Monticello Men’s Softball playoffs

A chance to play for the title

Ma & Pa’s sweep of ABC Title earns them a shot against Fitness Factory

By RICHARD A. ROSS

MONTICELLO, NY — In a short series anything can happen. With that in mind, the feisty players of Ma & Pa’s hope to make history in 2005 by accomplishing two things. The black and blue bruisers hope to snap Fitness Factory’s unbeaten streak of 17 straight wins. More importantly, they hope to beat them twice to take this year’s title. They know full well that they are considered the underdogs in the upcoming run for the championship of the Monticello Men’s Softball league.

As the first step in that quest, Ma & Pa’s (12-4) swept away the defending champions ABC Title (13-4) with a 13-10-series-clinching victory on August 17. They sent ABC’s manager/pitcher/head honcho Mike Greco and some of his teammates into thoughts about the upcoming flag football season. Meanwhile, Ma & Pa’s entertained visions of accomplishing what many consider “Mission Impossible,” namely breaking the spell that Fitness Factory has cast over the entire league.

In the final game of the Bickham Division playoffs, Ma & Pa’s got the early lead over ABC Title in the second inning when a Josh Card double brought home Vinny Radesca, who had reached on an E-6. Ma & Pa’s piled on two more runs in the third on a single from Wayne Kozlowski. But ABC tied the game in the bottom of the third, plating four runs in an inning that started with single from George Brandis, who scored on a single by D.J Pugh. Matt Helfman brought Pugh home. Helfman flew home on a sac fly from John Bell and Mike Gilberg drove in the fourth run with a single.

The lead seesawed as ABC fought to stave off elimination while Ma & Pa’s kept getting a whiff of the impending sweep. In the top of the fourth, Ma & Pa’s exploded for five runs as they touched up Greco for five hits getting RBI from John Corrie, Bryan Kowal, Chuck Worthington and Billy Shutz. ABC got it close in their half of the inning by plating three runs that resulted from a two-run single by Pugh and a sac fly from Bell.

Ma & Pa’s continued to swing the heavy bats and stretched their lead to 13-8 by the end of the fifth inning behind the hot bat of Mike Paulisch, who knocked in three with a bases-loaded double and a sac fly from Kowal. ABC got two in the seventh but hopes of retaining the title vanished on Kyle Bright’s final fly out.

The win afforded Ma & Pa’s five days to get ready for Fitness Factory on August 22.