End Regular Season With Back-To-Back Victories
Haller and Haller finished the Ridgewood Glendale Middle Village Maspeth (RGMVM) minors division with consecutive wins, as their regular season ended Saturday, June 7.
Haller and Haller won a close 8-6 contest with Juniper Elbow last week in their penultimate game of the regular season.
In the top of the first inning, Haller jumped out to a 2-0 leadwith two doubles off the bats of Joseph Labarbara and Ryan Regan. Juniper answered with four runs of its own to take a 4-2 lead.
Joseph Labarbara got the start for Haller. After striking out the leadoff batter, he briefly lost the strike zone. Following four consecutive walks and a single, Labarbara regained his composure to strike out the last two batters to prevent further damage.
Despite allowing three more walks in the second, Labarbara kept Juniper Elbow off the board by striking out three and leaving the bases loaded.
In the top of the second Haller respondedwith four more runs to take a 6- 4 lead. Benjamin Muratovic led off with a triple, followed by a walk from Adam Alava. After Nicolas Maccio drove in a run with a fielder’s choice, Haller had three consecutive hits from Joseph Pennolino, James Szala and Joseph Larbarbara to clear the bases.
Pennolino was 3-3 On the day, and Labarbara was 2-3 with two doubles. Jack Cayli led off the third and came around to score courtesy of Ryan Regan who was running for Cayli in the catcher’s position.
Regan scored the final run for Haller in the top of the fifth after his second hit of the game, and then caused havoc on the bases by scampering home after stealing second and third.
After Labarbara, the pitching duties were handled by Joseph Pennolino, who pitched a scoreless third, aided by a perfect relay to get the leadoff batter trying to stretch a single into a double. Pennolino also spoiled a Juniper scoring opportunity with the bases loaded.
RyanRegan pitched a scoreless fourth and Benjamin Muratovic pitched the final inning for his second save of the season. Muratovic also left Juniper with the bases loaded, striking out the final batter of the game.
Haller finished its regular season with a 13-7 victory over Detailed Realtors on Saturday June 7. The contest was a continuation of a game suspended due to rain, with Haller leading 8-1 in the third.
Benjamin Muratovic pitched two solid innings and Adam Alava made his pitching debut in the sixth to earn his first save of the season.
The minors division playoffs start on Friday, June 13. Haller and Haller gained the #1 seed.
