Monticello men’s softball league

Giant Mobile gets its wish

Defeating Sullivan Sports may be the highlight of Giant Mobile’s season

By RICHARD A. ROSS

MONTICELLO, NY — For some teams, a season’s success isn’t about winning a championship; it’s about winning a particular game against a team they want to beat.

Chalk Giant Mobile’s 14-13 win over Sullivan Sports on June 22 to a number of things. First and foremost, Giant Mobile got great production out of the bottom part of its batting order, including Mike McArdle, Jimmy Snowden, pitcher Jim Crawley, Don Durland and Chris Cardona.

The team also showed its grit in coming back from a first-inning deficit and staving off two killer rallies by Sullivan Sports. A timely catch, deep in left center field by Steve Belgiovene in the bottom of the seventh, saved the game for Giant Mobile.

After Sullivan Sports tied the game up by scoring five runs in the frame, they had the winning run standing on third base in the person of Dave Lucyski, who had drawn a walk, stolen second and gotten to third on a passed ball.

With two outs, Fallsburg’s Harris Seletsky, more seasoned in baseball than softball, drove a ball deep into the night. But Belgiovene tracked it down sending the game into extra innings. Veteran softball players know the value of hitting the ball down and hard in situations like this. Seletsky, a fine player, will no doubt take this at-bat with him as valuable experience for the remainder of the season.

The rally by Sullivan had been fueled by a leadoff bunt single by George Brandes and RBI hits by Gil Suarez, Des Williams and a game-tying single by Bobby Yakin. With Seletsky’s fly out to Belgiovene, the game stood knotted at nine apiece after seven innings. Sullivan had been fighting its way back all night and got a two-run homer from Des Williams in the bottom of the fifth.

Wanting the win badly, Giant Mobile proceeded to tee off on Sullivan Sports’ pitcher D.J. Pugh in the top of the eighth. Greg Merola started it off by reaching on an E-10. Cory Vankeuren’s single drove him to third and Chris Bates knocked in the go-ahead run with a single. McArdle kept it going with an RBI on an E-4. Crawley and Chris Cardona added to the five-run lead heading into the bottom of the eighth.

A heated Mike Greco urged his Sullivan Sports team on and the men in blue began to respond.

John Bell led off with a single. After Derwin Rivera grounded out, George Brandes knocked in a run with a single. Gil Suarez flew out to right but a pair of throwing errors plated another run.

With the score now at 14-11, Des Williams hit a single, Julian Dawson put down a pretty bunt and Bobby Yakin drove in two more runs with a thunderous triple.

That brought recent acquisition Dave Luczyski to the plate but his hot liner went right to the shortstop, who threw him out to end the rally.

“We waited for this game the whole season,” said a tired and happy Crawley. “Even if we don’t win another game, this was sweet,” he said. His teammates celebrated a gutsy win with satisfaction about beating a team they really had it in for.

The way Greco sees it, with his team sporting the third-best record in the league, Sullivan Sports has a target on its back every night. The rivalry of this crossover game, however, with Giant Mobile in the Culligan Division and Sullivan Sports in the Bickam Division, was fueled by distinct personalities.

Sullivan Sports’ record fell to 8-3, while Giant Mobile improved its mark to 5-7.

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