Babe Ruth teener’s league

Chiefs ice playoff berth with win over Renegades

Regular season sweep by Chiefs hands Renegades their only losses

By RICHARD A. ROSS

NARROWSBURG, NY - Call them familiar foes, but somehow this time of year, the best action in the South Division of the Babe Ruth Teener’s League always seems to center on battles between the Tusten Chiefs and the ReMax Renegades.

Meeting for the second and final time of the regular season on July 2, the stakes were high as the onset of the July 6 playoffs loomed. The Renegades sported an impressive 14-1 record coming into this game. Their only loss, a 7-2 defeat, came at the hands of their old nemesis, the Chiefs, on June 19. Despite beating the league’s best team in the Renegades, the Chiefs had struggled of late, losing a pair of games to the Wallenpaupack Indians on June 22 and to the Wallenpaupack A’s on July 1.

Chiefs manager Joe Curreri sent his ace, Brad Reimer, to the mound, hoping the fiery hurler could work the same magic as he did in the two teams’ last outing. Reimer, who came into this game with a 3-0 record, has been dominant against the opposition. He just recently concluded an impressive rookie varsity baseball season at Sullivan West.

The Chiefs needed this win to assure themselves a berth in the playoffs. Curreri’s strategy was clear.

Since the game was played on a Sunday, Reimer would be available for playoff action this coming week. Rules limit pitchers to seven innings within any given week. A new week begins each Monday.

Reimer is a three-year veteran who has never sat an inning during his tenure with the Chiefs. A five-tool player, he has emerged as one of the area’s finest young athletes.

The Renegades sent starter Jordan Burke to the mound. Burke features a lively fastball. In this outing, however, he had trouble locating it, which lead to a number of walks that would haunt him.

The Renegades got on the board first as Jarrod Grzywara lined a single and proceeded to steal both second and third. He scored when William Davic reached on an E-3. Reimer notched two strikeouts to limit the damage to a single run.

In the bottom of the first, the Chiefs answered back with two runs. Burke issued a leadoff walk to Tory Samson, who proceeded to steal second and reach third on a passed ball. Logan Grishaber ripped a single to drive in a run. Mark Tesseyman’s two-out single plated the second run of the inning and gave the Chiefs a lead they would never relinquish.

Reimer settled in and pitched four scoreless innings. During that spell, he limited the Renegades to a pair of singles and struck out four more batters.

Recently plagued by a power outage when it came to getting hits, the Chiefs’ bats looked lively against Burke, then Evan Padua and finally Eric Sandercock. The Chiefs picked up a run in the third inning as Grishaber led off with a single and stole second. Reimer’s single put runners at the corners and a walk to Torin Frey loaded the bases with no one out. Burke issued a walk to Greg MacArthur to send in a run, but Burke reared back and notched his third strikeout of the inning to escape the jam.

Both teams were held scoreless in the fourth. The Renegades threatened in the fifth, but the Chiefs were able to stop two runners from crossing the plate. Reimer came home on a comebacker and Degori held on for the first out. A great throw from Grishaber on a long fly by Sandercock cut off another run. The Chiefs broke out for a trio of runs in the fifth. Reimer worked out a walk against reliever Padua and stole second just before Tesseyman notched his second RBI with a single.

Pinch hitter Austin Sauer got on with a single and, as he stole second and drew the throw, Tesseyman headed home for the second run of the inning. Jeremy Degori knocked in a run with a single and the Chiefs led 6-1 heading into the sixth.

That seemingly comfortable cushion was quickly narrowed as the Renegades got back three runs. After Reimer notched his sixth strikeout of the game to start the inning, the Renegades smacked three consecutive singles by Davic, Padua and Chris Henderson. Eric Avery drove in the third run of the inning on a single.

The Chiefs tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI from Torin Frey. The Renegades got a run in the top of the seventh on an RBI from Burke but Reimer struck out two to ice the win.

The Chiefs improved to 13-3 and will likely be the second seed in the tournament. They will play a home game on July 6 against an opponent who is yet to be determined. A playoff rematch between the Chiefs and Renegades is a distinct possibility down the line. Last year, the Renegades were victorious. As for facing Reimer, Renegades coach Bill Phillips figures the third time might just be his team’s lucky charm.

“Each time out, we’re getting better swings against him,” Phillips said with a smile. He had plenty to smile about. His team had just completed a 14-2 regular season.

Visit riverreportersports.com for additional pictures.