning against Long Island’s Mike Harris, the only pitcher to pin a loss on the Dodgers this year. Solid line drive hits by the first four batters — Kuhner, Hoch, Theoharis and Gleason — gave the Dodgers a 1-0 lead. Sikiric grounded out, Miller hit a fly ball to right and Theoharis was out at the plate trying to tag up.
Trailing 2-1 in the sixth, Sikiric doubled and Al DiCanio had a clutch line-drive hit to tie the score. The Dodgers won this one in the 10th as Theoharis walked, Gleason and Sikiric singled and DiCanio came through again with a hit to give the Dodgers the 3-2 win.
Maser had two hits and once again supplied the Dodgers solid shortstop defense.
“He's been solid all year,” noted Coach Gleason. “He makes the plays and has been the difference in many close games.”
