By The TimesLedger
Major Division
Biordi Construction’s 11- and 12-year-old Major Division Little League squad finished in first place after a full 21-game schedule with a record of 17-4. Runners-up to Biordi were the Brigandi Barristers with a record of 13-8. Tied for third were Mardene Construction and Printing Express, both 11-10.
The season ended with two all-star games featuring 48 players representing all the teams in the division. Nicky Copelli and Robert Renzi hit home runs and all players were honored with medals. The Minor Division awarded Michael Socci the MVP award for exceptional play in the all-star game.
Bell Bay Florist 9, Mardene Construction 8. Steve Kinally made the final catch on a hard hit ball to the outfield to seal the victory for Bell Bay. Mike Wiederhold tripled for Bell Bay and scored two runs, while teammate Chris Goger went 2-for-3. For Mardene, Joey Miccio pitched three strong innings and Peter Scianna batted 3-for-4, as Billy Demos went 2-for-3.
Bell Bay Florist 16, Party City 10. In a slugfest, Bell Bay took an early 13-4 lead. The Florists had Steve Kinally debut at pitcher. Teammate Michael McManus secured the final two outs on the mound. Party City’s Zach Cacavale went 2-for-2 with a double and single and Nicky Ryan scored three runs.
Bell Bay Florist 13, Brigandi Barristers 12. Bell Bay’s Chris Goger went 2-for-4 and made two catches in the outfield, one in right and the other in left, to prevent the surging Barristers from rallying. Teammate Mike Wiederhold singled and doubled, going 4-for-4 on the day and scoring three runs. J.R. Alonzo was a standout at second base for the Florists. Brigandi’s Glenn Barker came in to pitch and tame the Florists, as teammates Derek LaMacchia went 2-for-4 and George Theodoropoulos scored two, going 2-for-2 with a double.
Biordi Construction 14, V.I. Pizza 4. Michael Biordi went 3-for-3, hitting his third homer of the season and finishing the game with five innings on the mound. Matt Valle went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and George Rowen walked four times and scored four runs. John Costa had a two-RBI double for Biordi.
V.I. Pizza 6, Valle Tile 5. Andrew Parraga hit a three-run homer for the V.I. Pizza squad and teammate Anthony Ippolito blasted a two-run shot to secure the victory and finish out the season on a positive note.
Junior Division
Kelly’s Car Service 6, Iannece Law 5. The Junior Division playoffs kicked off with an exciting win for Kelly’s Car Service. Winning pitcher Randy Bayron went 6.1 strong innings before giving way to Sun Ho Kim. Kim came in with the tying run on and struck out the final two batters of the game. Vinny Davi kick-started Kelly’s offense with a bunt single and scored on Jimmy Bernard’s single. Mike Karcinski knocked in four runs with his two singles. Chris Wong singled in the winning run in the sixth inning. Kelly’s second baseman, Keith Newman, was spectacular turning eight ground balls into outs. Steven Abanese, Paul and Vinny Digirolomo played solid defense for Kelly’s. Kevin Flanagan and Coby Nisan had big hits for Iannece Law.
Kelly’s Car Service 12, Murphy's Florist 8. Keith Newman powered Kelly’s Car Service offense with a three-run homer. Gerard Cash, Chris Wong, Randy Bayron contributed RBI hits to lead Kelly’s to an early 8-1 lead. Sun Ho Kim was pitching a masterpiece until the fifth when Kelly’s defense faltered. Murphy’s jumped on their opportunities, as Joe O’Connor, Phil Varsam and Matt Bruno delivered big hits to make it a two run game. Kelly’s Joey Monte came in to pitch the last two innings. He allowed only one base runner as Kelly’s secured its second playoff victory.
Kelly’s Car Service 4, Jim-Eez 1. Kelly’s Car Service advanced to the Junior Division finals with an impressive 4-1 playoff win over Jim-Eez. Sun Ho Kim pitched a spectacular two-hitter, striking out 11 batters. Catcher Mike Karcinski threw out a base stealer early to set the tone of the game. Kelly’s played errorless ball. Frankie Davi, Steven Albanese, Chris Wong, Paul and Vinny Digirolomo all played smart defense. Jimmy Bernard delivered the first hit of the game in the third inning and scored on a clutch single by Randy Bayron. Gerard Cash smashed the hardest hit of the game. Keith Newman executed a perfect bunt-and-run, allowing Joey Monte to score all the way from first. Jim-Eez pitcher David Pereira went the distance, striking out seven. John McManus caught a good game for Jim-Eez.
